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
5 Stars delicious! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I am making this for the second time, I added corn to mine. It is delicious. Love you, Natasha!!
Awesome…great left overs too!
Thank you
Claire
Delicious and easy. Appreciated the ice cream scooper tip for the mashed potatoes. Thank you
I love this, it’s actually better than using cheddar like most Shepards
pie reciepes. Yumm!
Recipe was easy to follow and came out great! The only difference was I couldn’t resist sprinkling some cheddar on those potatoes near the end of the bake.
That sounds amazing!
It looks delicious 😋 I will try soon but I will omit red wine.
I hope you love the recipe!
This was super easy and super delicious! We subbed the wine for an Irish Stout Beer and it was the perfect St. Pattys day meal.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Micaela!
Really good didn’t have heavy cream used the half and half worked great
I’m so glad it worked out well for you, Cyndi!
Delicious, I made 2 last night, one for my husband, grand daughter and I, as she gets off the bus at our house after school. My other grandchildren have to have gluten and dairy free. I made ours exactly as written, with theirs I subbed gluten free flour and used extra beef stock instead of the wine. For their potatoes, I warmed a little almond milk with plant based butter, salt, and a few dollops of mayo along with the egg . I had to laugh when they sent me a picture of the baby in the high chair with food on his face and head. Lol, They did ask me to tell you it is not 8 servings, and they could have eaten twice as much. I think that is a great testimonial.
I grew up on shepherd’s pie made with “mince” beef and yes we all know it’s technically supposed to be made with lamb, but we always called it shepherd’s pie anyway. My mom is long gone and she never had an actual recipe so she just said do this and that. So for 50 years I did. Then I tried this recipe and now it’s the only way I make it. Thank you.
Wanna try this recipe today! Was wondering if I could make this recipe in a refrigerated pie shell?
Hello! I have not tested that but I imagine that would be fine! Hope you love it!
Absolutely delicious. I have made this so many times and is wonderful every time. Thank you for another amazing video of one of your awesome dishes. This was a hit at our church gathering at the end of each month. Our Priest’s eye sure lit up when he saw that dish of Shepherds Pie on our serving table, as did everyone else’s. You are a gift that keeps on giving 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
You are so sweet! I’m so glad it was a hit!
So good! The only thing I could complain about is that I wish I doubled it! My entire family loved it! Definitely a keeper.
Hello Nataha can I use ground Turkey? Ww don’t eat beef or Lamb.
Hello! I think ground turkey is fine and it’s a good substitute. Ground turkey is milder in flavor though, so you may want to enhance the seasoning a little more. Let us know how it turns out!
Excellent! It was delicious. I made it with cream corn instead of mixed veggies. Thank you!
Amaaaazing dish! Better than how my mom makes it, and that’s saying something. I took a picture, but I’ll have to leave a Google review to show that. Quite a lot of equipment and ingredients, but it was well worth the wait. I will forever do this recipe now.
Hi Andre! Thank you so much for the feedback. You can tag me on Instagram/Facebook at #natashaskitchen. I’d love to see your finished product.
Please do not feel offended, but the Shepherds Pie is made with minced Lamb, and the Cottage Pie is made with minced Beef. I do like your recipes though.
Dorothy Farrow.
She explained that lamb is Shepherds and beef is cottage in the article
This was a great recipe. For those who don’t like cooking with wine, you can substitue with cranberry juice. It gives it the acidity it needs.
Cool idea on the juice. I had cherry but I just used more beef broth.
This Shepherd’s Pie recipe is a game-changer! The combination of savory meat filling and creamy parmesan potatoes is pure comfort food perfection. I made it last weekend, and the golden crust on the mashed potatoes turned out just right—crispy on top, velvety underneath.
Speaking of getting that perfect bake, having a reliable oven makes all the difference. I recently upgraded to one of the gas stoves from this guide, and it’s been a game-changer for dishes like this. Consistent heat and even cooking really let recipes like yours shine.
Do you have a favorite kitchen tool or appliance that you swear by for nailing comfort food classics? I’d love to hear your must-haves!
Hi Malik! If you select “shop” from the menu at the top of the page, you’ll see my Amazon storefront where I have linked my favorite kitchen items and must-haves by category!
The tools, meaning the oven or whatever you use, mean nothing. Don’t get hung up on buying extra things. If you have an oven that works, that is all you need to make this recipe perfect. All you have to do is eyeball it if it doesn’t Match correctly.