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.
Superb. It’s better than I had expected. The lamb and spices used are perfect compliments to one another. This will be a staple in our home for years to come. Thank you.
I made this today! Delicious‼️
One question…fo I baste the top with an egg wash? I’ve done this in the past but don’t see it here.
☆☆☆☆☆
Best Recipe of Shepards Pie I’ve come acrossed! My family ate until they were complaining about how full they were, and then my son went in for another helping lol.
I have made this 3 times in the past 2 months. Every time I have used leftover prime rib and it has been stupendous! Bookmarked!
Has anyone made this using ground chicken or ground turkey? Would there be any other changes for the ingredients?
So full of flavor, highly recommend!
This is the best shepherd’s pie. Very tasty yet easy to make. This will definitely be one of my go-to recipes. My husband loves this dish.
This is unbelievable ! I can imagine how good it will be as a leftover. I went to Ireland this summer, and had shepherds pie, and almost every pub. This one beats all of them.😋
Absolutely delicious! Very rarely do I find a recipe that I don’t have to adjust slightly to make it more flavorful. It turns out perfect just the way it is. It’s so good, it has become a new staple in our house. Highly recommend!
I never leave reviews but I am for this recipe. I have many years experience cooking professionally and personally. This is hands down the very best Shepherd’s Pie recipe I have ever made and I have made a few.
I used deer meat.. It is so good thanks for the recipe
Fantastic recipe for a classic dish!
I almost never leave reviews but this is incredibly tasty so I had to share how much we liked it. Once my picky 4yr old got it in his mouth he immediately loved it and ate a full bowl, and told me he loved it. I’ve made Shepherds pie before but this was by far the best. No changes or mods needed – make exactly as is, its delicious. (I didn’t have half and half for the potatoes so I used milk and some plain yogurt)
The fact that it is so quick and easy is a huge bonus. I cooked the meat /sauce in a large cast iron pan and added the mashed potatoes on top and baked in the same pan. No need to transfer into a separate baking dish and one less thing to wash.
super solid recipe. What more to ask? simple instructions, easy to follow ingredients – no surprises.
Shepherd’s pie I’ve ever eaten! Perfect blend of seasoning. I used ground lamb and didn’t skimp on the Worcestershire sauce!
Very helpful that the recipe allows for doubling or tripling the recipe. I made extra filling to freeze for future.
This was FABULOUS! It was probably the most flavorful Shepherd’s pie I’ve ever had. I didn’t want to stop eating it. I made one alteration. I added a truffle parmesan seasoning to the potatoes. All of it was so good!
Love this, definitely my go to if all i have is hamburger in the fridge and my kids coming over to eat my food lol. I don’t stray from the recipe, works great every time! Maybe I’ll do instant potatoes but the cheese is key. Thanks for something easy and delicious! Leftovers are great but that hardly comes up 🤔
This was yummy. I made two personal preference adjustments. I subbed the rosemary for some dry steak seasoning, because I don’t like the taste of it, and I subbed the Worcestershire sauce for Hickory BBQ sauce and a dash of A1 sauce to the beef mixture. It was tasty. My Mother In Law is impossible to please, and she liked it as well. That says a lot. I would make it again. Thanks
Excellent. Good taste , easy to make. A great comfort dish
It’s pretty darn good.