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.
Do you think this could be frozen in small portions then reheated in the microwave? My son wants to take some back to college.
This Shepherd’s Pie was absolutely AMAZING!!!! Every single thing about it is delicious! The seasonings make this such a flavorful dish! If you love great flavor, you will love this pie! My husband and I had to force ourselves not to eat 2-3 servings of this deliciousness. Thanks for the recipe! I wouldn’t change a thing!
This is delicious and easy to make!
Made this for supper last night, it was delicious and I will definitely be making it again soon!
Is this something that can be made ahead of time? Make today, reheat tomorrow? Thanks!
Delicious! I used ground venison and added 2tbsp butter to the meat mixture before adding the flour; used 1 1/2 cups frozen mixed vegetables (corn, peas, carrots, green beans); and freshly grated the Parmesan cheese. I will not use any other shepherd’s pie recipe from now on. Thank you for sharing!
I just made this tonight and it tastes amazing. But I am covering it and putting in the fridge for tomorrow night’s dinner. How long and at what temperature should I cook it as it is cold?
Made this today and OMG!!!! Wonderful flavors and so tasty! Didn’t change a thing and my hubby wants this once a month. I really would give it 10 stars if I could! Barb
I have never had shepherds pie but I have been cooking more casseroles bc my mom had to move in with me and we are on a budget! Tonight is the second time I have made it and we love it! It’s so simple and delicious! The first time I skipped a few things bc we didn’t have them but it was so good I decided to follow it to the t and it’s amazing!!
My husband and teenage boys went crazy over this recipe. I subbed chicken stock for the beef broth.
Great recipe! I made a vegetarian version using Impossible burger “meat” and it was a huge hit with my entire family who are not vegetarian. The only other thing I changed was I used cheddar cheese in the potatoes instead of the parmesan.
Great Entree. I made this with fresh ground lamb made from a lamb roast and all organic fresh veggie. Its easy to make and you and any guest you serve will feel like you are in a fine counrty inn or a pub in the UK. I suggest greasing the baking dish throughly. I used a fork to create a nice pattern in the top and a very light dusting of paprica to enhance the appearance. You will love it!
Absolutely delicious! I was in a crunch for time so I used instant mashed potatoes and had no frozen carrots or rosemary. Besides those things, made the recipe as written. Cannot wait to make it with the potatoes as in the recipe. The flavor was so wonderful. Very much comfort food!
So good!
The only thing I changed is making the meat mixture in a cast iron skillet, that way just put the potatoes on top and put it in the oven, rather than transferring to another pan!
This was soooooo good. My husband said it’s been my best Sheppards Pie ever. I used fresh rosemary and thyme because I had it and decided to shred a fresh carrot vs a frozen bag of veggies because I only had corn and peas in the freezer. I actually think this added to the yumminess of the overall final taste. I added them while onion and beef were cooking up. Also added more garlic because that’s a given with me. Lastly, sprinkled Chili powder on the mashed potato topping after using a fork to create small decorative lines. Cooking time was spot on. This really was exceptionally good and going to make again soon.
Really easy recipe and it tastes great. Cooked it in a cask iron skillet and broiled for a few minutes at the end and it turned out phenomenal and hot AF. Shepherd’s pie is pretty boring IMO, but a staple for comfort food and this recipe doesn’t disappoint!
I have been making shepherds pie forever, but have always used the “family recipe.” I love it, but I knew it could be better and wanted to see how it compared to others. After settling on this recipe because it seemed familiar but something different at the same time (plus the excellent reviews), I made it and it was a HUGE hit! My husband went for not just seconds, but thirds, and it even met with my mother’s approval! I followed the recipe exactly, which I usually do the first time I try a new one, and I won’t change a thing next time! I can’t wait to make it again. Going to try it with some venison a friend just gave me. Hope it’s just as delicious!
My husband and I absolutely loved it! The best shepherd’s pie recipe I have found to date.I made it with half ground pork and half ground beef and used only half of the Parmesan cheese in the mashed potato topping due to personal preference, but it was absolutely delicious! The seasonings are balanced very well, just the right amount of each. I will definitely keep this one!
Love the recipe! Delicious!!!! I used buttermilk i needed to use up instead of milk. Worked great! Thank you!
HI,
This looks fantastic! Can you cook it in a cast iron skillet instead of the 9X9 baking dish?