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.
Delicious!!! Used only corn , my kids preference. Added to my yummy recipe pile.
Excellent, thank you!
Only 3 people I cook for and this is one meal I can make turns out great every time, and everyone loves it! If you have picky eaters give this a try. I’m not much into cooking but this is more like baking so it works for me.
WOW! My entire family loves this recipe! It was amazing. With a little tweak we use instant mash potatoes (6 servings worth to match the recipe) turned out fantastic. Officially added to the recipe book!
It was easy to make and family loved it- my grand daughter (6 yr) requested it for what she wants for New Year’s Eve!
First time making this – it was delicious
Thank you for posting this recipe! So far, so good. This is such a versatile recipe! I love the idea of cooking at a higher heat, which makes everything melted good, crisp on top, (or not), as you so choose. It smells delicious enough to have everyone gravitate toward the kitchen! The true test – and for the meat eaters in the house, this is a GO! This can also be made with all types of meatless choices too. Versatility, is my buzz word. Because at the end of the day, I am a disaster in the kitchen. Which is why, if I can follow the directions, you can too! I did not use rosemary – only b/c I knew no one would eat the final cooked dish. LOVE IT!!! And, they will too! Enjoy your day!
Delicious…Great way to use left over mashed potatoes after a holiday. Seasoned well and very tasty
Thank you! Such a good recipe esp for beginner cooks. I used it to impress my friends. The spices really hit
I have never made shepherds pie before and I’m in my 60’s. This recipe was absolutely delicious!!!! I can’t say it enough! With the ground lamb and spices it was amazing!!
Thank you for such a yummy dinner recipe!
Pam in Ct 🙂
So flavorful! My family loved it
I absolutely loved this recipe. Growing up I hated Shepard’s pie. I now love it. Thank you!
Delicious!!! Easy to do, just takes time. I didn’t have potatoes, so i used the refrigerated potatoes that i had on hand. Just doctored the potatoes the same way in the recipe (except the butter & half & half). I’ll definitely put it on my winter recipe list.
I’ve made this several times for myself and friends. It’s always a hit!
Everyone raves about it!
I made this a few days ago, and it was as delicious as it looks! Thanks for helping us cook this dish.
Made this first time, followed receive to a T! Absolutely great hearty dish. Perfect for this cold winters day. Only one tip, I would add more salt as the salt content was less than what my family generally like. Next time, I am going to add a bit of mustard and a little mint to give it extra flavour. Over perfect fish for any occasion!
Sounds delicious 😋
Fat and away the best cottage pie I’ve ever had. Made it just like the recipe, but used leftover mashed potatoes for the topping, and added a layer of shredded cheddar in between. Absolutely fantastic!
Absolutely delicious I doubled the recipe and it came out perfect. I did put my potatoes through a food mill but that’s all I did different. It was fantastic.
Very good. My family couldn’t get enough,
This already has plenty of 5-star reviews but I just had to leave my own! This stuff is GOOD! Don’t hold back on the thyme, and rosemary like I did. I was afraid it would be too much, but it isn’t. This was delicious! I never leave recipe reviews, but oh my goodness!😋😋😋😋😋❤️❤️❤️❤️