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
Omg best shepherds pie ever!! Thank you so much Natasha your an amazing cook and your family are so lucky to have you 😍
Hi Natasha! We are looking forward to making this recipe tonight! One question, is it possible to substitute with ground turkey? If so, are there any other modifications that I will need to make if using ground turkey? Should I use chicken or beef broth? Thanks for your help!
Hi Jessica! Yes, you can absolutely use ground Turkey without making any adjustments.
Double it if you want it to fit in a 9×13. Broil it at the end, this is necessary!!!! I subbed the red wine with red wine vinegar and didn’t use as much.
hello ,
just want to say i love ur recipes ! this might be a silly question but after i have browned the meat , do i strain the excess grease before adding the onions or do i leave it in the pan ?
Hi Valerie! Thank you. You do not need to strain the grease but you can if you’d like or if it’s overly greasy.
Simple and delicious, I can’t get enough. Thank you!
Absolutely delicous! so worth the time to make! This is my go to for Shepherds pie. – we like pepper so I double that.
Absolutely delicious. I added make flour only because I wanted more sauce. SO good!
Followed recipe except for the wine, didn’t have any I replaced it with water. It was delicious my kids devoured it, a keeper for sure.
So happy to hear that, Dania!
Hello Natasha, my wife and I love your recipes have made several of them and they have been a hit.
Could the shepherd’s pie be made without the red wine?
Look forward to your next recipe.
Thank you.
Hi Jesus! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the recipes. Yes, you can use broth in its place. I hope you love this one too!
So I usually make this recipe and it’s great- the simplest and tastiest Shepard Pie I have made! Just a note though… I saw the note that it can be frozen and reheated so I thought it would be great for my Christmas dinner. I took it out in the refrigerator to thaw overnight, put it in the oven, want to check it…..and it became soup. Something went horribly wrong and the potatoes became liquid and we had to order Chinese lol. Five stars for the recipe when it is fresh but just don’t rely on the freezer method for a holiday dinner 😂
Hi Christine, did you see the Make Ahead instructions in the recipe? Freezing: Once the assembled pie is cooled, cover with foil and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before baking.
Hi Natasha, we LOVED it! I have cooked several recipes from your collection and all of them were phenomenal! I made Mongolian Beef last week – it was delicious! We are enjoying your granola most weekdays. 🙂 I love how your measurements are always right on and the instructions are easy to follow. Thank you and happy holidays!
Hi Yvonne! It makes me very happy to hear you’re enjoying my recipes. I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas. Happy New Year.
I made this tonight and it was the best Sheppards pie I have ever had!It’s a must cook,this one will always be in my house moving forward.I did tweak it with W sauce instead of the original stuff.Also went with more salt and pepper.Will continue following Natasha’s kitchen!Thanks Natasha!
Hi Tommy, what is W sauce? you used it instead of ? Thanks!!
Delicious! Such a good, hearty meal to eat on a cold night. The addition of the wine makes it taste so rich. I usually just buy Bob Evans mashed potatoes and add seasonings as a shortcut.
WOW….a complete meal using meat, vegetables, dairy and seasonings. Definitely will be making this again!
Hi Gail! I’m so glad you loved it!
I’ve made this a couple times. I did omit the wine and it still came out great.
I ended up using Bob Evans premade mashed potatoes, Everyone really liked the dish.
Am I able to make this without the wine?
Most of the alcohol in the wine gets cooked out but it adds great flavor. If you wanted to substitute, you could deglaze the pan with beef broth instead.
Making this right now for my fiancé’s potluck! Smells great. I just added a little smoked paprika and 1/4 cup mayo to the potatoes. It’s amazing! Thank you
Sounds great!
OMG! This is the best Shepard pie I have ever made!!!!
I’m so happy you loved it, Laura!
Absolutely to die for Shepherds Pie! This recipe is a keeper for sure. Thanks for sharing.
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Ginny!
I am doubling this recipe, what size pan would work best to bake it in?
Hi Nina! Ideally I’d make it in two pans unless you have a casserole dish that’s about 10×15 inches. You may be able to use a 9×13 inch pan but it may be a bit too thick.
I use Beyond crumbles instead of beef. Vegetable stock, too.
That’s great to know there are good substitutions to make this vegetarian. That is very creative!