Shepherd’s Pie
For pure comfort food at its best, this Shepherd’s Pie can’t be beat. This reinvented classic is so worth the effort to make it from-scratch!
There are about a hundred reasons I should not be posting a recipe for Shepherd’s Pie, the least of which is how many times I’ve badmouthed it over the years.
I’m sure if you’ve read this blog for any amount of time, you’ve heard me lament. I’m not sure who I am and how I got here, but I’m doing a complete 180 today.
I can honestly say that I never, ever thought I’d be posting a recipe for Shepherd’s Pie. For that reason alone, you know it has to be good.
Thanks to Danielle, a sweet reader who emailed me and nicely, but forcefully, told me I needed to give Shepherd’s Pie another shot, I think I’ve been converted.
Danielle, like me, had been traumatized by the instant mashed potatoes, canned green beans and microwaved hamburger Shepherd’s Pies of her youth.
However, when a friend of hers brought “the most delicious Shepherd’s Pie” she had ever had, Danielle knew Shepherd’s Pie needed to be part of her life (and mine, too).
So here’s the deal, this version of Shepherd’s Pie might look like a bit more work than using a lot of instant products, but I’m going to go out on a limb here to say that homemade mashed potatoes is the first step to reinventing this classic.
And unless you have an egg allergy, don’t skip stirring in that egg yolk. It might seem unneeded but it lends such a delicious, rich creaminess to the mashed potatoes that you’ll be wanting to eat Shepherd’s Pie every night for the next decade.
And the meat filling. Flavor. FLAVOR! Hearty and delicious, it’s fabulous and doesn’t take that long to put together.
I have a hard time finding ground lamb in my neck of the woods, but I’ve made this several times with different varieties of ground meat and it is stellar each time (I’ve included some notes below the recipe title).
I wasn’t quite sure what the fam would think about Shepherd’s Pie. My kids had never eaten it before but they had heard me talk about how they should never, ever make me Shepherd’s Pie on my birthday. They knew the history, and my baggage had become their baggage.
Surprisingly, they liked it. A lot. I knew it wasn’t just a matter of being nice, like sometimes happens: “yeah, mom, this experimental recipe filled with olives and eggplant is greeeaaat except let’s not ever have it again ever, ok?” when I spotted this on my 9-year old’s annual birthday survey:
For pure comfort food at it’s best, this Shepherd’s Pie can’t be beat.
And on a completely random sidenote, little Cam (2 1/2 years old) thinks it’s called “Cow’s Pie” and we have been unable to convince her otherwise.
You can imagine how the boys still giggle over that one, especially when she asks: “we having cow’s pie for dinner, mom?”
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Shepherd’s Pie
Ingredients
Potato Layer:
- 3 medium russet potatoes, peeled and chopped (about 4-5 cups)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ – 1 cup milk
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- Salt and pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 egg yolk
Meat Filling:
- 2 – 2 ½ pounds ground beef, turkey, lamb, or sausage (or a combination of any)
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 large carrots chopped small, about 1 cup
- 2 cloves garlic, finely pressed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 ¼ cups low-sodium beef or chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme, or 1 teaspoon fresh
- ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary, or 1 teaspoon fresh
- ½ cup frozen corn kernels
- ½ cup frozen peas
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch pan with cooking spray (I’ve also used a slightly smaller ceramic casserole dish with good results, too, just makes the layers slightly thicker).
- Place the potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with 1-2 inches of water. Add a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes or so (it will depend on how large or small the potatoes are cut) until the potatoes are tender.
- Drain the potatoes and return to the pot. Mash the potatoes lightly. Add the butter, milk (start with 1/2 cup and add more if needed), Parmesan and cheddar cheeses, salt and pepper to taste, and garlic powder. Mash together until smooth and creamy. Stir in the egg yolk until combined.
- For the meat and vegetable mixture, in a large 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat, add the ground meat, onion, carrots, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook, breaking the meat into small pieces, until the meat is no longer pink and the vegetables are starting to soften, 5-7 minutes or so. Drain any excess grease from the mixture.
- Sprinkle the flour over the meat and cook over medium to medium-high heat for a minute or so, stirring constantly. Stir in the tomato paste, broth, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, thyme, and rosemary. Bring to a simmer and continue to simmer gently for 10 minutes.
- Stir in the corn and peas.
