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 just made this for Sunday dinner. My picky husband LOVED it! The flavor of this dish is SO good. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
Made this AGAIN – for a bigger family dinner, so I doubled the recipe. It was a HUGE HIT!!! We aren’t big fans of either rosemary or thyme, so I left those out… Thank you, I think we have a winner in the dinner rotation!
This is the second time making this recipe which is delicious! I just wonder why my pie doesn’t look like the one in the recipe photo. When I take it out of the oven the juice from the meat and vegetables rises to the top. It tastes good but, doesn’t look nice and dry the way the picture does. Any suggestions?
This was delicious! Great flavors in the meat mixture. I wanted to make it more lowfat so I cut out all but one tablespoon of the butter in the potatoes and didn’t add any cheese. I cut out the 2 tablespoons of olive oil and just cooked the onions with the ground beef. I also substituted green beans for the peas and carrots. This is a recipe I’ll make often.Thank you!
I added a layer of pork and beans on top of the meat and then the sweet potatoes. Used all your other ingredients. So good. This is a keeper! Thank you.
Big hit, family and company loved it. I added some chopped mushrooms and celery. Thank you.
Very delicious pie! I was multitasking while making it so it took a bit longer to prep, but the recipe was so easy to follow! My dad even said the flavour was better than his mom used to make!
I scored the top with a fork before baking, and after the 25mins I set the oven on broil and placed the dish on the top rack for a minute to crisp up. I didn’t have peas so I just used fresh carrots and canned corn, (I quartered the carrots and cut them very thin, 1/16″-ish, and put them in a few minutes before the corn- though I did get a critique that they weren’t cooked through. So, while they were perfect for me, next time I’m going to try to add them with the onions at the beginning for a better cook!) and sopped up most of the butter/grease after the meat was cooked. Because of that the broth and flour was more of a roux which I think really helped keep the pie together! (though I suppose the carrots would have cooked better if I followed the recipe like I should have;;)
Anyways! Sorry for the rant! 5/5! Will make again!! <33
Easy to make what is the oven temp guessing 350
Recipe says 400…
Amazing love it ! Added an egg to the potatoes during mashing so it will brown better in the oven 🙂 delicious
I’ve never left a review for a recipe. This is THE best Shepherd’s Pie recipe ever. My whole family gets excited and not one person complains when I say this is for dinner (NEVER happens)! I usually double the recipe since we have a big family and use 1lb ground beef and 1lb ground turkey, otherwise I follow the directions. I have used chicken broth instead of beef before and hasn’t affected the taste and 1/2 the butter when I’m watching what I eat. This is SO flavorful!
Years ago I worked in a child care center that had an Italian Cook that made this monthly and the kids ate every bite, never left overs. This recipe reminds me so much of those days.
I did not have frozen veggies so added fresh Peas, Carrots and Parsnips. Also used home made chicken stock in the place of beef. Fantastic meal with a side salad. THANK YOU.
Absolutely delicious! Made it with frozen peas and spinach because that’s what I had. Also substituted shredded Mexican cheeses instead of parmesan. Because, again, that’s what I had. Left it all prepared for the family to pop in the oven while I was away. Came home to a tasty hot meal that everyone enjoyed.
Great flavor!
LOVED it. Lightened it up a bit, using a mash of cauliflower and sweet potato for the topping, and just using 2 tablespoons of butter and a splash of buttermilk to combine. Other than that, followed the recipe and it was SO delicious. This will go into the rotation!
Delicious and satisfying. Recipe easy to follow with ingredients all on hand. It’s a keeper.
Never disappointing… I’ve made this recipe several times,. Easily doubled, and trust when they say substituting doesn’t change the great taste. All in all, an excellent any night dish for the family. I use Better Than Bouillon instead of broth, but otherwise, I’ve used leftover mashed potatoes (which was intentional), and made the mash with the recipe.
Made this today and really enjoyed it. Modifications: to bulk up the meat I added a quart of whole button mushrooms at the end of the beef cook. I used fresh herbs instead of dried (because I didn’t have any). Omitted the corn using the entire bag of frozen peas and carrots instead. Increased the broth to 1.5 cups. Made the potatoes a little more soupy using and added some shredded cheddar jack. This recipe is a great base and adjusts well to mods. Thank you.
I’ve made several dishes of shepherds pie and this is by far the best recipe I have made! My boyfriend loved it!
Wonderful easy recipe. Made into 8 mini loaf pans and shared with family and friends
Easy to make and more tasty than the previous recipe I’ve used for this dish. This was always my son’s favorite dish and the first thing he called me up to ask for the recipe for. Wish I could have shared this version with him before he died. He would have loved it!
I would like to double the recipe. Would a 9×13 casserole dish work?
Doubled and used a 9 x 13 pan. It was fine! Should have added one more potato though.
AMAZING! My whole family loved this Shepherd’s Pie. It is just so good. I used all corn because that’s what I remember Shepherd’s Pie having when I was a kid. Also, I have a cow’s milk sensitivity so I used a vegan buttery spread and sheep’s milk pecorino romano for the mashed potatoes. My husband said this recipe is a keeper!
Great recipe! I used ground beef version as well of the ground lamb. Both are fantastic! My only recommendation is use less rosemary. Too strong of a flavor for me. I used 1/4 teaspoon.
It’s a staple recipe in my house. Thanks for sharing 😊
I told my mom I was making this and she wasn’t terribly enthused about it. After I added in all of the seasonings, my mom was salivating and commenting on how good it smelled.
I wish I’d read your comment before making this. Although we really enjoyed it, I felt like the Rosemary overpowered everything else. It made me wonder if there was any point to my using other seasonings. Next time I will follow your recommendation and reduce the rosemary to 1/4 and go from there.
That being said, I still recommend this recipe.