This traditional English meal, Shepherd's Pie, is the ultimate comfort food. Topped with a layer of creamy potatoes and sharp cheese, everyone will be begging for seconds!
Nothing says "comfort food" like Shepherd's Pie. Made with a hearty meaty sauce and topped with creamy mashed potatoes and sharp cheese, this is one meal that's easy to make and is sure to impress anyone.
When I have no idea what to make for dinner, I usually turn to Shepherd's Pie. Honestly, who can pass up a good ol' heaping scoop of it? Plus, this dish makes excellent leftovers, so you can easily take it to work for lunch the next day.
🥘 Ingredients
- Potatoes: I prefer to use Russet potatoes in this recipe, but any variety would work great! When I'm in a time crunch, I'll even substitute in instant potatoes.
- Butter
- Half and half: Milk or heavy cream can also be used. Use whatever you have on hand!
- Sour cream: Greek yogurt makes a great substitute here.
- Garlic powder: I use garlic powder since it blends in easier with the potatoes rather than minced garlic.
- Parsley: Fresh or dried parsley can be used.
- Olive oil
- Ground beef (or ground turkey or lamb): I used ground beef since it's easiest for me to find, but traditional Shepherd's Pie uses lamb.
- Onion
- Garlic
- Flour
- Tomato paste
- Seasonings: This recipe combines rosemary, parsley, thyme, and paprika to add incredible flavor to the dish. These seasonings can be fresh or dried. I used dried for convenience.
- Beef broth
- Worcestershire sauce
- Red wine or grape juice: Grape juice can be used instead of red wine. Since the two have similar flavor profiles, grape juice can be substituted 1:1.
- Frozen peas, carrots, and corn
- Bay leaves
- Cheddar cheese
🔪 Instructions
- Peel and dice potatoes. Place potatoes into a large pot of water and boil until tender.
2. Drain and mash potatoes. Mix in potato ingredients and continue mashing until smooth. Set aside.
3. In a large frying pan, over medium heat, cook meat, onion, garlic, and salt and pepper until meat is browned.
4. Add remaining ingredients for meat layer and cook until veggies are no longer frozen.
5. Top the meat layer with mashed potatoes.
6. Add shredded cheese on top and bake.
💭 FAQs
Shepherd's pie is referred to as such when it contains lamb. On the other hand, cottage pie contains beef.
Yes, it can be! The only downside of reheating the dish in the microwave is that it might end up soggy and lose its crisp texture and flavor. While it may not be as good as the day you make it, it still makes for great leftovers!
Shepherd's pie can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Shepherd's pie is freezer-friendly. Prepare the recipe as directed, but do not top with cheese or bake. Store dish in the freezer for up to 2 months. When ready to eat, thaw in the fridge overnight. Bake for 30 minutes in 350F oven or until cooked through.
🍲 More Comfort Food Recipes
- Hearty Shakshuka with Feta
- Creamy Chicken Quesadillas
- Traditional Norwegian Meatballs
- Easy Homemade Ramen
- One Pot Zuppa Toscana
If you make this recipe, let me know what you think! I’d love it if you could add a star rating ★ and a comment below. Follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook, too!
📋 Recipe
Easy Shepherd's Pie
This traditional English meal, Shepherd's Pie, is the ultimate comfort food. Topped with a layer of creamy potatoes and sharp cheese, everyone will be begging for seconds!
Ingredients
Potato Layer:
- 4 large russet potatoes, cut into 1" chunks
- 3 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup half and half
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley (1 teaspoon dried)
Meat Layer:
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 minced garlic cloves
- 2 pounds ground beef (or ground turkey or lamb)
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- Dash of salt and pepper
- 1 cup beef broth
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- ½ cup red wine or grape juice
- 1 ½ cups frozen peas and carrots
- ½ cup frozen corn
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 ½ cups cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease a 9x13 inch pan (if using instead of a cast iron skillet) with cooking spray.
- Peel and dice potatoes. Place potatoes into a large pot of water and boil on high for 15-20 minutes or until tender.
- Drain and mash potatoes. Mix in half and half, sour cream, butter, garlic powder, and parsley, and mash until smooth. Set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until tender. Add the garlic and cook an additional minute until fragrant.
- Add the meat and cook until browned. Drain the fat.
- Sprinkle in the flour and cook until golden, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in tomato paste, rosemary, parsley, thyme, paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Add the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, red wine/grape juice, and bay leaves. Bring to a slow boil and let the mixture thicken for 3 to 5 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and remove the bay leaves. Add in the frozen vegetables and cook until no longer frozen, 5 to 10 minutes.
- Leave the mixture in the cast iron skillet, if using, or transfer to the greased pan.
- Spread or pipe the potato mixture on the meat mixture until the entire pie is covered. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.
- Bake for 35 minutes or until heated and the edges golden brown.
Notes
- To save time, I cook the meat mixture while the potatoes are boiling.
- I love using beef bouillon to make broth. The bouillon lasts a while, so keeping it in your cupboard when you need broth for a recipe is great.
- If you are short on time, I recommend using instant mashed potatoes. Half the work, but just as good!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 686Total Fat: 34gSaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 140mgSodium: 504mgCarbohydrates: 50gFiber: 5gSugar: 10gProtein: 42g
Lauren Michael Harris says
This shepards pie is the absolute best comfort food for fall. My family loved it and already asked if I can make it again next week!
Maggie says
Delicious shepherds pie. My entire family loved it. None left. lol.
Marie says
Shepherd's Pie is such a timeless classic! It was my favorite dish as a child and unsurprisingly, it's now my son's too 🙂 I don't usually use as many flavorings in the meat when I make mine so I tried it your way and it was so, so good! My family said it was the best I ever made 😉
Amy Liu Dong says
The first time that I've encountered this so-called Shepherds Pie, from the looks it definitely is delicious and yummy! It's overloaded with great taste!
Adriana says
Such a comforting meal, and you made it so pretty! Love the idea of piping the mashed potatoes for a more elegant look.
Amy Casey says
Absolutely delicious! This is one of my family's favorite dinners. I followed your lead and piped the potatoes on top of the meat layer ~ so pretty and fun!
Ksenia says
This may be labelled “easy”, but this recipe is nothing to scoff at! It delivered all the flavor in a fraction of the time and effort it normally takes me to make shepherd’s pie.
Moop Brown says
Shepard's pie is one of my favorite comfort dishes and is a meal I always eat around this time of the year. Gonna have to try this recipe.