- Pour the meat mixture into the prepared pan. Spread the mashed potatoes over the top all the way to the edges of the pan creating a seal over the meat mixture. Sprinkle the 1 cup cheddar over the top of the potatoes.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes until the edges are golden and the casserole is bubbling. Let it rest out of the oven for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from a recipe sent to me by a reader, Danielle, who got it from a friend and convinced me I needed to give Shepherd’s Pie another shot (I reduced the butter and cheese a bit and changed up the spices and meat based on what I had on hand) – it looks very similar to this recipe by Alton Brown, no wonder it’s good!
I make the mashed potatoes with a combo of peeled sweet potatoes and small golden potatoes with the skins on–I leave out the egg yolk. Love it!
Hi! How many does this receipe serve? As a general rule of thumb, is there a typical # of people all your recipes serve?
Usually the recipes serve about 6, but that sometimes depends – the yield is located right above the recipe title, if that helps! This one serves about 8.
Have made this three times since finding the recipe, and the whole family loves it!
Mel, have been making this very same shepherd’s pie for years. Am so sorry it took you so long to find it. I never heard of those really bad recipes. They sound dreadful. Well at least you now know that SP can be delicious.
Uh oh…I happen to LOVE instant mashed potatoes! Guess I’m the only one in the world. I make this recipe with ground turkey, Italian sausage, and spicy Italian sausage all together, and it is freakin’ to die for! Made it for a large crowd (who were kinda dreading it when I told them what I was making!) and they all went crazy for it — not a crumb left, even with instant mashed potatoes on top (with the cheese, of course, like the recipe calls for. Tonight I’ll make it with real potatoes, just because everyone on this thread says it’s fabulous. I’m making it for another large party on Saturday, and will be freezing the whole shebang. Fingers crossed it reheats well!
Hey, no shame in loving instant potatoes! 🙂
BEST COMFORT FOOD EVER!
I’ve always really enjoyed Shepherds Pie in restaurants. Decided to make it myself, chose your recipe via Yummly, and omg! Where has this dish been all my life?! My husband and I both had to force ourselves to stop eating more. I had to thank you!
Thank you!
A solid hit! Made this to take over for dinner to someone’s house, and it was so good.
A solid hit! Made this to take over for dinner to someone’s house, and it was so good.
A solid hit! Made this to take over for dinner to someone’s house, and it was so good.
So delicious! I didn’t add the egg to the mashed potatoes and used only frozen peas and corn, no carrots. My husband is still talking about it and our Swiss student went back 3 times! I will definitely make this again! (true test will be on my 4 children)!
omg this was so good. I used ground turkey and followed recipe exactly except forgot to add the egg! its a keeper for sure! 🙂
Fantastic! Husband and kids loved it!
I made this shepherd’s pie recipe tonight for our St. Patrick’s Day dinner and we all LOVED it!!! The kids told me over and over how much they like it. We all ate seconds. One kid even ate thirds. They want to bring it to school for lunch tomorrow and said they “want to eat it all day.” What a keeper! Thank you.
Hey Mel – I made this about a week ago for my family – delish! I am going to make it today for two friends who had babies last week. Question – can I make this up to the baking point and then freeze it for a week? Not sure about how the mashed potatoes will do. Thanks!
Hi Katie – I’ve actually never frozen this so I can’t say 100% but I know a lot of people freeze Shepherd’s Pie just fine. If you’re worried about the mashed potatoes you could freeze the bottom portion and add the mashed potatoes before baking. Good luck!
I made this tonight for supper and my husband and three boys loved it! I had leftover baked garlic mashed potatoes that I used on top and then instead of 2-2 1/2 lbs of meat I used one pound of ground beef and then added about 2 1/2 cups of quick cooking bulgur that I prepared on the stove. You couldn’t tell much of a difference in the final product and I saved money and sneaked in some healthy bulgur! Thanks for all your tasty recipes!
I’ve made this a few times over the years and it gets gobbled up every time! So good!
Hi Mel! Shepards pie is one of my favorite comfort foods and I love this version so, so much! I’ve made it probably 20 times now and It’s the only one I’ll make for the rest of ever! Thank you for posting!!
Made this tonight and used my leftover Thanksgiving mashed potatoes! Another awesome recipe, Mel!! Thanks so much! I’m so glad I stumbled upon your website a few years ago!!
