The ultimate comfort food, this hearty and easy shepherd’s pie recipe is packed full of seasoned beef and vegetables, topped with creamy mashed potatoes, sprinkled with cheese, and baked until golden. Fill up with this delicious family favorite.
This is an amazing recipe, because it makes everyone in the family happy. How could you not like something covered in mashed potatoes and cheese?
It has been really cold and snowy the last few days. We have to check on the animals multiple times a day to make sure their water hasn’t frozen over.
During these frigid temperatures, we have extra motivation to finish the outside chores and return to the cozy fire that awaits inside. Even better is serving a plate full of this comforting cottage pie recipe to warm us up completely.
You can serve it by itself, but it’s lovely paired with some sourdough dinner rolls.
Ground beef is simmered with beef broth, vegetables, and spices to create a flavorful, healthy, and protein-packed filling. Then top the vegetable and beef mixture with mashed potatoes that are mashed with cream, butter, and yogurt (or sour cream), topping them with fresh parmesan cheese.
This meal is as much a joy to prepare as it is to eat! I hope your family enjoys this classic shepherd’s pie recipe as much as ours does.
What is Shepherd’s Pie?
It is a classic dish that came from the British Isles in the 18th century as a way to use up inexpensive ingredients at the time. (source) Originally made with lamb (hence the name shepherd’s), nowadays it is typically made with ground beef.
Why you will love this recipe
Delicious – This is the best shepherd’s pie recipe hands down. The flavors are divine and the mashed potatoes are silky smooth.
Pure comfort food – The vegetables and meat filling is simmered in broth and topped with rich and creamy mashed potatoes. Is there anything more comforting?
Great for meal prep – This recipe can easily be made ahead and kept in the fridge or freezer. Double or triple. Make one for now and freeze the rest for future busy days.
Tools you may need:
Baking dish or large skillet
FAQ
The main difference between the two is that cottage pie is made with beef, while shepherd’s pie is made with lamb; but in the US, shepherd’s pie is commonly made with ground beef.
Salad with kefir ranch or honey mustard dressing
Sourdough dinner rolls or crusty sourdough bread
Sauerkraut or another fermented vegetable
This could be due to a few reasons, not straining extra fat from cooking the ground beef, not cooking the filling long enough to reduce the liquid, or not adding enough flour to thicken the filling.
Ingredients
Ground beef or ground lamb – could also substitute with another ground meat. I like using lean ground beef.
Beef stock (preferably homemade) – Substitute with chicken broth if needed, but I like the depth of flavor beef broth adds.
Potatoes – Preferably russet, golden, or red potatoes.
Flour – All purpose flour or einkorn. This thickens the mixture. You could also use cornstarch turned into a slurry for a gluten free option.
Parmesan: Freshly grated on top. Could also use cheddar cheese.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How To Make Shepherd’s Pie
Step 1: Begin by preheating the oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter (or use olive oil) in a pan over medium heat and add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic; cook 5-7 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the beef and cook, breaking up the large clumps, until it’s no longer pink. Remove any excess beef fat. Stir in the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, beef stock, salt, black pepper, and frozen peas to the meat mixture.
Step 2: Cook a few minutes more to warm up the peas and allow the flavors to merge. Taste and adjust for salt if necessary. Transfer the ground beef mixture to a 8×11 casserole dish. Set aside.
Step 3: Meanwhile, to a medium saucepan, add peeled, chopped potatoes to heavily salted cold water and bring to a boil. Cook until the potatoes are fork tender. Depending on the size of the potatoes this could take anywhere from 10-20 minutes.
Step 4: Drain the water and add the potatoes back to the pot. Add the butter, cream, salt, and pepper; mash together until you have a really smooth consistency. Taste and adjust for salt if necessary.
Step 5: Spread the fluffy mashed potatoes over your meat and vegetable filling in your baking dish. Fluff the potatoes lightly with a fork (to create peaks that will brown in the oven) and sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Step 6: Place in the preheated oven for 20 minutes until the pie is warmed through and the top is evenly golden brown. You may need to turn your broiler on for a few minutes at the end to achieve really nice browning. Watch the pie carefully at this stage to ensure it doesn’t burn.
Storage:
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days, or in the freezer for 2 months. Technically, it can last longer in the freezer, but quality may decrease.
This is a great recipe for a busy weeknight. Just prep ahead and store in the fridge or freezer until you are ready to bake. If stored in the freezer, allow to thaw for 24 hours in the fridge before baking.
Tips:
- Shepherd’s pie is the ultimate winter comfort food. You can make it your own by switching out the ground meats (like using ground turkey or ground lamb) or vegetable mixture.
- If you aren’t getting the browning on top you desire, you can set your oven broiler on for a few minutes, but watch it carefully to ensure the cheese browns without burning.
- Taste the filling and the mash separately, to ensure they’re properly seasoned.
- I’ve heard from some people that they like to do a combination of cauliflower and potato for the mash for a lighter version.
- This is the perfect use for leftover mashed potatoes.
