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 made this. It was yummy. Made a lot. They only thing I added was onion soup mix and brown gravy. I left out the flour slurry. It was flavorful and will make again. My frozen veggies included green beans. More veggies not a bad thing. Topped with Bob evans loaded mashed potatoes. So no cheese needed. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Really good and super easy for a mom whom wishes she could cook. My son and husband are picky eaters and really enjoyed this. I’m always looking for new and EASY recipes to try. This one is a keeper and definitely will do this again! Thank you so much for giving me a dinner I could actually make! I highly recommend this!!!😊
this is the best Shephard’s Pie recipe i have ever made. My family loved it!
I love this recipe! The first time I made it I followed the recipe exactly, but the next time I added sweet potatoes into my mash and sprinkled some chili peppers on top. Ultimate comfort food
Made it this evening with a few minor variations; I used red wine instead of tomato paste, an extra tbsp of flour due to the increase in fluids, 1/4 cup of Pho Broth/3/4 cup of Beef broth (a little extra zing). I also didn’t have corn, boiled fresh mini carrots with the potatoes, then diced them and added to the filling. I baked for the first minutes as specified, then added a layer of cheeses (Cheddar, Provolone, Asiago) and topped with crushed walnuts for the last baking period.
All minor improvisations based on what I had available – except the toppings. Hands down, the best I’ve eaten, and I first started making versions of Shepherd’s Pie 55 years ago as a young boy with two working parents. I thought I had a great recipe, but I bow to the greater talent! Thank you!! Thank you!!!
Great recipe! We’ve made it several times. Has anyone made it to casserole and then put it in the freezer, then baked it when your family is ready?
Lovely recipe thank you. I guess the frozen veg requirement is to save time and whilst I usually have frozen beans and peas I prefer fresh vegetables and used only fresh this time. The flavour possibilities are endless depending on one’s preferences. I’ll make it again.
I have it in the fridge and going to cook closer to dinner! Just from tasting everything as I went I know it will be great! Thank you! A loved one requested this as birthday dinner.
Can you use can vegetables instead of frozen?
I use 29 oz. can Veg-All well drained…more variety is veggies
Absolutely delicious!! Thanks for sharing !
We have a diabetic in the family so I used mashed cauliflower instead of potatoes. I will be adding this recipe to my rotation. It’s so good!
so yummy…
this is the best Shepherd’s pie recipe i have done . so yummy, perfect seasoning to my family’s taste!!!!
Mine came out tasting good but it didn’t hold together well. Everything kinda mushed onto one when I scooped it out. Any ideas how to make it firmer
For a firmer filling you can alter your ratio of flour and stock, so add maybe half a spoonful more flour or use a little less stock. Just make sure when using more flour you cook it the mix for a bit longer to take out the raw flour flavor.
If your potatoes are too soft add less half and half. What I personally like to do is switch half and half for whole milk and increase the amount of parm by a little less than 1/4th cup. Just take a little extra time to reduce the mix a bit more (I cooked mine on the stove for about 15 mins after adding the flour) and that should help make it firmer!
Best Shepherds Pie I’ve ever had. Only change was used white cheddar instead of parm in the potatoes. Seriously delicious. Thank you!
I love Shepherds Pie and this is a good, easy recipe. I followed the recipe but added more veg as my family likes it a little lighter.
Used peas, carrots, mushrooms, bell peppers, and French cut green beans. Yum!
This was a huge hit! Very flavorful an simple to make.
I can’t wait to make this! Can I substitute almond or coconut flour for the all purpose flour? Will it achieve the same result when combined with the meat filling? Hubby’s granddaughter (gluten-free) is staying with us 2 days/week for the summer, and I think this would be a perfect addition to our dinners.
Thank you!
You probably won’t get the thickening you want from almond or coconut flour. You might try all purpose GF Flour like Kjng Arthur or Krusteaz. I’ve had good results with them.
Yes, I am gluten sensitive so I use almond flour and it turns out great.
Use cornstarch instead.
No on both. King Arthur has a gluten free flour called Measure for Measure that is a 1:1 sub for wheat flour. It will work perfectly. Take care!
Chickpea flour works well as a thickener in savory dishes. I have also taken a handful of raw cashews and ground them into a flour and used that.
I use Cassava (yuca) flour. Thickening and non-histamine triggering; non-grain.
I was having a family dinner and wanted something tasty, somewhat easy and what I thought everyone would enjoy. This turned out delicious! Everyone went for a second helping. I doubled the recipe so there are leftover which I’m sure will be gone in no time. If you haven’t tried this, you should as you won’t be disappointed.
Great recipe. To limit dishes, I cooked the beef filling in a cast iron and just topped with the potatoes. Our family likes to mix a bit of mayonnaise into the potatoes for flavor but I increased the cooking time an extra 10 minutes for a total of 40 minutes as the cast iron takes time to heat up. Regardless, it was a hit for dinner!
Thanks for your review. I’m making this dish for a friend later this week!