Ah, Shepherd’s Pie 🥧—a classic comfort food with savory ground meat, vegetables, and a fluffy mashed potato topping baked to golden perfection. (Fun fact: technically, “Shepherd’s Pie” uses lamb, while “Cottage Pie” uses beef—but most people use beef interchangeably.)
Classic Shepherd’s Pie
Servings: 6
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45–50 min
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 1 lb (450 g) ground lamb or beef
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp rosemary
- 1 cup beef broth
- Salt & pepper, to taste
For the topping:
- 4 cups mashed potatoes (about 2–3 large potatoes)
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup milk
- Salt & pepper
Optional: shredded cheddar cheese for topping
Instructions
- Prepare mashed potatoes
- Boil peeled potatoes until tender (~15 min).
- Mash with butter, milk, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
- Cook the filling
- In a large skillet, brown ground meat over medium heat. Drain excess fat.
- Add onion, carrots, and celery; cook until softened (~5 min).
- Stir in garlic, cook 30 seconds.
- Add tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper.
- Pour in broth, bring to a simmer, and cook until slightly thickened (~5–7 min).
- Stir in frozen peas.
- Assemble the pie
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Spread meat and vegetable filling in a baking dish.
- Top evenly with mashed potatoes. Optional: sprinkle cheddar cheese on top.
- Bake
- Bake 20–25 minutes until topping is golden and edges are bubbly.
- Serve
- Let rest 5 minutes before serving.
🔥 Tips
- For a creamy filling, add 1–2 tbsp sour cream or cream to mashed potatoes.
- Brush mashed potato topping with butter or egg wash for a golden crust.
- Can make ahead of time—assemble, cover, and refrigerate; bake just before serving.
- Leftovers reheat beautifully in the oven or microwave.
I can also give you a slow cooker Shepherd’s Pie recipe that makes the meat filling extra tender and allows you to assemble the mashed potato topping just before serving.
Do you want the slow cooker version?