Find more delicious from-scratch dinners:
- Chicken Marsala Soup
- Homemade Hamburger Helper
- Chicken With Creamy Peach Sauce
- Pumpkin Chili Recipe With Ground Beef
- Skillet Pork Chops With Garlic And Butter
- The best Biscuit Chicken Pot Pie
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone
Shepherd’s Pie
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 1 large carrot, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb ground beef
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 3 teaspoons italian seasoning blend
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup frozen peas
Mash Ingredients:
- 2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and halved
- 1/2 cup salted butter, 4 tablespoons
- 1/3 cup cream, or milk
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan , to top
Instructions
- Begin by preheating the oven to 350 degrees.
- Melt the butter (or use olive oil) in a pan over medium heat and add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic; cook 5-7 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften.
- Add the beef and cook, breaking up the large clumps, until it’s no longer pink. Remove any excess beef fat.
- Stir in the tomato paste, flour, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, beef stock, salt, black pepper, and frozen peas to the meat mixture.
- Cook a few minutes more to warm up the peas and allow the flavors to merge.
- Taste and adjust for salt if necessary.
- Transfer the ground beef mixture to a 8×11 casserole dish. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, to a medium saucepan, add peeled, chopped potatoes to heavily salted cold water and bring to a boil. Cook until the potatoes are fork tender. Depending on the size of the potatoes this could take anywhere from 10-20 minutes.
- Drain the water and add the potatoes back to the pot. Add the butter, cream, salt, and pepper; mash together until you have a really smooth consistency.
- Taste and adjust for salt if necessary.
- Spread the fluffy mashed potatoes over your meat and vegetable filling in your baking dish.
- Fluff the potatoes lightly with a fork (to create peaks that will brown in the oven) and sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese.
- Place in the preheated oven for 20 minutes until the pie is warmed through and the top is evenly golden brown. You may need to turn your broiler on for a few minutes at the end to achieve really nice browning. Watch the pie carefully at this stage to ensure it doesn’t burn.
Notes
- Make it your own by switching out the ground meats (like using ground turkey or ground lamb) or vegetable mixture.
- If you aren’t getting the browning on top you desire, you can set your oven broiler on for a few minutes, but watch it carefully to ensure the cheese browns without burning.
- Taste the filling and the mash separately, to ensure they’re properly seasoned.
- I’ve heard from some people that they like to do a combination of cauliflower and potato for the mash for a lighter version.
- This is the perfect use for leftover mashed potatoes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Your blog says five spice, but I don’t see it in the recipe. Do you really use that in a shepherds pie? I’m fascinated!!
Oh oops! I did in the original recipe, but took it out for convenience.
Excellent recipe, however it isn’t a shepherds pie as it doesn’t have lamb in it. It’s actually a cottage pie.
Glad you enjoyed it! And good to know on the name!
Hey Lisa… FYI the celery is not listed in the ingredient list. Made this tonight and it was delicious! Used ground venison. Thank you, thank you for all you do! I have learned SO much from you!
God bless you and all your family!
Oops. This recipe was recently edited, and must have forgotten that. Thank you.
We love it with venison too!
Thank you for all of the delicious recipes!
I’m sorry that there are so many negative people out there!
My family enjoys your content a lot😊
Thank you Danilee! I appreciate that.
When is the flour used? I don’t see it in the steps!
Add it when the butter and onions are cooking. It is optional, it will give you a thicker sauce.
I had the same issue and then ended up adding it at the end before putting in the casserole dish. If you could edit the recipe to include where to put the flour, that’d be great. Nonetheless, This was delicious and the whole family loved it!
Looks like you have some nasty comments on here. you might want to delete the one with bad language if possible.
Thanks for the dinner recipe idea! Looks delish!!
Thank you! Deleted!
Nice recipe, but what we would call, on this side of the pond, a Cottage Pie. Shepherd’s Pie would be made using minced lamb, or less common nowadays, a more thrifty version would use the meat and gravy left over from a Sunday roast.
Her farm is based in America, thus her use of “Shephard’s Pie” is correct. Please see the above comment regarding the use of Cottage pie vs Shepard’s pie in America.
I made some changes due to just not planning properly and didn’t have tomato paste on cheese but it was still delicious! The semantics of cottage vs shepherd… I always grew up in Indiana with it being called Shepherds pie. As an adult, my husband told me the difference, but it is still shepherds pie in my mind with ground beef!
The best Shepherd’s Pie can not be made with beef.
It’s a good thing you don’t run a restaurant.
I wish Lisa did have a restaurant! Everything I have cooked from this site is excellent!
Per the post FAQ above: What is the difference between cottage pie and shepherd’s pie?
The main difference between the two is that cottage pie is made with beef, while shepherd’s pie is made with lamb; but in the US, shepherd’s pie is commonly made with ground beef.
And that was how it was when I was growing up. Shepherd’s pie was/is commonly made with ground beef in the US.
I’m surprised this recipe calls for a casserole dish vs a cast iron skillet. I was hoping to make it in my 12” skillet. Have you tried it? Will it fit? Thanks!
I always use a cast iron skillet when making a shepherds pie. I also omit the Parmesan cheese, instead I mix grated cheddar cheese in with the mashed potatoes then sprinkle some on top. Delicious!!!
loved d recipe… but i dont eat any kind of meat… any veg replacement like dal or beans that wud substitute pls…
thank u !!! want to try this but veg version…