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.
Best Shepard’s pie EVER! I wish I had made more to freeze
I have used this recipe exactly as is, twice before. My whole family loved it. This time I doubled it as there are never leftovers. Only changes I made, I added a 1/2 cup extra broth and more vegetables. Added some green beans as well. When making the mashed potatoes, I added about 3/4 of a cup beef broth(it was what was left over). Potatoes came out super creamy and loaded with added flovor. My family and I love this recipe. Thank you for posting it
I used mashed cauliflower instead of potatoes since hubby is diabetic.
I will be making this again! Delicious!
Coming from an English background I love shepherds pie.
I came across this recipe and made it.
This is now my official pie recipe I use. So delicious.
Tonight I’ll try half broth and half red wine. It should add a little something.
How did it come out with the red wine? I was thinking of doing this tomorrow for dinner
Can you freeze this??
I make double or triple recipe of meat mixture and freeze that. Thaw one portion in fridge overnight and make the potatoes fresh. Very yummy recipe.
I froze this last month after it was assembled, but before I was ready to put in the oven. I just baked it and it still tastes delicious. I think it’s a great dish to freeze! Just my opinion. 🙂
Very tasty and best shepherds pie I have made. If I made it ahead next time I would have one of the kids take it out of the refrigerator earlier. Took longer to cook than I anticipated
I made this last night and it was delicious. I didn’t change anything. My son loves shepherds pie and my husband and I and my son all went back for seconds!! Thankfully there is enough left over for my husband and me for tonight’s supper!! A definite remake!!!
This was very good and the smell as it cooked was delightful.
Thank you for posting this recipe, Amanda! It is delicious. I hope the leftovers are ok to freeze. I know I’ll enjoy them as well.
I love the ease of this recipe with the following additions/changes. I use half red wine and half stock for a more traditional sauce. I also add sliced mushrooms which I sauté the onions. I too make it in a cast iron pan so it’s a one pot meal. If anyone does add mushroom be sure to consider your liquids. I like a lot of gravy so I don’t reduce but others might like a tighter sauce.
For the potatoes I use heavy cream and two egg yolks added to the mix. It produces a creamier potatoes which I like to pipe on top “to make it fancy” my boys would say.
Sheperd’s pie is a favourite of mine. I travel to the UK often and always enjoy trying country versions. If your readers like traditional and fun British dishes, give a Sussex pond pudding a go! It’s delicious and such a show piece.
I don’t understand why you just don’t post your own recipe then. Leave this one alone. I want to try it please.
I always find it funny when you go to a recipe and see, “I made this but I completely changed everything about it!” It’s funny sometimes.
Dawn, while your additions and changes sound great, you didn’t really make this recipe, you made your own.
So true, so true . She need a post a pic. I love the recipe and taste really good and affordable 👍
Then follow the recipe, Joyce …
I don’t think anyone was trying to offend you by adding their comment…
Thank you, Dawn! I followed your additions and the recipe was AMAZING!
Good idea regarding the red wine and mushrooms, I’ll ty it with that.
I came up with my own before reading and sounds the same as in your comments Dawn. I love the slight changes you made to the recipe. It’s in the oven right now. I love reading comments and recommendations. I am not a baker. I cook from the research and love. I like to play with recipes. It’s one of the best things about cooking. It is an art. Thank you Dawn I appreciated your comments and suggestions 💗
This is a great recipe as is and thanks for the additional ideas and stories, Dawn! Love it! I can picture it all fancy. 🙂
I liked this recipe. I’ve had many a Shepard’s pie, and I think the biggest challenge is making sure the veggies and meat aren’t too liquid-y, and the addition of the flour and tomato paste do help to thicken it nicely. My only concern is the amount of potatoes listed (I believe it says two large potatoes) is quite comical! I ended up using about 8 medium-sized potatoes and it was *just* enough to cover in my 9×11 pan. I will most likely use even more potatoes, next time around, and perhaps add a little wine to the broth. One change I made, I took a mixture of mozerella, Romano, and some of the Parmesan cheese and dusted it over the top of the potatoes right before I put it in the oven. This created a nice cheesy crust on top, and was a nice texture addition to the creamy potatoes. I also used fresh parsley, thyme, and a little rosemary since I had them on hand. Very much enjoy the flexibility of this recipe, and how you can really play with spices and seasonings.
Thanks for sharing – I love the idea of adding mushrooms.
oooohh this sounds yummers.
Thanks for sharing. I also like to alter recipes to match my taste.
Thank you for sharing your experience I found it entertaining and insightful.
Thanks for your suggestions Dawn, I did everything you listed and it turned out amazing. My husband and I ate 2/3 of the pan.
Best shepherds pie I ever had definitely a winner so yummy
Does the grease from the hamburger meat need to be drained before adding the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste?
Can I premake everything then place in fridge and take it later in the evening to bake? I assume it’ll take longer to bake but still works right?
Cooking this for a friend – it may go straight into their freezer. Should I assemble and hold off on baking? That way they can throw in the oven when they are ready for it?
Delicious! Followed recipe and wouldn’t change anything. Husband loved it too! Thank you!
Can I make it on Saturday and cook it Sunday? I would leave in the fridge over night.
I did. I just covered it with foil for an extra 10 minutes at the start.
About how many adults will this feed? My family are big eaters so I’m not sure if I should go with the six servings or if I need to make extra?
make extra!
easy peasy and taste yummy, kids to grandma love it! *note recipe is for 4, not 8.
Was AWESOME
This was soooo good! So much flavour and easy to make! This is now my go-to Shepherd’s Pie recipe! Thanks!