My classic Shepherd’s Pie recipe packs so much satisfying flavor, with a beefy, saucy filling baked under a golden, fluffy layer of mashed potatoes. It’s such a satisfying and crowd-pleasing dinner, and it’s easier to make than you might think – you can even use leftover mashed potatoes!
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Helpful Reader Review
“I made this recipe for my husband and I and we LOVED it!!!! Simple ingredients, so tasty, and the leftovers were even better. We definitely will be making this again…” – Christine ★★★★★
Shepherd’s Pie Video
This Shepherd’s Pie recipe is a stunning and welcoming dish for the holiday table, especially on St. Patrick’s Day! If you loved my Chicken Pot Pie, you’ll find this just as homey and comforting.
The Best Shepherd’s Pie Recipe
The first time I tried Shepherd’s Pie was in the Cheesecake Factory, and I fell in love with the dish. I’m a ‘meat and potatoes’ kind of gal, and this is basically the best combination of saucy meat and creamy parmesan potatoes.
Shepherd’s Pie (also known as cottage pie) originated in England. It is a savory pie with ground meat (usually ground lamb or beef) in a vegetable gravy, topped with a layer of mashed potatoes. The potatoes seal in the saucy gravy filling and develop a golden crust as the pie bakes in the oven.
Shepherd’s Pie Ingredients
Pantry staples make for the best Shepherd’s Pie, since it was made as a practical and budget-friendly dinner for the family. It’s also so versatile, so don’t miss my substitution suggestions.
- Mashed Potatoes – use 4 cups of leftover Creamy Mashed Potatoes or even Garlic Mashed Potatoes, or from scratch with russet potatoes, heavy cream, butter, Parmesan cheese, and egg.
- Ground Beef – we used lean beef, or you can substitute with ground lamb or mutton.
- Vegetables – we used a yellow onion, garlic, and a bag of frozen mixed veggies (carrots, peas, and corn). Feel free to substitute whatever leftover or frozen veggies you like.
- All-purpose flour – thickens the sauce, or you can use cornstarch for a low-carb, gluten-free Shepherd’s pie
- Red Wine – Use any dry red wine, such as Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet, or Sauvignon (avoid cooking wine) for a rich flavor. Substitute with Chicken/Beef Stock
- Beef Broth – or sub with Chicken broth if that is what you have on hand
- Tomato paste – rounds out the flavor of the sauce
- Worcestershire sauce – adds the umami (savory notes), check labels for GF
How to Make Mashed Potatoes for Shepherd’s Pie
If you have leftover mashed potatoes, use them – mixing in parmesan and egg. I love using Creamy Mashed Potatoes, Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes, or Garlic Mashed Potatoes. If you want to cook potatoes from scratch, follow these quick steps to make the best Parmesan mashed potatoes for Shepherd’s Pie.
- Boil the potato chunks until tender (be sure not to overcook!), and then drain and mash with a potato masher immediately.
- Add warm cream and salt, and mash. Finally, add the parmesan cheese and egg. Set aside.
How to Make Shepherd’s Pie
Once the mashed potatoes are made, it’s easy to cook up the ground meat mixture before baking the whole dish in the oven.
- Sauté Beef over medium heat, and then season with salt and pepper.
- Add Aromatics – add onions and sauté 3 minutes until softened, then add garlic and stir another minute. Add flour and stir for a minute. Note: If you’re using cornstarch, you’ll add it to the beef broth before stirring it into the sauce.
- Pour in red wine and scrape the bottom to deglaze the pan. Add broth, tomato paste, and Worcestershire sauce, stirring to combine.
- Add frozen vegetables, bring to a light boil, and then season with more salt and pepper to taste. Cover and simmer 10 minutes until the sauce is slightly thickened.
- Assemble Shepherd’s Pie – Transfer the Meat Sauce into a pie dish or casserole. Top with scoops of potatoes, and then spread potatoes evenly over the filling. An ice cream scoop makes this easy. Drizzle with melted butter.
- Bake at 400˚F for about 30 minutes or until potatoes start to turn golden.
