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.
Best Classic Shepherd’s Pie Recipe
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 1/2 - 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.
Vanessa says
Wow. This recipe was absolutely delicious!!!!!! Made it for my roommates and they both loved it. One of them is super picky and they raced about it. Thank you so much for a tasty recipe, will definitely be adding this to my rotation 🙂
Michael says
I believe you meant “they raved about it .”
Jean Ford says
Wonderful recipe, I have made Shepard’s pie in the past, this is the winner! Great flavor, easy recipe. Helps if you have everything out & ready to go. I cooked the spuds & the meat at the same time, not in the same pot,
Then put it together. Exactly what one needs in the cold winter months! I like the idea of the commenter above making individual packets for her husband, very clever.
Betsy says
If I was wanting to use leftover mashed potatoes for this, how much measured mashed potatoes does this come out to?
Sydney says
This recipe was delish. I’ve been making it for the past year, but I made a few small changes. I used fresh parsley, rosemary, and thyme for a stronger flavor. Also, total cooking time was 2.5 hours from start to finish!
Elizabeth says
Perfect every time. It has not become my one and only! Now I always double or even triple the recipe and make one for the freezer! Thank you for this! Whole fam LOVES IT!
Marcie says
I made this tonight with leftover mashed potatoes (just stirred Parmesan cheese) and leftover roast beef gravy instead of beef broth. Absolutely delicious, everyone loved it!! Thanks for a great recipe.
Callie Hughes says
I made this tonight after reading all the great reviews. I also added 1/2 cup of red wine, mushrooms and wow this recipe did not disappoint!! So good, I will definitely be making it again!!
Susan says
Delicious! Comfort food at its best.
Lora says
I made this with ground venison, so I called it Hunter’s Pie! Very easy and delicious!
John says
5 stars, like most of the other comments here. Love this.
Kim B says
Made this for dinner filled the recipe minus Rosemary seasoning, it was amazing ….No leftovers ❤️
kkseattle says
I was a never a big fan of shepherd’s pie because every version I’ve had (usually at church potlucks) has been bland. But we had some leftover mashed potatoes and I thought this would be a fun dish for my 13-year old to make.
She shopped for all the ingredients, forgetting the broth and getting frozen peas instead of peas and carrots. So we used fresh carrots and we always have some better than bouillon in the fridge.
This was s-o-o-o delicious. I thought there would be plenty for leftovers but the lucky pooch got to lick an empty casserole pan.
Thanks!
Ely says
Sounds delicious! Does it have to be frozen corn peas and carrots ? Or can it be from a can?
Anne says
I made this tonight. I used half the butter called for, chicken broth instead of beef, and sage instead of rosemary (all on account of just not having it). And I’m sitting on my couch writing this as the bowl is in my lap, and I’m just so in love with this recipe. I also broiled some cheddar on top of the potatoes. The worchestshire sauce really does it for the meat, don’t leave it out if you can help it!!!
Natasha says
This recipe is gorgeous, I added chives to the potatoes and swapped worcestshire for soy sauce as that was all I had. Sooo yummy now I know how to make a decent shepard’s pie.
Sandra says
Excellent shepherd’s pie recipe. I enjoy testing out comfort food recipes, and this one impressed me. The flavors were savory and rich with every bite. The layering of ingredients while cooking and simmering the ground beef is what makes it stand out. I substituted veggie broth for beef broth and added a bit extra since the beef I used was 95% lean. Also, since I’m lactose intolerant, I used vegan products in place of dairy, and it was fine. If you want a little kick, add cayenne. But, this recipe really doesn’t need it.
Tina Ratcliffe says
First time my husband has not put HPSauce on Sheppard Pie. He knew instantly that I tried a new recipe and suggested I print this recipe and only make it this way.
Chris Legault says
Delicious and very easy. Kids absolutely loved it
Ellyn says
Can you double this recipe?
KM says
My family requests this one-dish meal frequently! It’s not at all complicated, doesn’t take much time to prepare, the hardest part is waiting for it to come out of the oven!
Maurissa says
Wonderful 😊🙌
Barb says
Very delicious recipe. First time for this one and my husband stated that it’s a keeper. I did add a bit of Chicken in the Mug which added a bit more flavour as this just a personal preference. I would like to try this with fresh vegetables, maybe someday when I have more time. Thank you for sharing.
Karen says
I have made this three times. Once as Cottage pie and twice as Shepard’s pie. Both excellent with rave reviews. I always have fresh carrots on hand so I dice them and sauté with the onions. Frozen peas and corn are always on hand. I have used the Idahoan brand instant potatoes in lieu of fresh once in a pinch and it came out yummy as well. What a great way to get a nice variety of vegetables in my “meat mouth” husband too!
Sandy Murray says
Excellent recipe! Very flavourful and filling. Will definitely make it again!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Jackie says
Oh wow, this is the best Shepherd’s Pie I’ve ever had! The flavor is out of this world! It is hands down the best one pan dish I’ve ever eaten and it’s easy to make. I could eat half the pie in one sitting. Thank you for posting!
Connie Martinez says
This is a family favorite, I laugh because I don’t always make it the same wat twice:) I am not a lamb lover, so use ground beef. The recipe is a basic, sometimes I’ll saute mushrooms and roasted red peppers in with the onion and garlic. I use some thyme and other spices. I usually make it with peas and carrots and corn, if I don’t have any beef broth on hand, I usually have the cream of mushroom can I add-in. I will also smooth mashed potatoes along side the sides of the casserole dish, before adding the meat mixture, Then layer it with shredded cheddar, then top it off with the rest of the mashed potatoes, add some slithers of butter to top, sprinkle more cheese on top, and paprika. Sometimes use whatever cheese I have on hand, and also left over vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, even green beans. It’s always a winner, with a side of salad, and some crisp italian or french bread. It tastes even better the next day.
Susan says
So flavorful and good! Not sure what the person who said it took far longer than stated meant. Im working from home today and I was able to put it together and get it baked and cooling in an hour. Wonderful recipe!
Michelle says
This is one delicious shepherds pie good flavour quick to make love it will definetly make it again husband loved it too delicious I also grated some cheddar cheese on top too
Claire says
I grew up eating the most americanized version of shepherds pie which was basically mixing canned vegetable soup with ground beef, then topping with mashed potatoes. I loved it as a kid, but wanted to try something from scratch. I will never go back to the canned soup version, because this is amazing and my husband LOVES it. Currently writing it down so I will never forget it!
Ana says
Delicious!! An absolute knockout of a recipe 🙂