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 last night. What a complete, tasty and entirely satisfying meal. Oh My 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Loved it with a few modifications 🙂
This was delicious and so simple! Tasted for seasoning along the way and was able to tweak stuff ever so slightly and it came out PERFECT. Will make again!
I love this recipe !!! I do not alter it much I just add a splash of wine when I cook the meat with the paste and broth:)
Can you make this with ground chicken or turkey?
Delicious. I’ve made Shepherds Pie before and felt it was rather bland. This was perfect. A big hit. In fact, my grandson is making again tonight for a pot luck.
Absolutely delicious! Way better than going out ever even thought to be, and super easy to make.
This is a lovely recipe. My British husband loved it. Thank you
After serving this shepherd’s pie tonight I was asked if we could have it every week. I think the rich gravy and delicious seasoning are what make it so excellent.
My family loves this. Its so good
Really good! I did change a few minor things didn’t add rosemary as I’m not a fan of that spice. I didn’t have fresh onions so I used dried minced. And I used extra carrot instead of corn.
Easy to follow recipe, using accessable ingredients. Added a little bit of red wine with the beef stock. Very good.
EXCELLENT! I prefer it made without the veggies and corn.
The best Shepherd’s pie I have ever tasted! SOOO full of flavor
I’ve tried many different recipes for Shepards Pie and this one is a VERY GOOD Recipe. It’s super fast and easy to make.
There’s a couple things that I altered, ingredients or techniques I learned from other recipes.
1. I used Fresh Thyme & Rosemary. Noticeably Better flavoring & aroma’s.
2. I added 1/4 Cup of Red Wine. After adding and fully blending the flour Steps.
3. I added 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese to mashed potatoes as well as 1/2 cup of Parmesan & Asiago blend. VERY GOOD!
4. For the Veggies, I used equal portions of fresh corn on the cob for the sweet flavors, Celery, carrots, & Frozen Peas 🫛
Can you use fresh veggies? If so, would cooking time increase for their tenderness? Or would you steam prior to adding? Thanks!
I made this shepard’s pie and it is awesome probably the best one I’ve ever made. I followed the recipe to the T. I used ground beef. Will definitely make again!
This was super easy to assemble and the best shepherd’s pie dish out there. I am now rinsed in that I will no longer enjoy ordering this at restaurants and pubs since this one is so fabulous!
Incredible taste! Love this recipe, it’s a staple for us now!
I used ground venison. Turned out great. I will make it again
👍🏻👍🏻Two thumbs up from my husband… it’s a great recipe and one we’ll do again!! The recipe was easy to follow and tasted delicious!
What are you instructions for freezing?
Delicious and popular with the kids! I left the meat mixture in my cast iron skillet and added the potatoes on top.
Great recipe for my 2nd attempt at Shepherds Pie. Used fresh carrots boiled to tender and boiled corn off the cob. Added fresh stewed green beans, sauteed onions and green peppers. No tomato paste and broth so it was a bit dry. More seasonings next time. Thank you Amanda Finks
This is the best recipe and so easy to make! It has been added to my stable of favorite recipes and my family loves it!
My husband highly appreciates this recipe for its simplicity and efficiency. Thumbs up all around.
It is a great comfort food! I loved it, and so did my family. Thank you!