Pro Tip:
Shepherd’s pie tastes great the next day, which makes it perfect for making ahead of time over holidays and busy weekends. Simply cool the casserole, cover, and refrigerate within 2 hours.
What to Serve with Shepherd’s Pie
Shepherd’s Pie can be the main course for a weekend dinner or a side dish for holiday meals. We love to pair it with fresh veggies, salad, and bread to soak up the gravy.
- Soft Dinner Rolls
- Cloverleaf Dinner Rolls (family favorite!)
- Caesar Salad
- BLT Salad with the Best Dressing
- Roasted Cauliflower
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
Shepherd’s Pie is the ultimate comfort food and a great way to feed a crowd of hungry family and friends. Take a dish to a friend or store leftovers in the freezer for a ready-to-eat dinner. You’ll love this classic recipe for being a filling, crowd-pleasing favorite!
Shepherd’s Pie Recipe
Ingredients
For the Potato Topping:*
- 2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1” thick pieces
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream, warm
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted to brush the top
- 1 Tbsp parsley or chives, chopped, to garnish the top
For the Pie Filling:
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb lean ground beef or ground lamb
- 1 1/2 tsp salt, divided, or added to taste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper, plus more to taste
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour, or cornstarch*
- 1/2 cup dry red wine**, such as Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet, Sauvignon, or use beef broth
- 1 cup beef broth or chicken broth
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 1/2 cups frozen vegetables of choice, peas, carrots, and corn
Instructions
How to Make Potatoes:
- Boil – Place chopped potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil. Cook until potatoes are tender (12-15 minutes); don’t overcook potatoes. Drain and mash potatoes in the same pot.
- Add warm cream and 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste), then mash until smooth. Lastly, mash in the parmesan cheese and beaten egg.
How to Make Shepherd's Pie
- Sauté Beef – Preheat oven to 400˚F with a rack in the center. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 Tbsp olive oil and ground beef. Breaking up the beef with a spatula, then season with 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper, and cook until the meat is just cooked through and no longer pink (5 minutes).
- Add aromatics – add onion and sauté for 3 minutes to soften, then add minced garlic and stir another minute. Sprinkle with 2 Tbsp flour and stir for 1 minute. You’ll see a film form at the bottom of your pan (*see notes if using cornstarch)
- Pour in wine, scraping the bottom to deglaze the pan for a minute. Add beef broth, 1 Tbsp tomato paste, and 1 Tbsp Worcestershire.
- Add 1 1/2 cups of frozen veggies and bring to a light boil. Season with another 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper or add to taste. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook 10 minutes until the sauce is slightly thickened.
- Assemble – Transfer meat and veggie mixture to a deep pie dish, or 11×7 or 9×9 casserole dish. Scoop mashed potatoes over the top, then spread evenly, making sure to seal the potatoes to the edge of the dish so the filling doesn’t bubble up. Drizzle 2 Tbsp melted butter over the top.
- Bake – Place a sheet of foil under the casserole to catch any drips and bake at 400˚F on the center rack for 25-30 minutes or until potatoes start to turn golden. Cool 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Make ahead – assemble the pie, cool, and cover within 2 hours. Refrigerate or freeze for 4 days or until ready to bake.
- To Refrigerate: Cool leftovers at room temperature. Cover and refrigerate within 2 hours. Chill for up to 4 days.
- Freezing: Once the assembled pie is cooled, cover with foil and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before baking.
- To Reheat: Bake a refrigerated or fully thawed pie at 400˚F for 30-35 minutes until 165°F.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
More Easy Casserole Recipes
Casseroles like Shepherd’s Pie are a great way to serve dinner all in one pan. Here are some more family-favorite casserols to add to your weekly rotation:
- Chicken Casserole (Chicken Gloria)
- Baked Ziti
- Chicken Orzo Bake
- Lasagna Recipe
- Baked Feta Pasta
- Chicken Tetrazzini
- Baked Make and Cheese
- Meatballs Parmesan Casserole
Looks delicious. Waiting for it to cool before enjoying!!