Made this tonight and used my leftover Thanksgiving mashed potatoes! Another awesome recipe, Mel!! I have never made anything of yours that wasn’t delicious!! Thanks so much! I’m so glad I stumbled upon your website a few years ago
Hey Mel,
What would you think about adding puff pastry to this dish? How would you recommend I do that lol. Also, I don’t enjoy ground meat (much to my dismay) I was thinking of adding in shredded beef instead! I can’t wait!
Thank you for the best website!
Krista
Hi Krista – I suppose you could try laying the puff pastry over the meat filling and bake it up that way but since I haven’t tried it, I can’t say for sure. You might try googling similar recipes and see if that leads you in a good direction.
I finally got around to making this and I enjoyed every bite. It’s definitely one of the best recipes I’ve tried in while. Thank you for am you do.
I’ve never made Shepard’s pie before but thought I’d try it since I had some homegrown potatoes and carrots on hand. Saw your recipe online and it turned out beautifully! Very delicious!
1 tablespoon of tomato past. What do you do with the rest of the can?
I refrigerate or freeze to use in later recipes.
This has made my pickies eater’s top 10!! Best Shephers Pie ever. I love the parmesan in the potatoes!
Oh Mel! I don’t think I’ve made shepherd’s pie for my family – ever! That all changed with this delicious recipe. We had it tonight for dinner and it was sooo good. I didn’t make a single change to the recipe and it’s going in my “keeper” file – which houses mostly your recipes anyway!
P.S. I did use Yukon golds instead of russets because that’s what I had on hand. For the meat I used 1 pound 96% lean ground beef and 1 pound Jimmy Dean all-natural sausage.
I have been looking forever for a shepherd’s pie recipe that wasn’t just a meat/veg combo with instant potatoes on top. This was very, very good with a lot of good flavor, not just of the meat, and not just of the potatoes (which was a favorite with my son, the cheesy potato king), but the combination of everything was, well, worth seconds. Which we enjoyed. Thank you for this.
My daughter asks for Shepherd’s Pie at least once a week. But she has never eaten an instant potato EVER and I hope to keep it that way. Shepherd’s Pie with real food is one of the tastiest meals out there!!! It takes a bit of work, but it is so good and I just make a huge batch so we can have leftovers. It seems to heat up really well. I make mine with broccoli, peppers and onions. So yummy.
I haven’t made shepherds pie in years, and when I did it wasn’t this delicious!!!! We had this for dinner tonight and everyone loved it. Serious comfort food! 🙂 Thank you for all your hard work in posting such great recipes that my family loves!!
I made it in one go. Family loved it. Thanks so much. Wanted to upload pic too but didnt know how to on this. Will do on fb.
We made this tonight for St.Patrick’s Day. It was FABULOUS! Just like you said, I had to leave behind all my previous ill-conceived memories and judgements about shepherd’s pie. It was a delicious AND an authentic Irish dish.
I made this tonight, another success! I’ve tried so many of your recipes all with great turnouts. Whenever I am looking for a recipe I ALWAYS look here first. Some of our favourites include the sweet and sour chicken, the chocolate bunds cake from a box with additions to it and the lemon squares. Great site Mel!
Liana from Ontario Canada
Thanks, Liana!
Recipes like this help me enjoy cooking again! If it tastes as good as it smells baking in the oven, we are in for a treat tonight. Thank you!
Today is March 14, 3/14, Pi Day (for all the math geeks out there), which seemed a fitting occasion to try this pie. It is fabulous! I had shepherds pie when I lived in England as a child, but this version is way better. It must be because of the cheese.
Thanks so much for a terrific recipe and a new tradition for Pi Day!
Mmm! This sounds good. I personally like Shepard’s Pie but never knew of someone who would ruin it with fake mashed potatoes. Yuck! I’ve only had my English SIL version. It’s simple. Seasoned hamburger, corn and green beans, a prepared package of brown gravy and then the mashed potatoes topped with a bit of cheese. I’m going to try this recipe out and see what we think! Thanks!
You have no idea how much I love your recipes and this website. Should I use the canned grated parmesan cheese or shredded parmesan cheese? I’ve ruined a recipe or two by using the wrong one:)
Hi Kristin – shredded (not the canned kind) and if you can, shred it yourself from a block of Parmesan (it melts a lot better because it isn’t coated with powder like the preshredded kind).
I made this last night with 1.5 lb ground sirloin and 1 lb turkey sausage (JennieO brand). It was excellent and me meat and potatoes loving husband had no idea their was turkey in it. Another keeper!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was absolutely delicious! My family devoured it. Thanks, Mel, for another fantastic recipe!!
