The Best Classic Shepherd’s Pie – AKA Shepards Pie or Cottage Pie. Ground Beef (or lamb) with vegetables in a rich gravy, topped with cheesy mashed potatoes, and baked.
Shepherd’s Pie
So, this is how you spell it: Shepherd’s Pie. But, from doing a quick google search, it came to my attention that TONS of people think it’s Shepards Pie.
Irish Shepherd’s Pie
Traditional Irish Shepherd’s Pie would actually call for ground lamb. The difference between Shepherd’s Pie and Cottage Pie is the meat. Cottage Pie uses ground beef, while Shepherd’s Pie uses ground lamb.
I called this recipe Shepherd’s Pie. But, I wrote the recipe so that you could use ground beef or ground lamb.
I typically use ground beef because it is widely available. But, for a special occasion, like St. Patricks day, I would use ground lamb.
How To Make Shepherd’s Pie
(Note – The full printable recipe is at the bottom of this post)
- Sauté some chopped onions in olive oil.
- Add ground beef or ground lamb.
- Add dried parsley, dried thyme, dried rosemary, salt, and pepper.
- Stir and cook the meat mixture until the meat is browned.
- Add minced garlic and Worcestershire sauce.
- Cook the garlic for a minute.
- Add flour and tomato paste.
- Add beef broth, frozen mixed peas and carrots, and frozen corn kernels.
- Simmer the meat gravy until it is thick.
- Boil some peeled and chopped potatoes until they are soft.
- Drain the potatoes
- Add butter, half & half, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Mash the potatoes until smooth.
- Pour the meat mixture into a casserole dish.
- Top it with the cheesy mashed potatoes.
- Bake until the meat is bubbling and the potatoes are golden.
Easy Shepherd’s Pie
Making the best Shepherd’s Pie is not difficult. But, there are a few steps to it. You have to make the meat mixture, the mashed potatoes, assemble the casserole, and bake it.
I find that the easiest way to make this dish is to work ahead. You could make the beef or lamb mixture ahead of time. Or, you could make the mashed potatoes ahead of time.
You could also make the whole recipe ahead of time. Just assemble the casserole, cover the dish, and keep it in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake it. I find it is best to bake it within 3 days of preparing it.
When you are ready to bake it, take it out of the refrigerator for about 20 minutes before you need to bake it to let it start coming to room temperature. Uncover it, and bake.
What to serve with The Best Shepherd’s Pie
- Deviled Eggs
- Roasted Broccoli from Skinnytaste
- The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
Watch the Video for the Best Classic Shepherd’s Pie Below.
Find more of my recipes on TikTok
Best Classic Shepherd’s Pie Recipe
Video
Ingredients
Meat Filling:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion
- 1 lb. 90% lean ground beef -or ground lamb
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 garlic cloves -minced
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 cup frozen mixed peas & carrots*
- 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
Potato Topping:
- 1 ½ - 2 lb. russet potatoes -about 2 large potatoes peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter -1 stick
- 1/3 cup half & half
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
Instructions
Make the Meat Filling.
- Add the oil to a large skillet and place it over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Add the onions. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the ground beef (or ground lamb) to the skillet and break it apart with a wooden spoon. Add the parsley, rosemary, thyme, salt, and and pepper. Stir well. Cook for 6-8 minutes, until the meat is browned, stirring occasionally.
- Add the Worcestershire sauce and garlic. Stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add the flour and tomato paste. Stir until well incorporated and no clumps of tomato paste remain.
- Add the broth, frozen peas and carrots, and frozen corn. Bring the liquid to a boil then reduce to simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Set the meat mixture aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Make the potato topping.
- Place the potatoes in a large pot. Cover the potatoes with water. Bring the water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are fork tender, 10-15 minutes.
- Drain the potatoes in a colander. Return the potatoes to the hot pot. Let the potatoes rest in the hot pot for 1 minute to evaporate any remaining liquid.
- Add butter, half & half, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mash the potatoes and stir until all the ingredients are mixed together.
- Add the parmesan cheese to the potatoes. Stir until well combined.
Assemble the casserole.
- Pour the meat mixture into a 9x9 (or 7x11) inch baking dish. Spread it out into an even layer. Spoon the mashed potatoes on top of the meat. Carefully spread into an even layer.
- If the baking dish looks very full, place it on a rimmed baking sheet so that the filling doesn’t bubble over into your oven. Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes.** Cool for 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Check out all of my great ground beef recipes.
I cooked last Friday . My husband and I love this and we had left over the next day. It actually are very delicious.. We will continue to make those frequently… Thank for the recipes..
This is a good recipe for a traditional Cottage Pie. I made it and have since adapted for my taste profile – red pepper flakes and Chicago style giardiniera to add heat and a tangy element to the meat mixture.
Excellent and easy to make. Made a triple batch for my family of 7. They all loved it
Delicious made exactly as written, was a hit!
This recipe is AMAZING! The first two times I made it with ground lamb but this time I made it with ground lamb and ground wagyu beef (1 lb. each- I doubled the recipe). WOW. Just WOW. Absolutely delicious! This is hands down the BEST Shepherd’s Pie recipe I have ever used. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
This is an excellent recipe! My family liked it better than any other shepherd’s pie or cottage pie we’ve made. Today I made it with half lamb and half beef (and I doubled it because leftovers are so good). I don’t change anything. Well ok, I added a small scattering of cheddar cheese on top, but it’s not necessary for this excellent dish!
True to its name- it is the best I’ve tasted. It has more depth of flavour than other Sheperd’s Pie recipes. I added a bit of ground lamb to the meat layer and a sweet potato to the topping. I’ll be sharing this recipe with everyone I know who loves a ‘keeper’. Delicious- thank you!
Can you make ahead and freeze this?
Friends say this is the best
I agree
I made this according to the recipe, except I added some fresh portabella mushrooms chopped. It was WONDERFUL!! Thanks so much for the recipe.
Absolutely delicious, used avocado oil, ground lamb and mixture of Lager beer and chicken broth in place of beef broth ☺️. Doubled to feed 8 adults and served in bread bowls 🤗. Even my 8 month old grandson loved it, only 1 cup of meat mixture was left 👍👍👍
Very good, meal for 6
This dish is so wonderful! Your meat loaf really was beyond great but this pie is so spectacular! We can’t wait to try your next recipe.
YUM!
Sherman
Can the shepherd’s pie be frozen
Loved this recipe. Could it be frozen and baked later?
The meat was so flavorful! A delicious version of a family favorite!
This was so good that my husband went back for seconds, and he hardly ever does that! It is a keeper for us!
Made today only with ground beef but superb! 👏🏽
Best authentic shepherd’s pie made with lamb and all those fresh herbs and spices made this recipe fun to make and tasted delicious. I will keep this in my recipe collection.
Excellent.
Turns out perfect every time
Delicious amazing recipe I love this cooked it many times and still the best
Great recipe! As of 3/22/23, you have a small typo in step two, You have “…and and pepper.”