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.
For years I have been trying to figure out what is in an area Irish restaurant’s shepherd’s pie and this recipe hit the nail on the head. It is THE best shepherd’s pie I’ve had in a long time and is almost a dead ringer to the restaurant’s pie taste. I will never make a plain old shepherd’s pie again………we LOVE this recipe!!!
This is a yummy recipe; I am going to try it with sweet potatoes tonight instead of white potatoes. Has anyone done this?
Is the top of the potatoes supposed to be golden brown when you are done? I kind of want to put them back in until they are.
I put it under the broiler for a few minutes
This is the best shepherds pie I ‘ve made. The hubby and kids ate the whole thing in one sitting! Everyone loved it!
Super yummy! Had to substitute fresh diced carrots and drained canned corn instead of the other veggies and it was still great! Thanks.
That was so organized and easy to do. As a newly retired man that is experimenting with food you are so
helpfull. The Sheperds Pie was a winner with my family. We all had seconds!
It tastes really good with impossible “meat” 🙂 I highly recommend adding velveeta in before putting it in the oven
Great Recipe!!! – Thanks
Hands down the best shepherds pie recipe. I added some shredded sharp and shredded Parmesan cheese to the top, it was incredible.
Had some leftover 80/20 ground beef and decided to make this. I only had two small potatoes, so I made a potato / cauliflower combo for the topping. I did drain the fat from the beef, otherwise would have been a bit too greasy for my taste.
Was delicious and I will make again with lamb or other protein!
Thanks 🙂
I love this recipe I’m going to try it out tomorrow I hope I don’t fail cuz it sure looks good this is the best one I seen yet thank you so much
Best shepherds pie i have ever made!
We love this recipe!!
It’s best with the ground lamb.
Yummy 😋
I made it vegetarian and omnivore family loved it! yum!
This was an excellent recipe. My husband & I had two servings, it was so good. Definitely making it again.
Fantastic recipe. My new favorite. Thanks so much for sharing it.
Just put mine I the oven. I did gluten and dairy free by substituting with oat milk, corn starch and Smart Balance buttery spread. Tasted good going in!
Yummy! Fast, cheap to make and lasts two nights fir 2 of us.
Yes, this is the best classic Shepherd’s Pie. The potatoes are the best, the meat filling is the best, and they complement each other perfectly. The whole family loved it and leftovers (if you’re lucky to have any!) are to die for. Always a crowd pleaser. I am hardly a chef, but this is a fool-proof recipe. Enjoy it!
I just made this and my husband and I loved it
I love this recipe so much! The first time I made it I used ground beef. The next time I made it with ground lamb. Delicious both ways. Planning to make this an Easter dinner tradition.