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.
Omg!! This is the bomb!!! Everyone loved it, the meat I used was a” meatloaf blend” beef, pork, and veal. Scrumptious!! Definitely making this again. Thank!!
I thought the spice blend was perfect, but my meat amount was 1#1/3, and I used 2 cups of the corn, peas, and carrots. Yum!! For fun I smoothed the potatoes first, then took a fork and dragged it across a couple different directions and it made a cool design. Wish I could post a picture…😋
Delicious and easy to cook.
Made this last night. It was so delicious. I cheated with the mashed potatoes though. It was late for dinner time when I started and I didn’t have the time to make mashed potatoes from scratch. I used a container of “Simply Potatoes” and added some half & half, butter, spices and Parmesan cheese to it and spread it on the meat mixture. I also added mushrooms to the recipe because we love mushrooms. My husband and son LOVED their dinner!
I made this and it was dynamite. I am having dreams if it and need to make it again! Thank you for making me feel like I don’t belong on Worst cooks in America. Everyone loved it and my dad asked me to make again. So luscious and tasty in every bite. Absolute perfection and for a self proclaimed not good cook, the step by step was easy to follow. Thank you!
Absolutely delicious!
Recipe was very good but i think i just tasted a little too much rosemary. My husband said he didn’t notice. I did add some grated parmesan and gruyere cheese to the mashed potatoes as well as on top when I baked it and used baby red potatoes instead of russet potatoes. Will definitely make this again, we served it with garlic bread.
Delicious ! Will be making over and over. Mixed some sweet potatoes in with the russets and it was a great mix.
Simple to prepare. Excellent flavors. Enjoyed by all.
Absolutely delicious! Increased ingredients a bit for a larger family. But kept to original recipe. So comforting and yummy! Served with crusty garlic bread and spinach salad. Will definitely make again. Thank you!!
Such a delicious and full-flavored recipe. I’ve made it a few times with one of them using canned beef chunks and that version was my favorite because the beef was so tender!
Fantastic! This is my go-to shepherd’s pie recipe. I grate some fresh carrots instead of using frozen. I also add 1/2 cup of finely chopped Portobello mushrooms.
I made this yesterday and was amazed I made something so wonderful. So excited for leftovers. It was so flavorful. I added a little more broth cuz I prefer extra juice and it was fantastic. Will use this forever more.
Hearty and flavorful! Always a huge hit at my house.
We discovered Shepherd’s pie on a vacation to Great Britain and making it reminds us of wonderful memories. I started with a seasoning packet but found this recipe which is easy to make with items on hand.
I usually add celery to the onion and sometimes shredded cheese on top. Yummy!!
One of my new favorite recipes. I’ve made it a few times. It is so flavorful.
Very good tasting recepie
Love this recipe!! Made it multiple times and it always tastes amazing. I would highly recommend using Lamb.
Something I’ve loved adding to this dish is finely chopped brussel sprouts.
Only down side is I always get the runs from it.
This is a simple, tasty recipe. My only question is this: Has anyone else found that 1.5-2lbs of potatoes just doesn’t make enough mash to properly cover the meat? I double it….
Other that, This is a “go to” recipe for a quick meal.
IT also freezes nicely for later.
Doug
I used lamb chunks. I sautéed fresh carrots with the onions, followed the rest of this recipe exact. It was delicious! Will def make again. May try different meats. Thank you for an awesome recipe.
Delicious. It was a hit with the family. Definitely making again soon.
I made it with ground lamb (don’t tell my sheep) and the flavors combined were fabulous! I left it for my husband to take out of the oven, but forgot to tell him. It was browner than I had wanted, but that made it even better! I’ll make this over and over for sure!