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.
I love this recipe and have made it for decades. But, I cheat now. I just use a large container of Bob Evans mashed potatoes. So much easier, quicker and less clean-up. You can always mix in the parm with it. I just top mine with shredded cheddar cheese and maybe some bacon bits if I have some handy before baking.
Just made this and everyone loved it! I used just corn and green beans for the added veggies since that’s what I had. Beautiful and delicious dish!
This is the BEST! I added 1/4 cup of red cooking wine, 3 tbsp ketchup, and a few extra veggies.
Absolutely delicious!! I doubled the spices, and did 1.5x the tomato paste and it was so good!! Will absolutely be making this again. I also had a butternut squash I wanted to use, so I roasted it and pureed it into the mashed potatoes. Highly recommend!
My family loves this Shepherds Pie recipe!
We just made this dish. It was delicious.
Made this recipe tonite exactly as written but half the butter in the potatoes. Sprinkled parm over top before baking. Absolutely delicious! A definite keeper!
Made this with ground venison. Delicious and easy.
I made the shepherd’s pie recipe today. I reduced the broth a little bit and added red wine. It was delicious. Thanks for a recipe that’s easy to follow.
I’d like to include my photo
Whenever I’m thawing out ground beef my husband always asks if it’s for shepherds pie! He loves it. Best I’ve ever found.
Absolutely best Shepherd’s Pie Recipe.
Great even on a toastie. So easy.
love this my kids want it every night now
We love this recipe and it makes the house smell terrific!
I made this. It reminds me of The Cheesecake Factories Shepherds pie. Excellent!
Absolutely delicious!!! The whole family loved it. Even my picky child.
This recipe is always a favorite in my household! Even my 2 year old who doesn’t really care for meat LOVES it and cleans his plate! Definitely recommend!
This is by far the best Shepherd’s Pie recipe I’ve tried! It’s delicious with a rich flavor. We’re cutting down on meat, so I use half of the beef and add more veggies. Sometimes we use fresh vegetables instead of frozen. The mashed potatoes on top are wonderful. We’ve served it to guests, and I’m sending the recipe to my daughter. Thank you!
Thanks for the idea of adding more vegetables. I have only 1/2# meat. Can’t wait to make it for dinner!
So good. Best I’ve ever made
So yummy and entire family enjoyed!
I’ve always wanted to make shepherd’s pie. It was pretty simple and very delicious. My husband said I could make this anytime I wanted !. he loved it. And so did my grandson and I. Highly recommend making this favorite dish☆☆☆☆☆
Extremely simple and very delicious and traditional meal!
I made this with ground turkey and chicken stock and it is INCREDIBLE. Wow. Will absolutely use this recipe to reference again- delicious!! <3
Wow! I never thought of that!!
Thank you!
We’ve used ground turkey as substitute for beef for burgers and it’s awesome, can’t wait to try turkey Shepard’s pie!!
Awesome recipe
I will admit, I used your recipe as a base.
I wanted a bit more flavors, so I used ground beef and chorizo, added mushrooms and green peppers, and topped the potatoes with cheddar cheese. 😋
Our favorite and my go-to “make them a meal” shepherd’s pie recipe. Thank you!
Absolutely the best We Love it!!!!
Love it! It’s the only “real food” I know how to make. I added an egg to the mashed potatoes to help give it that golden crust (don’t forget to broil it for the last few minutes), and used a little less half & half + butter. Used yellow potatoes as well.