This is exactly the Shepherd’s Pie recipe I have been looking for. Absolutely delicious.
Just letting you know that I made this a day ahead in two 8 inch casserole pans. I made as instructed,then gave one away to my mom and baked the second one for our dinner. This came out really super delicious. This recipe is replacing my usual shepard’s pie recipe. As usual, your recipe came out perfect. You have never steered me wrong. Thanks Mel!
I made this last night and we loved it! I substituted green beans for the peas, as my husband does not like peas. This version is much better than the one I used to eat as a child in the school cafeteria.
Made this tonight to rave reviews from my husband (and me!). He’s a big Shepherd’s Pie fan – I’m less inclined to make it due the the time and endless possibilities of bland recipes out there. This is definitely a “Sunday night” dinner, as I like to call recipes that take some time – the measuring, chopping, cooking, and baking does add up, but is absolutely worth it. My end result had a bit more liquid to it, some that spilled over onto the top (despite my best attempt to seal with the mashed potatoes), but it did not impact the taste at all. Can’t wait to try the leftovers – there are tons – it was seriously getting better the longer it sat out of the oven. Thanks for another tried and true recipe, Mel!
Oh my goodness, Mel! I considered this recipe for a week and decided to make it tonight. My husband and sons devoured half of it in the first 10 minutes. My youngest had three servings and all said I needed to make it when my oldest son is home from college. I served it with the puffed Brie bites. Thank you so much for providing so many incredible recipes week after week!
This would fit into the four canned chicken tins I use to make chicken pot pie in to freeze. (They don’t have the linings that are distasteful to some of us) and give us 4 meals, ready to bake and eat. I used to make shepherd’s pie with ground beef and spaghetti sauce with some vegetables added in, then topped with real mashed potatoes, and they all still love it. In 55 years of cooking, I have never used instant potatoes, and I never will because I have eaten them at pot luck suppers. No wonder so many people don’t like shepherd’s pie! I am thinking of trying to fry frozen hash browns, though, to prepare in a hot skillet, but they probably rinsed all the starch away which means the shreds won’t stick together. I wonder if they would make decent mashed potatoes.
We make Alton Brown’s recipe at least once a month because it’s just that delicious and it’s one way I can “hide” veggies so my toddler will eat them. For most families you can make enough to last two nights so the extra effort is worth it. We will have to try your take on it!
Hey, Mel. Gotta try this! My most distinct Shepherd’s Pie memory (nightmare) was my mother making it and not thinking to “rehydrate” the instant potatoes. Just fake potato flakes atop beef stew – yummy. LOL
Are those carrots in the picture? I don’t see them on the recipe list…… 🙂
They are in the ingredient list already. 🙂
We made this and it was delicious. We were fighting over the leftovers throughout the week. It would also be a good take-in meal– nice, universally liked flavours. I don’t think we’ve ever finished a 9X13 of anything that fast.
I made this for dinner last night, not ever having tasted Shepherd’s Pie before and liked it! I began making this recipe at 5:30pm and by the time it was out of the oven, it was past kids’ bedtime so my husband and I enjoyed a date night in when he got home from work. Kids will try in tonight for dinner. I used ground turkey and thought it was great. My husband (who had a sour taste in his mouth from tasting it in the past was turned off I was making it for dinner) but after eating one serving he liked it.
I have never had shepards pie, but have always wanted to make it (homemade everything). This looks like the perfect recipe to try for the first time. If you and your family loved it, I know my family will love it, too!
Mel- your son’s annual birthday survey is adorable! Where The Red Ferns Grow is one of my all time favorite movies, even though I cry my eyes out every time I watch it!
Your 9 year old is right — this is special occasion worthy! I made the “Cottage” Pie and we all thought this should be served often especially in the winter. Thank you for keeping an open mind concerning food and passing on the delicious results. Smiled through the “badmouthing” comment and a reader’s suggestion of naming this pie, humble pie. 🙂
Well………my family refuses to eat Shepherd’s Pie, but when
I made this version, they loved it:
Mashed potatoes (must be real, not instant) on bottom of
(buttered) glass pan.
Cooked ground beef and onion and garlic; stir in cream of
mushroom soup, sour cream, drained home-bottled green
beans (I take a few moments to cut these into smaller pieces).
Spoon this mixture over mashed potato layer. Top with a bit
(1 cup) of grated cheddar. Bake covered, for 20 minutes,
then uncovered for 10 minutes.