Looking for the ultimate comfort food for meat and potato lovers? Try this easy shepherd's pie recipe. Your family will devour it, and with one taste you'll agree it's like a hug in a skillet.
Love comfort food at supper? Try our popular Salisbury steak with onion gravy and our kid approved American goulash.
Ingredients
The ingredient list is long for this American version of shepherd's pie, but most are pantry staples and are easy to find at any large grocery store in the U.S. except for the ground savory. You can order that online or go to a more upscale grocery store that has a larger spice section.
- Meat: We used ground beef sauteed in oil for this photo shoot, but you can also substitute with ground turkey, or leftover chopped roast beef. In the U.K. and Ireland, chopped or ground lamb is what is traditionally used for shepherd's pie.
- Potatoes: We used russet potatoes, but Yukon gold would be a good substitute.
- Fresh Garlic: We used roasted garlic for the mashed potatoes, which provides wonderful flavor and freshly minced garlic in the filling.
- Unsalted beef stock: We used unsalted beef stock which provides lovely flavor for the gravy. Don't use salted beef stock, or the shepherd's pie will taste too salty.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make
Prep all your ingredient for the shepherd's pie before you start.
- Wash, peel, and cube the potatoes. Place in a large pot of cold water. Bring to a boil then simmer until fork tender, then drain.
2. Mix the potatoes in the bowl of a standing mixer with the butter, roasted garlic, sour cream, buttermilk, salt and pepper. Whip until smooth and adjust seasonings according to taste.
Not Pictured: To roast the garlic, rub olive oil on the 5 large peeled cloves and bake uncovered in a ramekin for 15-20 minutes at 425°F.
3. For American shepherd's pie, cook the ground beef in oil until it's no longer pink. Break up the pieces as it cooks with a wooden turner or spoon. (In the U.K. and Ireland, it's traditional to use lamb for shepherd's pie.)
4. Use a metal spider or a large slotted spoon to remove the meat to a bowl, and pour the fat out of the skillet into a small bowl.
5. Add 1 tablespoon of rendered fat back into the skillet, then sauté the onions and carrots for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and spices and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
6. Add the cooked ground beef and peas back into the skillet.
7. Melt the butter over medium heat and gradually add the flour, whisking constantly for 2 minutes to cook the flour.
Add the Worcestershire sauce to the beef stock and whisk one cup of broth into the roux. As the gravy thickens up, add the last ½ cup of stock.
8. Mix the gravy into the hamburger vegetable mixture. Taste and adjust seasonings.
9. Assemble the shepherd's pie in a 10-inch cast iron skillet, or a 9x13-inch casserole dish. Start with the meat and veggies, then spoon the mashed potatoes on top. Fluff up the surface with a fork, and brush with egg white to help it get golden brown.
10. Sprinkle on smoked paprika and grated extra sharp cheddar cheese. Bake the shepherd's pie for 20 minutes at 400°F, then broil for 3 minutes. Garnish with chopped parsley, and let stand for 10 minutes to set, then serve and enjoy.
Recipe FAQs
In the United Kingdom, shepherd's pie is made with ground or shredded lamb, and cottage pie is made with ground beef, so the only difference is the meat.
The dish originated in Scotland and northern England where the sheep were raised. Historically, the basic structure of the dish was a savory minced lamb filling that was mixed with gravy then topped with pastry.
In Scotland and England, it originally had pastry placed on top as savory pies are very common there. When this dish made it's way to Ireland, the Irish replaced the pastry with mashed potatoes because they had them in abundance.
Allow the meat filling to cool a bit before topping with the slightly cooled mashed potatoes.
Serve
Traditionally, the meat filling in shepherd's pie has no vegetables in it, so if it's made that way it makes sense to serve either peas or carrots on the side. Other popular vegetables to serve with this dish are green beans, diced parsnips, finely shredded cabbage, leeks or sauteed kale.
A warm slice of crusty buttered bread or a green salad would also round out the meal very nicely. For dessert, try a St. Patrick's Day shamrock shake for a fun twist!
If you're looking for another tasty recipe that uses ground beef, try our recipe for Spanish stuffed eggplant.
Store
Make Ahead: Certainly! This an excellent make ahead recipe. All of it can be made ahead of time. When ready, cover the shepherd's pie with foil and refrigerate.
Bake: While the oven is preheating, take out the shepherd's pie and let it sit on the counter. Increase the cooking time to 40 minutes and broil for 3 minutes to get the textured potatoes extra crispy. The shepherd's pie needs to be heated through and the potatoes should be golden brown on top.
Store: Any leftovers from the shepherd's pie can be covered tightly and stored in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freeze: Yes, shepherd's pie recipe freezes really well. It's best to freeze it before you bake it.
Assemble the shepherd's pie in a 9x13-inch pan and wrap it in foil, then freeze for up to 2 months. When ready to eat, thaw in the fridge overnight. If it's completely thawed, bake at 400°F for 40 minutes and broil for 3 minutes.
If it's partially frozen, increase the cook time to 1 hour and 10 minutes and cook it on the bottom rack. When the shepherd's pie is done it should be golden brown on top and heated all the way through so the filling is steaming hot.
Expert Tips
- Want to use leftover mashed potatoes? You'll need about 3 ½ to 4 cups.
- Don't own a cast iron skillet? Use a 9x13-inch pan or an oven safe Dutch oven.
