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.
Wonderful recipe! But as someone whose mother iOS from London, we don’t put corn in our shepherd’s pie.
Made this several times, easy and great flavour. Seasonings are perfect. Saved as a favourite
The whole family likes this a lot–all generations.
Can I freez once. Assembled?
This looked so easy I had to make it. It turned out so tasty. I substituted Colby jack cheese for the Parmesan cheese.
Great recipe. Easy to assemble.Nice layer of flavors. So easy to customize. Definitely a keeper
I LOVE this recipe! It has been one of my favorites so far. I even replaced it with ground turkey and oat milk and it still taste absolutely delicious 🤤
can i make this with chicken and use all the other same ingredients?
My wife and I substitute ground beef for ground turkey and it comes out perfect! Im sure chicken would work too!
Use ground turkey instead.
I don’t see why you couldn’t. Be aware that chicken can get dry when cooked for a long time. If you are using ground chicken, look for ground dark meat as dark meat holds up to long cooking times better than white meat. And, consider using all fresh ingredients vs dried herbs and frozen veggies. (See my other comment.) Of course, fresh herbs aren’t always available, so the dried will work. ( I’m fortunate to live in So Cal where I grow fresh herbs in my backyard year ’round.)
I don’t see why not! I make use ground chicken breast whenever I make tacos and no one can even tell the difference!
I used ground turkey, delish !
I’ve had shepherds pie with ground chicken before and tonight I’m going to use rotisserie chicken! Hope this helps!
Yes! I made it with ground turkey, since it’s what I had in hand and the ground beef gives me heartburn. The flavor was delicious! I still used the beef broth, to try and make it taste more beefy. It had great reviews at the table.
Excellent! I have made Shepards Pie (Cottage) ,any times and the last time swore never again. Saw Amandas recipe and I am back in the game.
Outstanding. Thank you.
This tastes so good and really easy. I was making it for my Irish boyfriend and didn’t think I’d even like it. It was delicious and he loved it.
I always make my shepherds pie from leftovers.The best so far,is this recipe but use my leftover meatloaf. I put the meatloaf in my stand mixer and make sure that I get it crumbled to a ground beef texture. Then I use the recipe above and my family loves it! It tastes awesome . My family likes our food with a little more spice and the meatloaf is perfect.
Hands down the best I’ve ever had . The only thing I did differently was use red potatoes and I ground the rosemary up . It’s so delicious it’s probably going to get made twice a month in my house for the rest of time.
First time I’ve ever made Sheppards Pie, really happy with the recipe!
Made this Sheppard’s Pie tonight and it was simply wonderful. I was thinking before I cut into it , or would be a runny mess— but it stayed together and came out in perfect squares. Thank- you for this wonder recipe!
I have made this recipe with ground lamb and it was delicious. I have also made it with ground beef and it was just as delicious and a hit with my family.
The best shepherds pie ever.
First time making it today. Easy and smells delicious.
I did it with venison and it was wonderful. Thanks for the recipe!!
This is the best shepherd’s pie I’ve ever had. Everyone enjoyed it!
This was DELICIOUS. I made it with yam instead of potato and I think that was very complimentary.
Thanks, Amanda, for sharing your delicious recipe. I am Chinese and was curious about Shepherd’s Pie. Tried your recipe and every time was a success! Tonight I’ll be making it for the third time, am sure my family won’t be disappointed. Keep sharing your talent. God bless always
P.S. Since I always have Nestle Lite Cooking Cream, I use it in place of half & half.