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.
Could I make this the day before and let it sit in the fridge overnight?
I now hold the crown for best Shepherd’s pie. Already being requested for the next family dinner. Might try cutting back on the butter next time. Going to add this to our family cook book.
Pretty much a perfect cottage pie! I blended the spices through tomato paste to make it easier/quicker as I use Better than Bouillon. 9 servings fills a 9×13 pan perfectly. I added a quarter cup of red wine to the meat. Next time, I’ll go on the smaller side of the potatoes as it was a bit potato heavy.
All I have to say is WOW!! I made this recipe with tiny modifications like using a bullion cube instead of ready to go broth and adding a bit more parmesean for flavour.
Other than that, I followed the recipe to a T.
The prep time for this recipe was about 20 minutes. I switched up the order slightly. While the seasoned ground beef browned, I diced my onion and some garlic. After I drained the fat from the meet, I added onions and seasonings. I did not have tomato paste, so I used a can of tomato sauce. Once the flour and broth was added, I had a tasty gravy! My husband said it tasted almost like my beef stew. It was a hit!
Excellent dish – made as per the recipe. Delicious!!
So good! I didn’t have tomato paste so I puréed some small garden tomatoes and used up some sugar free ketchup I had and it worked. I also used butter instead of oil to cook the onions. And added a small amount of garden green beans with the other veggies (basically halved the corn and subbed green beans) I used instant potatoes as a cheat and put shredded cheese and parm cheese on top too! lol
Tried ground turkey and it was fine.
Excellent! Easy, but prep time for me was certainly more than 20 minutes!
If you double or triple it, cut back on the salt, especially if there is salt in your beef broth.
Less salt is also better for the hearts of the ones you love!
Prep time is wayyyyyy longer than 20 minutes
I made this recipe using vegetarian alternatives (impossible meat and vegetable stock with a beef bullion cube). Let me just say, even with the changes it was DELICIOUS. Try it!!
This recipe is A+ – we loved it!
Has anyone tried this using ground chicken? Thank you.
I’ve made a similar version using ground turkey that came out really well. The chicken flavor may not go well with the beef broth and worcestershire sauce, but you could try subbing chicken or veggie broth. Cooking is an adventure!
I used ground turkey not ground chicken but it worked fine. No one knew it was turkey until I said something
I’m using ground turkey tonight, it smells wonderful. I don’t see any reason why you couldn’t use ground chicken.
This recipe is so delicious! Thank you for sharing it.
You could make chicken and veg potpie filling and spread mashed potatoes on top.
I won’t be trying ground but just baked and chopped chicken.. I think it’ll be just as good as the beef version
Yes I did , very good
Love this recipe. I am from England and i know a good cottage pie and a.shepherds pie. It is delicious but not quite enough for 6 people, at least not 2 grandsons and son in law, my daughter and myself!
I love this recipe. I doubled so I could send a casserole to my in-laws as my mil doesn’t cook anymore. Thyme and rosemary were a bit too strong for me, so I added a bit extra Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, and beef broth. Also, I didn’t have any corn so I subbed green beans. The only other thing I did differently was to use a container of pre-made mashed potatoes. Added the seasonings, garlic, and parm to them. this is a great time saver for a busy weeknight. It’s a hit with my family… Thank you so much for sharing your recipe. 🙂
Do you think i could use instant taters? I have alot.
This was the best shepherds pie I’ve ever had!
Anything I can use instead of flour?
I bet corn starch would do the trick, since the goal is probably just to thicken the sauce
Corn starch
I use Red Mill gluten-free 1 to 1 baking flower
I’ve seen other recipes that use a cornstarch and water slurry…
Corn starch. Use half what the recipe calls for.
I have a son with celiac disease and I use cornflour in the same amount.
I used arrowroot instead of flour and it came out incredible!!! It’s much healthier for you than flour and it doesn’t give you that bloating feeling.
You can mix 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with 4 ounces of cold water, mix well until the cornstarch is fully dissolved (add more water if necessary), and add to the pan in place of the flour (step 5). It’s important that you use cold water or the cornstarch will be lumpy. The sauce should be noticeably thicker after the 5 minute simmer.
I rarely leave comments on recipes, but I’ve been using this one for years now and it is amazing! I have tweaked it a bit over the years and use an Italian herb blend rather than the herbs listed. I still put as much parsley as the recipe calls for. I also double the Worcestershire and use a bag of mixed veg instead of just corn, peas, and carrots. I use salt and garlic to taste rather than measuring. It’s so good, my picky 6 year old goes for seconds and my meat and potatoes fiance loves eating his veggies!
Delicious….and easy for a non cook like me.Thank you…..will definitely make it again and again.
Awesome recipe!! I really like the timing of ingredients. The steps were relevant and made shaping the shepherds pie depth of flavour easy. Love love love this, thank you!!
This was excellent! I cheated and used store bought refrigerated mashed potatoes and, after heating and tasting, added the cheese and garlic. Definitely cut down my time in the kitchen. Will make again. Thank you for the recipe and great instructions!
I use home canned green beans 1st then add the cooked meat and last layer the mashed potatoes. I do drain the liquid from the beans before putting them in the casserole dish and I make sure I seal the potatoes to the edge of the dish to keep it from drying. The ingredients in the meat and potatoes are about the same as this recipe.
Those store bought mashed potatoes are a godsend. There are some very tasty ones and it streamlines recipes like this and more!