Made mine with green beans instead of carrots and peas. My mom called it hamburger pie. Minus the Worcestershire sauce.
Turned out GREAT 👍 Easy to follow directions. Reheated even better 😍
So happy to hear you loved the recipe!
I made this recipe for my husband and I and we LOVED it!!!! Simple ingredients, so tasty, and the leftovers were even better. We definitely will be making this again. Thank you Natasha for another great recipe!
You’re very welcome, Christine! I’m so happy you loved it.
I couldn’t make cause you wouldn’t let me print it!!
Hi April! That email screen is something I’m testing—it’s a more privacy-friendly way to know who’s visiting, and it helps me keep sharing recipes for free without using third-party cookies 🍪. You’ll need to enter your email (just once per browser) to get to the print page, but subscribing to emails is totally optional—the box is checked by default, but you can uncheck it if you’d rather not subscribe.
Natasha, you state in the directions an 11×9, 9×9, or deep pie dish can be used. When someone asked if a 9x13vwould work, you saidvthere might not be enough room. I’m confused. The 9×13 is bigger than the first two.
I hopenyou see this soon. I’m making this today.
Thanks. Pattie W.
Hi Pattie, it may work in a 9×13, I shared with another reader, ideally, if you don’t have a deep pie dish, I’d make it in two pie pans unless you have a casserole dish that’s about 11×7 or 9×9 casserole dish. You may be able to use a 9×13 inch pan.
I ended up using a 10 inch diameter round pottery dish. A little deeper than a deep pie dish. Perfect!
I dont think it would have worked in my 9×9 dish, or my Staub 11×7.
I think my 9×13 would have worked also because the meat layer would be more spread out, making more room for the potato layer.
I would like to make this. Will it work in a 9×13 pan? Thanks.
Hi Monica, Ideally I’d make it in two pans unless you have a casserole dish that’s about 11×7 or 9×9 casserole dish. You may be able to use a 9×13 inch pan.
Another amazing recipe from Natasha and family. I Didn’t have red wine on hand so I used beef broth. It was delicious. A great recipe for home and also to take to families when you sign up for the meal train. Bless you, Natasha.
I’m so glad you loved it, Sherry! Thank you.
Made this for dinner last night, it turned out great! I’ve yet to try a recipe from Natasha’s Kitchen I don’t like. Her recipes are my go-to for everything!
I did search the comments a bit beforehand to see if anyone omitted the egg from the potatoes. We have an egg allergy in the family, so I went ahead and skipped the egg and added 4 oz of cream cheese to my mashed potatoes (this is something I always add to mashed potatoes anyway for texture). It worked great with the substitute. Just wanted to share in case anyone else needs to replace the egg!
Thank you so much for sharing that, Jenny! So happy to know you’re loving the recipes.
Made this for Sunday supper and it was a hit! So easy to make and tasted phenomenal. I love watching your videos. Always entertaining and informative. I can’t wait to browse through your recipes!
I’m excited to hear it was a hit, Peggy!
Do you think it would be OK if I made it in the afternoon and popped it in the oven in the evening?
Hi Mimi, I address this in the recipe post. See the Make-Ahead section of the post for baking later, freezing, and other tips! I hope that helps!
Thank you! I went through all the comments I found that.
This was really good! I used lukewarm whole milk instead of the cream, and thought about adding some dry onyon flakes to the meat, but didn’t have any.
So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe!
This was really good! I used warmed whole milk instead of the cream, and added some dry onion flakes to the meat.
I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
This is a delicious recipe! I made it exactly as written. It is most helpful to watch your video, before trying a new recipe. Thank you!
Soooo good! It’s a rare find to have a meal that all 6 of us ate and liked! Thank you! The wine just makes that gravy so good. 😙🤌
That’s wonderful, Sarah! So glad your family loved it!
This was delicious! The only thing I added was some dried thyme. Company loved it! Will be making this regularly. Thank you
If I use red wine, will the alcohol burn out completely when it’s cooked in the pot and oven?
Yes it should burn out completely but you can also use broth in place of wine.