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
I finally made it tonight, it was everything I thought it would be!
Thanks for sharing your recipes. This is a keeper
Thanks for the great feedback!
Hi Natasha, I veered away from my usual Shepard’s Pie recipe as I love your site and recipes. Well, I now have a new usual Shepard’s Pie recipe, I made it tonight and LOVED it!
Nice to know that you liked it and thanks for giving this recipe a try!
How would ground Turkey work in this? Know it’s bland, but maybe with the right seasonings. Love your videos!
Thank you!
Hi Jackie, I haven’t tried it with turkey, but that may work. I’d love to know how you like it if you test this out!
Hi Natasha and Jackie. I made it with turkey last night. The only change I made was Turkey and instead of beef broth, I used chicken broth. It was delicious!!!! My husband and the kids asked if I would make it again next week. 😊
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Louisam! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Made this recipe for Supper tonight. I didn’t have any red wine on hand but did have some red cooking wine. I found it added to the flavor. The only thing I would of did differently was added more cheese to potatoes and then sprinkled on top. Will have lots of left over in which I will freeze for later use.
Hi Colleen! I’m so glad you loved this recipe. Thank you for sharing.
I really dislike mashed potatoes. Do you think that rice cauliflower and broccoli would work instead? Thanks, usually love your recipes.
Hi Pat! I have not tested either of those but if you experiment, please let us know how they turn out.
I have made this numerous times, but tweaking it to what I can eat. Since I’m trying to cut carbs, I make it with mashed cauliflower and it’s SO GOOD. You can add whatever vegetables you want. Doesn’t have to be ‘traditional’; just taste good to you 🙂
Thank you for sharing, Shana! 🙂
I’m the oven now. Have made before. Aldi (US) sells a veggie mix for just $.84 for 12 ounces so that reminded me to make this fall comfort pie again. Used soy and rose wine as no Worcestershire sauce or red wine on hand. And I like potato starch for thickening most anything. A Japanese kitchen staple.
That’s a great deal! Thank you so much for sharing that with me!
Just perfect! No leftovers in this house! Easy to follow too! Thank you!!
Yay, glad it was a hit!
I already commented on Youtube after making this recipe the first time. Now, I’ve made it three times. I followed your recipe exactly except for substituting soy paste for Worcestershire sauce. After 25 minutes, it was just starting to brown. I took it out of the oven and grated parmesan over it and put it under the broiler for four minutes. It came out perfectly golden and crisp. So delicious and tasty. I’ll be making this over and over again. Thank you.
You’re so welcome, Pat, and thank you for sharing your experience trying this recipe. Glad you love it!
No, soy paste it was TOMATO PASTE, which it adds a lot of flavors!
Hi Natasha,
If I make it ahead and put in the fridge, how much longer would I have to bake it for?
I have not made this directly from the refrigerator but when I reheat it, I reheat it at 400˚F for 30-35 minutes.
This recipe was so good! I made it just as written and used Cabernet Sauvignon wine. Just a cheap $7 wine and I cooked it down for a few minutes. At first, I thought it was too liquidy. Trust the process. Thank you for sharing your recipe. I’ll be trying more.
Hi Jennifer! Thank you for sharing with us. I’m glad you loved this recipe.
I would live to make this but the saturated fat is high. Did you drain the beef? Would it be lower or higher with lamb? If I use 90/10 beef would it be lower?
Hi Rose Ann, we used a lean beef so there wasn’t much to drain.
Love it just one thing probably my mistake but I used merlot wine and it was still such a strong flavor kind of ruined my dish I let it cook out. Is there a certain brand of wine you use?
Hi Lucy, I don’t remember the exact brand that I used for this recipe but Merlot should be fine as long as it’s a dry wine and not cooking wine. You may also deglaze the pan with beef broth if you prefer not to use alcohol.
First time making it and it was delicious. My family and I loved it.
Happy to hear that, Mary!
Hi….I was wondering what substitute I could use for the red wine? 🙂
Hi Vicky, use a dry red wine to add rich flavor. Use any dry red wine such as Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet, or Sauvignon (avoid cooking wine). If you are looking for an alcohol free substitute, you can use broth in its place.
Hi Natasha
As there are only two of us, would it be possible to half the recipe ingredients? Trying to reduce freezer space and trying not to cook too many dishes of the same recipe. Sorry to bother you but as pensioners we have to watch the pennies and don’t want to buy more ingredients than we need.
Hi Caroline! Yes, you can half the ingredients just fine. You may need to use a smaller dish to bake it in and watch the baking time as it may get done a bit earlier.
Hi Natasha,
Your recipe looks delicious – most of them are. But it isn’t Shepherd’s pie. It is Cottage pie.
Shepherds pie is made with lamb. Cottage pie is made with beef.
She mentions In the video that traditionally Shepherds Pie is made with ground lamb. When made with ground beef, it’s called Cottage Pie. I’m pretty sure she knew that.
I am making your Shepard Pie for dinner.
Your recipe looks delish! Every one of your recipes I have tried is very good.
So glad to hear that, Mary! 🙂
This was really delicious. My youngest son asked if I could make it every week 😂. I will definitely make this again.
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Sara!
Hi Natasha, could I cook the beef in a cast Iron and add the potato topping and bake in the cast iron instead of switching to a dish? What do you think?
Hi Marea. As long as your cast iron has lifted sides, I think that would be fine.
I made your Shepherd’s Pie recipe last night. It was so delicious. That recipe is a keeper, for sure. Thank you.
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Rosalind!
Hi there, I live in Australia.
Made your Shepherds Pie last night for dinner. My family absolutely loved it and said it was absolutely delicious 😊
Thank you for your sharing your wonderful recipe 😊
You’re very welcome! So glad it was enjoyed. Thank you for the feedback.