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.
Tried this recipe last night and it was delicious! My husband is still raving about it!
Last year about this time, made this for “Girls Week” at St. George Island, FL, 8 of us. I made no side sides, but 1 of the ladies cut tomatoes with mozzarella cheese. We almost ate all of it. everyone raved! Then, we simply had to ,finish it! This recipe is so easy to follow, needs no adjusting, except size, maybe.
I made some for my boss & his wife when he was recovering from knee surgery. They loved it. Also made for my son & girlfriend; they were totally impressed. Lamb is new to her; I introduced lamb during holidays over 6 years ago. The ground lamb is the best; never tried this with beef.
I’m taking your marvelous Shepherd’s Pie again this weekend, (tomorrow) by request. I added apple salad & baked butternut squash this time.
You did great, thank you so much from all of us. Sooooooooo yummy!!!!! And nutritious.
Whoa! I tasted the meat filling when i was taking it off burner and was THIS close to devouring whole pan right on the spot ;o
This was so good . This recipe is a keeper and I would consider making this for company . My husband loved it!
Perfection. Added a little layer of cheddar cheese between meat/potato layers. Made brown gravy and ate this over biscuits!
This is by far the best Shepherd’s pie I’ve ever had. I’ve made it twice—once all beef and once half pan half beef. I prefer the all beef. It was so good I couldn’t wait to make it again.
I tried this recipe today. I did not have any tomato paste so I substituted ketchup. It was delicious and I definitely will make it again. My husband said it was very tasty.’ Thank you. I also did not use paarmesan cheese but shredded sharp cheddar.
Mary
Hello. Do I need to drain the fat after browning the beef? Looking forward to a great evening dinner.
Thanks, John.
This recipe is so delicious, thank you so much for sharing.
I’ve made this probably 5 times already, it’s delicious!
Loved this recipe so much! It is easy to follow and the result is delicious. The mashed potatoes with the cheese gave the flavor an extra twist. Thank you so much for this recipe. Will definitely be doing it again!
Great recipe!! My son made this for his family and he recommended it
The meat recipe is sooooo yummy! I’ve made ahead and topped over backed sweet and russet potatoes.
This recipe turned out great, but it took way more time than the recipe described. I spent over 2 and half hours preparing this dish for my family as it was described. Also, I would recommend using a fork and putting furrows on top of the dish right before you put it in the oven, and also consider spraying it with a bit of cooking spray. That should crisp the top right off for a nice finish.
I remember Shepherds pie from my childhood. I always found it bland and gross. Not this recipe! So simple and easy to make yet packed with flavour. Keeps well so good for work lunches. Will make again
The best Shepards’s (cottage) pie I’ve ever made!!! The mashed potatoes on top are also delicious, I would use that recipe for mash on its own it’s so good! The recipe was so easy to follow and the video was a good addition for extra reference. Thank you for posting an incredible recipe and sharing it with people like myself who really appreciate a hearty and tasty meal!
I used fresh veggies and bison and they flavor was fabulous
Can’t wait to try lamb
I want to start off by saying that I am not the best cook, but this recipe was easy to follow. A perfect comfort meal with good flavor! I plan to check out more recipes.
This was my first time making a shepherds pie. I have avoided them because my mom used to make them all the time and I did not like it. My husband asked for it so I gave it a shot and omg it was so good!! Nothing like I remember! (Sorry mom). Will definitely be making this again.
This is absolutely delicious and would definitely work for feeding company at the house. It was no trouble to make either. Thanks for sharing.
I don’t eat beef & was wondering if ground chicken would work? I’ve been hungry for Sheppard’s pie for awhile, your recipe looks delicious & easy to follow.
Is it possible to use canned peas and canned corn instead of frozen?
Excellent! Followed recipe exactly except baked in pie crust. AMAZING!
Our family loved this. Only thing I added was fried onions on top. This is a staple dinner in our home.
Well shoot- just made it and now I want fried onions!! 😆 next time. Great recipe!!
Great recipe! I added fresh grated horseradish and fresh grated ginger. Also, ground to Turmeric and ground curry powder for extra flavor and health benefits.