- Potato options? Mash, whip, or rice the potatoes for the texture you want.
- Overfilled the skillet? Put it on a cookie sheet to catch drips that could bubble out.
- Need this vegetarian? Use mushrooms or cooked lentils, and vegetable broth.
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Recipe
Easy Shepherd's Pie Recipe
Ingredients
For the Mashed Potatoes
- ½ teaspoon olive oil
- 6 large garlic cloves, peeled, roasted and smashed
- 8 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 3 tablespoons sour cream
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
For the Meat and Veggies
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 ¼ pounds ground beef, 80% lean meat
- 2 cups carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 ½ cups yellow onion, chopped
- 4 teaspoons garlic cloves, minced
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon ground savory
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup frozen peas
For the Gravy
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups unsalted beef stock
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
For the Topping
- ⅛ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ⅓ cup extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated
- 1 large egg white
- 1 teaspoon fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
Mashed Potatoes
- Rinse, peel and cube the russet potatoes. Put them a large pot of cold water. Bring to a boil then simmer uncovered until fork tender, then drain.
- While the potatoes are cooking, preheat the oven to 425°F. Peel the garlic cloves and toss with the olive oil and bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes.
- Place all the potato ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat the potatoes until they are smooth and creamy. Adjust butter, sour cream, buttermilk, and seasonings according to taste, then set aside.
Meat & Vegetables
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a 10 inch cast iron skillet over medium high heat for 2 minutes, then add the hamburger and cook over medium heat until all the pink is gone (roughly 6 minutes).
- Drain the meat with a slotted spoon to remove the excess grease. Wipe out the excess fat from the skillet with paper towel and remove any leftover hamburger with a spoon.
- Add one tablespoon of fat back into the skillet and let it warm up over medium-high heat. Add the carrots and onions to the skillet and cook for 8 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
- Add the garlic and spices and cook until fragrant, roughly a minute.
- Stir in the cooked hamburger and the frozen peas.
Gravy
- Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Gradually add the flour, whisking constantly, to make a roux. Cook for two minutes, whisking constantly.
- Pour the Worcestershire sauce into the beef stock and gradually whisk of 1 ½ cups the stock into the roux. Keep whisking for a minute or two until the gravy has thickened.
- Once your gravy is the consistency you like, pour it over the hamburger veggie mixture in the large cast iron skillet. Mix well, taste, and adjust seasonings as desired.
Bake
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Stir the potatoes, then spread them evenly over the meat mixture in the skillet. (Don't have an oven proof skillet? Assemble the shepherd's pie in a 9x13-inch casserole dish.)
- Fluff the potatoes with a fork to make them textured, then brush them with egg white. Sprinkle the smoked paprika and grated cheddar cheese evenly on top.
- Cook at 400°F for 20 minutes, then broil for 3 minutes until golden brown. If the skillet is full, place it on top of a baking tray in case the shepherd's pie overflows when baking. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.
- Garnish with 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley. Serve warm with a slice of crusty buttered bread or a fresh crisp green salad.
Notes
- Want to use leftover mashed potatoes? You'll need about 3 ½-4 cups.
- Don't own a cast iron skillet? Use a 9x13-inch pan or an oven safe Dutch oven.
- Potato options? Mash, whip, or rice the potatoes for the texture you want.
- Overfilled the skillet? Put it on a cookie sheet to catch drips that could bubble out.
- Need this vegetarian? Use mushrooms or cooked lentils, and vegetable broth.
Nutrition
Serving sizes and nutritional information are only an estimate and may vary from your results.
This post was originally published on October 27, 2017 and was republished on February 26, 2019 with updated photos and content, and again on March 4, 2022 with photo collages and reformatted content.
Jackie cree
Super good. I was brought up I Scotland, and this is pretty darn close to what I grew up with, and even kicks it up a notch. Just to mention… COTTAGE PIE is made with ground beef. Traditional SHEPHERD’S PIE is made with ground lamb. Semantics! Couple of tweaks that are my “normal”. And to simplify it a little. I use about 2 T of Worcestershire sauce, add a tsp of dry English mustard, and sometimes add about 1/2 cup of sliced celery when sautéing carrots and onions. Add 1 tsp dried thyme and 1 bay leaf to stock and ground beef to deepen flavor. I simplify potatoes and don’t add buttermilk, only because this is not something that is typically in my fridge! just whole milk or 1/2 and 1/2. Add a layer of sharp grated cheddar between beef mixture and potatoes, not on top. I take a fork and drag across potatoes to create light grooves, and then dab with a couple of tablespoons of butter. Gosh, I wrote a short story. Hope you don’t mind my thoughts! Best regards and wishes.
Emma
We're happy to hear this is Scottish approved, Jackie! Thanks for your review!
Alex
The mashed potatoes are creamy, and the cheese on top is crispy and yummy! The meat, carrots, and peas are wonderful, too. Yum, yum!
Emma
We're so glad that you enjoyed this shepherd's pie, Alex!
Beth
Shepherd's pie is one of my favorite dishes! A layer of cheese browned on top of a layer of creamy potatoes with hamburger and vegetables. I could eat thirds if I had room!
Emma
Shepherd's pie is a delicious supper, and one of my favorite dinners too. Thanks for leaving a review!
Joan
Very good!
Emma
We all love shepherd's pie, too! 🙂