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.
With two little kids, it’s hard to find any real food that the whole family will eat. This is legit the only recipe I’ve found that without fail both kiddos will eat and ask for more! If that doesn’t convince you to try this recipe, idk what will.
It’s my 3rd or 4th time making shepherds pie with this recipe. Everytime I made it for someone they loved it. Definitely recommend!! Would give more than 5 stars
Hubby was craving shepherd’s pie and he loved this!
Fantastic! Everyone loved this and was great to find a use for my random pound of lamb I had
This was an excellent recipe. I had to do a little switching of the herbs, I used fresh rosemary and parsley because I had them, but I did up the quantity because fresh herbs are not as strong as dried herbs and I wanted the flavor boost. I used a bag of frozen peas, carrots, corn and green beans and added some extra peas because we love them. As far as the mashed potatoes, I cut the amount of butter in half and used 2% milk as I didn’t have any half and half. My husband loved it, so did I and this will be a go-to recipe for us.
Really good
The best shepherds pie recipe!! This is my go to, I’ve made it several times. My husband says its better than many Irish pubs we’ve been to
My go-to for shepherd’s pie. It’s so good. My family loves it. I usually toss some cayenne or chipotle in for a little kick. Sometimes some cooking wine. Depends on my mood. But even as written, it’s fantastic. It does take a while, though. Block off a couple hours to make it. It’ll be worth it.
Out of all the recipes out there for this classic dish – this is my “go-to”! The seasonings are delightful. Love this!
Can this be made ahead of time? I’m cooking for a large group and I prepped my meals a day ahead
My family loved it, and so did I!! Delicious recipe!
OMG!!! This recipe is AMAZING!!! I did add additional seasonings like Italian seasoning, Mrs Dash Garlic & Herb, Ground Sage and a little bit of Lawry’s seasoned salt not a lot just a couple of sprinkles. But my my it was soooooo good. Im so happy to have found this recipe thanks for sharing it.💯🤗
Can this be easily doubled and cooked in a larger casserole dish? I am having 7 people over for dinner.
This is such a tasty dish. I use Bob Evans mashed potatoes and add the garlic and some sour cream as it cuts down on all the potato prep but is still delicious!
Great recipe.
I give it a 5 out of 5!
My husband loved it My neighbor too. Thank you never made this before. Amazing!!
I’ve made this a couple of times now and everyone loves it. I’ve tried a number of different Shepherds Pie recipes and like them all; but this one is my favorite, especially when using ground lamb.
Great recipe. Everyone loves it. Comfort food for sure. Great to make ahead and freeze too. Thank you for sharing.
Very yummy, satisfying, and comforting. I will definitely be making this when the kids come to visit. Thank you for make the directions so clear.
I replaced the ground beef with ground elk and was GREAT!
I would recommend making 2-3 times the amount of the meat stuff and then freezing it. That way you don’t have to think what to eat today. P.S. Shepherd’s pie/Cottage pie was my favourite dish when I lived in the UK.