Shepherd’s Pie
on Jan 15, 2019, Updated Aug 22, 2024
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Homemade Shepherd’s Pie is a classic comfort food made with ground meat, vegetables, simple seasonings, and the most delicious cheesy mashed potato topping.
This Shepherd’s Pie recipe is hearty, comforting, and always a crowd-pleaser. The combination of flavors and textures in this dish is unbeatable, from the savory meat and vegetable mixture to the creamy, cheesy mashed potatoes on top. It’s the perfect meal for a cozy night in with loved ones or for feeding a hungry family.
This recipe is so versatile and customizable. You can easily swap out the ground beef for lamb, turkey, or chicken to suit your taste preferences or what you have on hand. The addition of Parmesan cheese to the mashed potatoes is a game-changer that takes this shepherd’s pie to the next level.
Serve this dish up with a simple Chef Salad for a complete meal. And then save another one-pot meal to make another day, such as Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole or Baked Ziti.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Making Shepherd’s Pie is an easy way to get some veggies and protein into the whole family.
- By using ground beef and frozen vegetables, this crowd-pleaser is also budget friendly.
- This is a great dish to double while you’re making it and then freeze the second pan for an easy meal on a busy night.
Recipe Ingredients
- Potatoes: Russet potatoes work great
- Ground beef
- Mushrooms: either white button or cremini mushrooms would work
- Onion
- Garlic
- Broth: could use beef, chicken, or vegetable depending on the ground meat you use
- Corn starch
- Worcestershire sauce
- Frozen corn
- Frozen peas and carrots mix
- Salt
- Milk
- Butter
- Parmesan cheese
- Sharp cheddar cheese
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities
How to Make Shepherd’s Pie
Step #1. Boil peeled and cubed potatoes in a pot of water for about 25 minutes until they are tender.
Step #2. Cook the ground beef, mushrooms, and diced onions in a large skillet on medium high heat until the meat is cooked through and the vegetables have softened. Add the garlic and cook another minute.
Step #3. Mix together the broth and corn starch in a small bowl and add it to the large skillet with the meat and vegetables and cook for a couple minutes until it thickens slightly.
Step #4. Add the Worcestershire sauce and frozen vegetables to the skillet and then put everything in the bottom of a 9×13 baking pan.
Step #5. Drain the cooked potatoes, put them back in the pot, add the milk and butter and mash well. Then stir in the Parmesan and cheddar cheeses.
Step #6. Spread the mashed potatoes evenly on top of the beef mixture and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.
Recipe FAQs
This recipe calls for ground beef but shepherd’s pie traditionally contains ground lamb. You can also use ground chicken or turkey as a substitute.
Russet potatoes work well in this recipe. I’ve also had great luck using red potatoes and leaving the skin on. You end up with a chunky colored mashed potato topping that is delicious and pretty.
Yep. You can use any veggies that you like. Green beans are also great in shepherd’s pie.
Yes! This is a great make-ahead recipe. Make the recipe through assembling the shepherd’s pie and then store it in the fridge. Bake it in the oven until heated through.
Yes. All the ingredients are naturally gluten free in this shepherd’s pie recipe but be sure to check all the ingredients that you are using.
Expert Tips
- This is an easy dish to add more vegetables in if you have them. You can even double the amount of vegetables and it still turns out great.
- You can change up the cheeses in the potato topping to suit your tastes.
- You can bake the shepherd’s pie right in that skillet as long as the skillet you used to cook the ground beef in is oven-safe.
- This is the pretty speckled enamel pan I used here.
Can I freeze shepherd’s pie?
Yes! Shepherd’s pie freezes very well. Assemble as directed but do not bake. Cover with a layer of plastic wrap (and press it down so that it’s touching the potatoes) and then top with a layer of heavy duty foil. Freeze for up to a month.
Let the shepherd’s pie thaw overnight in the fridge before removing the foil and plastic and cooking according to directions. You might need to add up to 10 minutes to the cook time if starting with cold potatoes.
More One-Pot Recipes to Consider
Dinner Ideas
One-Pot Sausage, Rice, and Peas Dinner
Quick Dinner Ideas
Cheeseburger Casserole Recipe
Soups, Stews & Chowders
Texas Chili Recipe
Soups, Stews & Chowders
Pasta Fagioli Soup Recipe
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ review and share it on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!
Shepherd’s Pie
Ingredients
- 2 to 2 1/2 pounds potatoes, about 4 large
- 1 to 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
- 4 ounce mushrooms, finely chopped
- 1/2 large onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 cup broth
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 cup frozen peas and carrots mix
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup milk
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 ounce grated Parmesan, about 1/3 of a cup
- 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
- Additional salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Peel and cube your potatoes and set them in a medium pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes.
- While the potatoes cook, heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add the ground beef, mushrooms, and onion. Cook until the beef is cooked through and the vegetables are tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Add the garlic and stir to combine. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- In a small bowl combine the broth and corn starch. Mix well to combine.
- Add the corn starch slurry to the skillet and cook until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
- Add the Worcestershire sauce, frozen corn, and frozen peas and carrots. Stir to combine.
- Add the salt and adjust to taste.
- Add the mixture to the bottom of a 9×13 casserole dish or baking pan, or if your skillet is oven proof, leave it in the skillet.
- When the potatoes are soft, drain the water and place the potatoes back in the pot they cooked in.
- Add the milk and butter and mash well with a fork or potato masher.
- When potatoes are mashed, stir in the Parmesan and cheddar cheese and adjust the salt and pepper to taste (you’ll need at least 1/2 teaspoon of salt in the potatoes).
- Spread the mashed potatoes evenly over the top of your beef mixture.
- Bake in a 400 degree F oven for 30 minutes.
- Serve hot.
Notes
- Russet potatoes work the best for the mashed potato topping but you can also use red potatoes with the skins on (you just won’t have as smooth of a consistency).
- Feel free to swap out the ground beef with the more traditional ground lamb or even ground chicken or turkey. Each works well with this recipe.
- By mixing in both cheddar and Parmesan into the potatoes before baking, you will get a delicious topping with crunchy and melty bits of cheese mixed throughout.
- Store leftovers in the fridge for up to three days or freeze for up to a month.
Thanks for the recipe!!!
This was a hit with my kids AND my “not-a-fan-of-shepherds-pie” hubby!! He doesn’t like shepherd pie usually because they’re usually dry which this one was not! Amazing flavour too with so few ingredients. Will be a staple in our family, thank you for sharing this recipe!!
Oh my this is yummy! I have never had Shepherd’s Pie and will be having it again and again! I got sloppy pouring the milk into the spuds….they were a bit runny but I’m sure tomorrow’s leftovers will thicken up fine. This is real comfort food!!!!!
Thanks!!!
So glad that you liked it! Thank you for coming back to leave a review, that’s so helpful to me and the site. ENJOY!