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
If I don’t have heavy cream for the potatoes could I use half n half
Hi Courtney! That would be fine.
First time ever making and trying this dish. We LOVED it. Husband and I ate almost the entire pie🤭 leftovers are going in his lunch box for tomorrow!
This was absolutely delicious, my husband is very picky, and we both loved it!
Thank you for trying this recipe, Cheryl! I’m happy to hear you loved it!
This takes a bit of prep but it’s so worth it. The meat filling is robust and flavorful! The added parm in the potatoes give it a great texture! A keeper!
I completely agree with you, Paula, this one is always worth it and I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
Loved this shepherds pie fetched memories back when I was a child in Ireland
Aww, that is the best isn’t it? I’m glad you enjoyed it.
This is an excellent Shepherd’s Pie recipe! I’ve tried a lot and this is a good one! The Parmesan in the potatoes is genius! (I had to put cheddar cheese on top because that’s what my kids are used to with Shepherd’s Pie and it was a good addition!)
This shepherd’s pie recipe is so good! Egg and Parmesan cheese in the potatoes, wine in gravy…delish!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Delicious! Tastes a lot like sloppy joes! We all liked it and I will be keeping this recipe!
Delicious! Will be making again. Hubby loved it too!
Shepherd’s Pie is made with Lamb (Shepherd) and Cottage Pie is made with Beef. Delicious either way!
So good! The egg and parmesan in the mashed potatoes-delicious! 🤯
I have tried many recipes from Natasha’s Kitchen and have yet to have one we don’t love. Thanks for helping me to make good food 🥰
Awww, that makes me so happy to hear. Thank you for your kind words and for sharing that with us.
This is a great recipe! The mashed potato is so fluffy, light and creamy. The dish has this wholesome taste and pretty easy to make. I’ve tried a few of Natasha’s recipes, so doable, so approachable, and so, so, good! I’m a fan! Please give a try’ you will impress who ever you serve😊 Thanks, Natasha!
Hey Natasha, the wine brought it up a notch, delicious! Family loved it and a great idea for get togethers😊 . Thank You for sharing. You make cooking easy and delicious!
You’re so welcome, Darryl! It’s great to haer that your family enjoyed it!
I love Shepherd’s Pie, but for some reason I was always hesitant to make it at home. So happy (and full) that I tried this recipe. It was delicious!
I’m glad you decided to give this recipe a try! Thank you for sharing your experience trying this out, I’m glad you loved it!
Must admit I was inspired because this recipe was part of the March cooking challenge and because I’d never had, nor more Shepherd’s Pie, thought it would make a great Sunday meal with leftovers for another day. As usual Natasha’s recipe never fail me. Such a delightful Sunday dinner. I paired it with Natasha’s Cesaer Salad recipe and it was absolutely delish! Can’t wait to make this again when the grandkids come to visit as I know it will be a big hit. Thanks Natasha for another great recipe and making it fun with cooking challenges!
Hi Grace! Thanks for sharing your experience making this recipe. I’m happy that you loved it!
This is my first time making Shepherd’s pie and I ’m wondering why it took me so long! The only change I made to the recipe was in making the garlic mashed potatoes because we really like garlic. Rather than heating the milk with the garlic and then removing the garlic, I used a combination of half extra virgin olive oil and half butter. First, I heated the garlic in the extra virgin olive oil for 30 seconds in the microwave on high and let it sit a bit to meld. Then I added the softened butter, mixed, and set aside. I followed the rest of the recipe as written.The potatoes had a nice garlic essence. My husband said it was delicious, add it to the rotation and make it for the grandkids.
This recipe was very easy to make and so delicious my husband loved it and so did I. We will definitely make it again. !!
Made this version of Shepard’s pie and it was delicious. Tweaked the mashed potatoes with cream cheese and added more cheddar cheese to the top. Comfort food at its finest!
Delicious! This is the first time I ever made Shepherds pie and also the first time I’ve ever tried it. It was delicious. The kids wanted seconds too
I’m so glad you gave it a try!
This is such a an easy recipe to make and was SO good!!!