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.
This recipe was fantastic and will be printing so I can make it again! Thank you!
Awesome, we are 5 people in house hold and everyone was very full when finished, it was a great shepherd’s pie recipe, Thank-you for sharing!
This was the first time making a shepherds pie and this recipe was very yummy! I will be making it again.
Great recipe. Make it with ground turkey and chicken broth. A family favorite. Leftovers, if any, go for lunch at work.
This recipe is one of my daughter’s favorites. The dish is just as I remembered it many years ago, when living in NC. Everything is perfect! Thanks so much for sharing it.
Hi Amanda
Your Shepherds pie recipe is to die for.
It’s a big hit with my family and friends and it’s on rotation.
Keep up the great work
SSSSSOOOOOOOOO GOOOOOD!!!!
Addictive!!!
I used onion powder instead of onions because I like the flavor, but detest the texture of onions. I boiled the potatoes in chicken broth with a couple of bay leaves for added flavor, and used additional pepper than the recipe called for. Great recipe!
This was delicious! I used ground lamb. Next time, I’ll use less cooking oil because the lamb was fatty. Thank you for sharing the best Shepherd’s Pie recipe!
The best shepherds pie I have ever made. It’s just great and easy to make.
Made it so many times and always a raving hit!
Great recipe starting point. I prefer to make vegan mashed potatoes in my instant pot. I also add sherry to the meat mixture. Yum!
SO good!
I do not cook much, but I was wanting to make a Shepherd’s Pie. I Googled it and this recipe popped up. First time making a Shepherd’s Pie and it was a success. I will make this again!
Fantastic base recipe, I find myself coming back to it more often than I would expect 😅 Delicious!
This is delish! A perfect comfort food. Takes me back to my childhood. Versatile and easy to prepare. Thank you! Amanda!
Love this recipe. One of our favorites. Cook in my cast iron pan, used fresh herbs and bought already made mashed potatoes from deli. Highly recommend.
Best Shepherd Pie I’ve ever eaten. I would prefer lamb but rest of family wants ground beef
This is one of my family’s favorite recipes. I highly recommend.
Excellent recipe
The recipe was very tasty and easy to make. I do have one question though. You call for 90% lean beef which would leave very little grease in the skillet–that’s great! The organic ground lamb that I can get is very fatty and leaves a good amount of grease. I didn’t drain it because the recipe did not call for it. Would you recommending draining the fat? It was still delicious but a bit greasy.
Fat is flavor, recipes are just a guide but you are the chef. If it tasted good then leave it, if not then modify. I used 85/15 beef, I like the grease, helps make a tasty gravy
Been cooking for many years. Id say that if you feel that the dish is too greasy then yes drain it out. It’s not necessary when using the beef broth. However you could leave a little grease in the pan for added flavor. Hope this helps.
Never said how much ground beef we needed for the shepherds pie how much ground beef are we how much ground beef? Can’t find it anywhere in the recipe.
I drained it and then I just added a little more of the broth 1/2 cup more so it wouldn’t be so dry.
I typically cook and drain my beef first. I set aside the cooked meat then cook my onions and garlic in the same skillet, adding the meat back in once they have browned a bit. If I don’t drain my beef, I feel as though the outcome is a bit greasy. This could also be because I top mine with cheddar cheese which has a lot of oil to it.
James, i would definitely drain off the excess grease. This dish has so many delicious flavors added fat and grease are not necessary to add flavor. However, if all the leftovers were eaten then it was a success. Good luck on your next attempt. Hope it is delicious.
Loved the flavour!!! was a hit with everyone!!!
This has quickly become a household favorite! Absolutely recommend it…it’s a very forgiving recipe, too.
Great recipe, very well written. i did almost exactly the same as is said in the recipe and it turned out amazing
I absolutely love this recipe. Definitely worth all 5 stars.
I add ketchup (2 tablespoons of ketchup, instead of tomato paste ) and hp for a kik. I was out of HP so was a little nervous… I had a cast-iron pan so I just put it in that and I added pizza cheese to the top.
It came out magnifico!
The best. Its on our weekly rotation. Everyone always gets excited when I’m making it.
Recipe is delicious and easy to make. I love it. My family also loves it.
I’ve never made or even eaten a shepherd’s pie. This recipe is perfect, easy to make and I’ve made it 4 times in 4 months now. Super tasty!
This is the best recipe for Shepard pie. The only recipe I use to make mine. My whole family loves it. Thank you for sharing this recipe ❤️
Soooo easy to make, tastes so nice , I made it with ground turkey , thanks for the recipe
This is the absolute best Sheppard’s pie I have ever had. I would not change a thing:) Thank you for the delicious share. YUM
Can it be made day ahead?
Just tried this recipe for the first time and it was lovely! I ended up using a total of 4 potatoes because I wanted to ensure I had more mashed potatoes than the recipe needed just in case.
I did boil my own corn and added fresh carrots because my husband loves the crunch but didn’t change anything else. Great recipe and will do it again for sure!