Easy Shepherd’s Pie

Easy Shepherd’s Pie recipe – seasoned ground beef (or lamb), vegetables and rich gravy blanketed with creamy mashed potatoes and baked until golden.

Friends, whether you call it Shepherd’s Pie or Cottage Pie, this is classic Irish comfort food at its finest.

Simple grocery store ingredients – ground beef or lamb – it’s great recipe for an at-home St. Patrick’s Day celebration or really any chilly day all winter.

 

Why you’ll love this recipe:

1. Quick and easy, loaded with comfort.
2. Customize: use ground beef or ground lamb.
3. Skip the lines on St. Patrick’s Day – enjoy this shepherds pie at home.

Ingredients needed to make Shepherd’s Pie:

Mashed Potato Crust:

• yukon or russet potatoes
• butter
• sour cream
• milk
• salt

Meat and Vegetable Filling:

• lean ground beef
• salt and black pepper
• garlic powder
• small onion
• frozen peas and carrots (combination)
• all purpose flour
• beef stock
• tomato paste
• Worcestershire sauce
• fresh thyme (removed from stem and minced)
• optional garnish: fresh parsley chopped

Approximately 9 x 13″ baking dish

How to make Shepherd’s Pie:

Mashed Potato Topping:

Add peeled, cubed potatoes to a large pot of generously salted water. Cover with cold water, bring to a boil.

Cook until fork tender then drain well. Add milk, butter, sour cream and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Mash using a potato masher. If needed, add a little more milk for desired creamy consistency then set aside.

Meat Mixture:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Add ground beef to a large skillet. Season with salt, black pepper and garlic powder. Cook 5-7 minutes or until the meat is browned, breaking up the meat with a spatula or wooden spoon.

Add tomato paste, stirring to combine. Cook 1 minute. Sprinkle flour over the top of the meat. Stir to combine and cook 1 minute.

Pour in the stock, Worcestershire and minced thyme scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the skillet. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered 5-7 minutes letting the sauce thicken.

Stir in frozen peas and carrots. Simmer 1-2 minutes, taste and adjust for salt and pepper, then remove from the heat.

Transfer the beef and veggies to a 9 x 13″ baking dish. Note: if your skillet is oven safe you can finish the dish in the skillet instead.

Spread mashed potatoes over the meat mixture in an even layer. Use a fork to make shallow swirls into the potatoes then bake 20-25 minutes or until light golden brown. Optional: broil for darker golden color.

What to serve with Shepherd’s Pie:

Warm rolls, a green salad – even a bagged salad from the grocery store. This dish is really a complete meal in one casserole dish and doesn’t require much.

What to do with leftovers:

Transfer leftover to an airtight container and store in the fridge up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave.

What’s the difference between Shepherd’s Pie and Cottage Pie?

The main difference between the two is the kind of meat you use.

Classic Shepherd’s Pie is made with lamb, Cottage Pie is made with ground beef. So yes – technically this recipe is Cottage Pie but most people search for the recipe under Shepherd’s or Shepherds Pie.

Irish Shepherd’s Pie originated in Ireland in the 1700’s. Whether you use ground lamb or beef, the dish includes vegetables, a rich gravy and a layer of creamy mashed potatoes.

Subs and variations:

• Potatoes: russet potatoes or sweet potatoes for sweet potato shepherd’s pie or my Smoked Gouda Mashed Potatoes  or even tater tots instead of mashed potatoes.
• Fresh carrots instead of frozen.
• Beef broth or beef bone broth can be used instead of stock.
• Use 1/2 teaspoon dry thyme instead of fresh
• Other ground meat such as ground turkey, chicken or lamb (use chicken broth).
• Leftover chicken, rotisserie chicken or even leftover roast beef would be delicious.
• Swap or add vegetables: corn, zucchini, mushroom or green beans.
• Cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese or crispy bacon over the potatoes
• Add red wine or Guinness stout (not both) just before the stock – be sure to let is reduce to about half.

More classic Irish recipes for St. Patrick’s Day:

Irish Guinness Beef Stew – tender beef, vegetables and fresh herbs in a thick, rich beef Guinness gravy. Stovetop or slow cooker options.

Classic Reuben (corned beef) Sandwich – deli corned beef, melty Swiss cheese, tangy sauerkraut and Russian dressing between slices of rye bread grilled to golden.

Reuben Wontons – tasty appetizer – deli corned beef, sauerkraut and cheese in a crispy wonton cup drizzled with thousand island dressing.

Baileys Brownies – triple layer decadence from a boxed brownie mix! Fudgy, moist brownies with a Bailey’s buttercream layer and ganache glaze.

Full printable recipe card below. Enjoy!