This Shepherd’s Pie Recipe is a comfort food classic. Loaded with a rich gravy, beef, veggies, and creamy mashed potatoes – this is sure to be a family favorite!
This recipe is the ultimate comfort food meal. I mean, come on, veggies and meat cooked in a super yummy gravy and topped off with creamy, cheesy mashed potatoes?
Yeah, count me in.
What is shepherd’s pie?
Shepherd’s pie is a minced meat pie traditionally made with a flavorful gravy, mashed potatoes, veggies, and ground lamb (hence, the word “shepherd” in the title.)
Technically, a shepherd’s pie made with ground beef is called “cottage pie” and a pie made with lamb is called shepherd’s pie. However, I decided to use ground beef instead of lamb since it’s cheaper and more accessible…so I guess today we’re really making cottage pie.
Anyway, whatever you want to call it and however you want to make it…this meal is DELICIOUS!
Ingredients
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes – my all time FAVORITE mashed potato recipe. They only take 15 minutes and they’re SO luxurious.
- Butter – used to cook the veggies.
- Onion, Carrot, Peas, and Corn – a classic combo of veggies. Adds nutrients, color, and texture!
- Garlic – adds a subtle nuttiness.
- Ground Beef – make sure to use a lean ground beef so it’s not too greasy.
- Salt, Pepper, Dried Rosemary, and Dried Thyme – the perfect combination of herbs and spices.
- All-Purpose Flour – thickens the sauce to create a rich gravy.
- Tomato Paste, Worcestershire Sauce, and Chicken Broth – the base of the sauce. The tomato paste adds depth, the worcestershire adds tang, and the chicken broth adds a savoriness.
How to make
There are two part to shepherd’s pie: the mashed potato topping and the meat and veggie filling. Try multi-tasking! While the mashed potatoes are cooking, whip up the filling!
- Make a batch of instant pot mashed potatoes.
- Melt butter in a sauté pan, add in onion, carrots, garlic, beef, salt, pepper, rosemary, and thyme and cook until the veggies are tender and beef is cooked through.
- Drain any excess grease then sprinkle the meat/veggie mixture with flour and stir.
- Add in tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and broth and simmer to thicken then stir in peas and corn.
- Pour mixture into a prepared baking dish.
- Top evenly with mashed potatoes and bake for 25 minutes then serve and enjoy!
Can shepherd’s pie be made ahead of time?
Shepherd’s pie is great made in advance. Simply assemble it as directed then cover it and store it up to 24 hours in the refrigerator before baking.
Keep in mind this may extend the cook time by a little bit so be sure it’s cooked all the way through before serving!
Variations
This recipe is pretty darn perfect as-is, if I do say so myself. 😉 However, if you want to switch it up, here are some variations you could try!
- Use a different meat. Feel free to do ground lamb for the classic shepherd’s pie, turkey, or even sausage!
- Make it gluten-free. Use cornstarch instead of flour – you’ll want to use 1/2 the amount of cornstarch. As always, make sure all your ingredients are certified gluten-free before using!
- Make it vegetarian. Ditch the meat and make a veggie forward filling — add mushrooms and cooked lentils!
- Use different potatoes. Try it with mashed sweet potatoes. In a pinch, you can also use store-bought mashed potatoes but it won’t have quite the same flavor.
What to serve with shepherd’s pie
This shepherd’s pie is pretty darn filling as is but I also love to serve it up with a couple of yummy sides!
How to store
Leftover shepherd’s pie can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or in the freezer for 2 months.
To reheat, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, if frozen, then microwave or heat on stovetop.
Eat up!
– Jennifer
Shepherd’s Pie
Equipment for this recipe
Ingredients
- 1 batch Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes cooked according to recipe directions; room temperature
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2 carrots finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 pounds extra lean ground beef
- 1 teaspoon salt + more to taste
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ½ cup frozen corn
- ½ cup frozen peas
Recipe Video
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Melt butter in a large sauté pan.
- Add in onion, carrots, garlic, beef, salt, pepper, rosemary, and thyme.
- Cook, breaking up the beef as you go, until the meat is no longer pink and the vegetables are tender.
- Drain off an excess grease.
- Sprinkle the meat and veggie mixture with flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
- Stir in the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and broth.
- Simmer, if necessary, to thicken.
- Stir in peas and corn, then taste and re-season, if desired.
- Pour mixture into the prepared dish and top evenly with mashed potatoes.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until warmed through.
- Serve and enjoy!
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Nutrition Information
*Note: Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on products used.
Mel
Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy
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