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
Shepherd’s pie is one of those comfort meals for me. It’s very filling, incredibly quick to put on the table for dinner, and doesn’t break the bank. My husband complains that it’s not real pie because he’s Australian and they need to have pie crust on the bottom, apparently. He’ll still happily eat this, though! A recipe to keep for future meals!
Being somewhat of an expert on shepherd’s pie (I’ve made a LOT of them) this one is right at the top. It’s easy, fun to make, and I loved the idea of the drizzled butter on the top. It made delicious little crispy bits, yum!
Thank you so much for your good comments and feedback! I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe a lot.
This was my first time trying making a Shepherd’s Pie recipe, and it turned out so good! The whole family loved it!
This recipe reminds me so much of what mom made for our family in the early days. It’s delicious comfort food at its best. Thanks Natasha for the yummy recipe.
You’re so welcome! I’m glad it this food reminds you of your good memories with your mom.
Came out really well, even better than I expected. The only change I made was sprinkling some shredded white cheddar cheese I had leftover from another recipe on top of the potatoes and I used a tablespoon of ketchup in place of the tomato paste since I was out.
Thank you for sharing that with us! Great to hear that you enjoyed it!
Just pulled this out of the oven… smells delicious, and all the components were tasty on the front end. It’s a busy week at work, and making this before the chaos starts is a great feeling. Can’t wait to dig in!
I made this Shepherd’s pie for sunday lunch and it was a hit! It turned out to be one of the best comfort meals ever! My husband said, you have to make this again and we can invite our friends over they will love it!Lol
I haven’t had Shepherd’s pie for ages, so this was fun to put together! The mashed potato mixture was so tasty with the added Parmesan cheese. And the recipe was easy to follow. I shared this with my in-laws who are my favorite taste testers.
I have made a lot of shepherd’s pie so somewhat of an expert on this subject. This is easy, fun to make, and ranks at the top of my Best Shepherd’s Pie list. I love the idea of drizzling the melted butter on the top, turns into crispy bits, just delcious.
That is a great recipe. I tweaked it a bit. My version is inspired by my elementary school, East Woonsocket Elementary that added cream corn. I make fresh off the cob southern style cream corn with lots of cream, butter, salt and pepper (no sugar), then I layer that over the meat base, and top with mashed potatoes and cheddar cheese. So savory, creamy and delicious!
Can anyone tell me if you want to double the recipe is it simply doubling the recipe?
Hello Nic. I saw a lot of comments at the bottom of the recipe, they shared that they doubled the recipe and enjoyed it!
For Pi Day this year, I made cottage pie for the second time. Ever. Growing up, I made it, but instead of 1.5 tsp of salt, I used 1.5 tbsp! Hey, I was 8! Anyway, my family was not very well off, so we had to eat it. Needless to say, I haven’t had the appetite for cottage pie since. My husband requested it this week, and Natashaskitchen.com did not disappoint. He raved about it and went back for seconds! Thank you!
I made this last night with my boyfriend and it was delicious. Very easy to make with amazing flavor!
Tried this recipe for the first time, and it turned out delicious and very yummu!! Considering it was my first time lol
That’s wonderful to hear!
I made all the meat and vegetables but saved half for another time. There are only the two of us so I cut the portion in half for us. My husband took two helpings!
My husband’s favorite meal is Shepherd’s Pie and this recipe did not disappoint! The addition of the egg and cheese made the potatoes luxurious and fluffy. We also really enjoyed the addition of the red wine! Very yummy!
Love shepards pie. When I saw this recipe I had to make it ! I make so many of your recipes Natasha your my go to when I searching to try something new❤️
Aww, thanks wonderful. I’m happy to hear you’re enjoying the recipes.
Loved it! Very reminiscent of my British friend’s version.
This Shepherd’s Pie recipe is the best I have ever made, thank you for the awesome video!
You’re welcome, so glad to hear you loved it!
First time making Shepherd’s Pie and it was so easy! The flavors were delicious and the presentation was fabulous. I made this for my family but it could easily be a dinner for company!