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 WOULD LIKE TO KNOW AFTER MAKING THIS DISH, CAN IT BE FROZEN?
Yes. Freezes well.
Delicious! Save dishes by making the meat filling in a large oven-proof skillet or casserole , then add the potatoes.
I did not mix the Parmesan into the potatoes but sprinkled it on top of the potatoes with some smoked paprika before popping it in the oven- made a wonderful crusty layer on the top.
Trying this version tonight- I will probably use fresh veggies and just sauté in the beginning 🙂 can’t wait to try it with those seasonings, yum!!!
Ohhh! How was it with fresh veggies?
Is it freeze able before baking?
I like it better with the 90% lean hamburger meat versus the lamb meat because the lamb makes it too greasy. This is my go-to recipe for a delicious dinner it is quick and easy. I think it’s better than the Cheesecake Factory shepherd’s pie. And that’s saying a lot because there’s is delicious. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Excellent recipe
I sautéed pearl onions in butter & put a layer of them on top of the filling before covering with the mashed potatoes & grated cheese…. they added just a little extra kick.
I’ve been married for a year now and I cook almost everyday so I always like to find new recipes. This recipe was really easy to follow and turned out great. I’ll definitely make it again!
Hosted my in-laws after Christmas this past year. I chose to make this one pan meal for easier cleanup and quickness. In under an hour I had this meal in the oven. I even made a small meatless dish for a vegetarian in the family. Perfect dish for everyone. Will make again.
Truly a sublime meal. It is not very often, actually, I don’t think it has ever happened, that EVERYONE partaking raved about, and wanted the same meal only days later. It is simply that good. Kudos and thank you to Amanda Finks, who must be preparing meals for kings, presidents, dignitaries, etc…
Very tasty, but… I used ground lamb and end result is very greasy because it should have been drained. Keep this in mind if you want to use lamb. There is no 90% lean version for lamb, wish I had known how greasy this would end up – it’s probably going in the trash after tonight.
Yeah, I also noticed she forgot the drain part. Although, I drained mine. you should probably always drain meat. Just a heads up.
I also didn’ drain the meat and should have. But on the positive side, the rest of her directions were wonderful.
The flavor was terrific, even tho I used 2% milk instead of half and half (or whatever the recipe called for).
I will definitely put my stained copy of the recipe in my “very successful” pile
Thanks!
I am making this tonight. I’m going to use 93% ground turkey. Also instead of half & half, I’m going to try 2% low fat canned milk. I’ll let you know later how it turns out! 😉
How’d it turn out with turkey? Di you make any other adjustments?
It depends on type of meat if you use lean no need to drain it . As it doesn’t leave a bunch of oil behind.
it’s not oil, it’s animal fat and over time it will clog your arteries and could cause a heart attack. ALWAYS drain ground meat after cooking.
If you occasionally eat animal fat you aren’t going to die. Enjoy yourself and eat food with flavor.
She left in the fat for the flour to thicken for gravy
Not necessary to drain if you use very lean ground beef like sirloin
just a quick suggestion on a practical aspect of the recipe. if you chill the meat mixture after filling the dish, the potatoes can be spooned over and leveled much more easily. Otherwise, great recipe!
Something I discovered while making a dish that calls for ground meat, when I drain my meat I do so using a colander. I simply dump all of the meat into the colander then run hot water over the meat while shaking the colander to rinse off as much of the grease as possible. it works really well.
Loved this recipe. Adapted it to Whole 30 with a few substitutes. Extra carrots and peas and leave out the corn. Tapioca flour rather than wheat. Also added 2 tblsp of Trader Joe’s 21 Gun Salute seasoning, because I love the stuff! The potatoes were made creamy with a whole can of coconut MILK instead of butter and half and half. Substituted 1/3 cup of Nutritional Yeast for Parmesan. Doubled it in a 13×9 pan and cooked for 40 min.
Very good recipe. I am making it again for company. Did anyone try freezing the assembled dish yet? How did it turn out? Expecting snowy weather and might have to freeze it if my guests can’t make it.
I am a personal assistant. I made a regular version vegetarian Version using boca crumbled meet with vegetable stock and a soy based Worcestershire sauce. Exact steps with substations. Both were so good I came home and cooked it for my family. Thank you!
I needed to use up some leftover mashed potatoes (surprisingly, they were not made that much differently than this recipe!). This is an EXCELLENT, delicious recipe and really hit the spot. I used ground beef. It’s very tasty and was easy to make/bake. I will use this as my go-to for future Shephard’s Pies!
Delicious cottage pie recipe and enjoyed making it with my 13 year old daughter. Fortunately we also had about a pound of lamb left on a leg, too, so we shredded that up and added it to the base, later in the meat-cook. Probably made 3 pounds of meat and upped the recipie to match.
This was a great Shep-age’s Pie!
I’ve been looking for a good shepherd’s pie recipe for quite awhile and have probably tried at least 5-6 different ones. This one is the best of those I’ve tried by far! I wouldn’t change a thing.
So good!!! I’m Vegan and tweeted the recipe with plant base meat, vegetable broth and vegan cheese. Everyone went crazy over it! No one knew it was Vegan. Excellent flavor
Delicious and really easy to make ☺️ Best Shepherd’s pie recipe I’ve tried so far!
As a vegetarian, I had to make a few simple changes, but I think my changes kept the integrity of the original recipe. This was so easy and so good! We will be making this again!
Love this recipe. Prefer with lamb and cut back the rosemary leaves to 1/2 teaspoon! Fabulous!!!!!!