This easy shepherd’s pie recipe is made with a savory ground beef and veggie filling and topped with fluffy, buttery, cheesy mashed potatoes for the ultimate Irish comfort food dinner.
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“I’m not a big fan of sheppard’s or cottage pie but this was great! I worried that it wouldn’t fit in a fry pan but the amounts were perfect. Very tasty and simple to make.” -Joe, FoodieCrush reader
A Comforting Dinner Any Time of Year
I’m a big fan of all-in-one comfort food dishes, like this hearty shepherd’s pie recipe. With protein, veggies, and starch in each bite, it’s a full meal on its own.
While shepherd’s pie is Irish in origin and great for St. Patrick’s Day (like my corned beef and cabbage or my Irish pork stew) it’s too good of a recipe to only make once a year.
This shepherd’s pie recipe starts with a savory ground beef and veggie base with carrots, celery, leek, garlic, and peas with fresh herbs for aromatics. Beef stock, Worcestershire, soy sauce, and tomato paste bring a nice punch of umami flavor to the saucy filling made in one skillet.
The beefy mixture gets topped with my fluffy and creamy mashed potatoes with Irish cheddar added in for an extra bump of flavor and cheesy goodness. Let’s dig in.
Enjoy!
Heidi’s Tips for Recipe Success
Use ground beef instead of lamb for an equally hearty but more economical meal. Traditional shepherd’s pie typically features a mixture of veggies and ground lamb. However, I prefer making this easy shepherd’s pie recipe with ground beef cooked in a savory gravy topped with cheesy mashed potatoes and baked up like a casserole.
I use a 10-inch cast iron skillet to cook and bake the shepherd’s pie. A 10-inch skillet gives height to the pie and one less dish to wash. An oven-safe skillet or Dutch oven that’s shallow and wide works well too. Or, cook the filling in a skillet or Dutch oven then assemble with the potatoes in a 9×13-inch (or similar size) casserole dish before baking.
Form the potatoes into fluffy clouds or make a smooth tater topping. I like to spoon my potatoes into fluffy piles. However, the more traditional way is a smooth topping raked with forked lines. To do this, take a fork’s tines and lightly drag it over the mashed potatoes.
The Key Ingredients for Shepherd’s Pie
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Mashed potatoes — The topping is a slightly scaled down version of my favorite mashed potatoes recipe that I spiked with cheddar cheese. For even more Irish flair, top your ground beef shepherd’s pie with colcannon.
- Veggies — A blend of carrots, celery, frozen peas, and leek add texture and flavor to the filling.
- Aromatics — Fresh garlic, thyme, and rosemary add lots of cozy flavor.
- Ground beef — I use 85/15 here.
- Tomato paste — Adds concentrated tomato flavor to the filling without watering it down like canned tomatoes would.
- Flour — Just a sprinkling over the ground beef and vegetables helps thicken the filling.
- Beef broth — Or beef concentrate mixed with water.
- Soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce — For added umami flavor.
How to Make Shepherd’s Pie with Ground Beef
- Boil, skin, and mash the potatoes. I use a hand blender to mash then begin to cream the potatoes and add the butter and half and half. Season with salt and pepper. Use a wooden spoon to stir in the cheese and chives so it doesn’t get gloppy. Remove from heat, cover, and set aside while you make the shepherd’s pie filling.
- Cook the veggies before, then set aside. The carrots, celery, and leek need to be fairly soft before they go into the oven since they won’t cook all the way through otherwise.
- Cook the ground beef. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to break up the meat into smaller bits, cooking until longer pink, about 5 minutes or so. Season with kosher salt and pepper.
- Once the beef is browned, add the tomato paste to cook out its raw flavor along with the herbs. Tomato paste adds umami and intensity to the sauce but should be a subtle nod. Browning it for a few minutes with the beef deepens its flavor.
- Make the shepherd’s pie sauce. Simply stir in the flour then add the beef stock for thickening power. Stir in the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and peas last.
- Assemble. Layer the meat evenly in the skillet. Add dollops of mashed potatoes on top, and use an offset spatula or a knife to spread the potatoes into an even layer.
- Bake that pie. Place the shepherd’s pie in the oven to bake for 15 minutes, then finish under the broiler, on the middle rack (don’t move the rack up), for about 5 minutes. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes before topping with chives and serving.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
The BEST Shepherd’s Pie Recipe
Ingredients
For the mashed potato topping:
- 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt , divided
- 3 tablespoons butter , cut into chunks
- 1 cup Irish cheddar cheese , or other white cheddar, shredded
- ¼ cup half and half
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup chives , finely chopped
For the filling:
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 ½ cups small diced carrots , (about 3-4 carrots)
- 1 cup small diced celery , (about 2-3 stalks)
- 1 leek , (just the white and light green part), small diced (this should be about 1 cup)
- 5 cloves garlic , pressed or minced
- 1 ½ pounds ground beef , (I use 80/20)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary , finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme , stems removed
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup beef stock
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup frozen peas
- chopped chives , for serving
Instructions
- Scrub the potatoes clean and add to a deep pot. Completely cover the potatoes with water, about ½ inch above the potatoes. Bring the potatoes to a boil and add ½ teaspoon of kosher salt. Boil the potatoes for about 20 minutes or until they are very easily pierced with a fork and the skin pulls away from the potato where cut.
- Drain the potatoes, and while still hot, use a paper towel to wipe the skin away from the potatoes. Add them back to the warm pot.
- Gently smash the hot potatoes with the beaters of a handheld mixer or a potato masher. Add the butter to the potatoes and beat or mash to break the potatoes down then add the half and half. Beat or mash the potatoes until smooth, adding more half and half if needed. Season with salt and pepper, adding more to taste. Use a wooden spoon to stir in the cheese and chives. Remove from heat, top with a lid, and set aside while you make the shepherd’s pie filling.
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
- In a 10-inch cast iron skillet (or another large oven-safe skillet or Dutch oven, that’s shallow and wide), add the oil and heat over medium. Once hot, add the carrots, celery, and leek, and sauté, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes, or until the veggies are tender. Stir in the garlic and sauté for 2 minutes. Transfer the veggie mixture to a large bowl or plate and set aside.
- To the same skillet, add the ground beef and season with salt and pepper. Break up the meat and cook until cooked through and no longer pink, about 5 minutes or so. Add the tomato paste and herbs and stir into the beef, cooking for 2-3 minutes. Add the vegetables back to the skillet. Stir the flour into the veggies and beef, coating them well, and cook for 1 minute. Add the beef stock, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and peas, and bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, remove from heat. Taste the filling and add more salt or pepper if needed.
- Even out the meat mixture in the skillet, then dollop the mashed potatoes on top. Use an offset spatula or wooden spoon to spread the potatoes into an even layer. Sprinkle with chives. Place the skillet in the oven, uncovered, to bake for 15 minutes. Raise the heat to broil and cook for 5 more minutes or until the mashed potatoes are lightly browned and the filling is bubbly. Remove from the oven and let sit for 10-15 minutes before topping with more chives and serving.
Notes
Nutrition
What to Serve with Hamburger Shepherd’s Pie
Additions and Substitutions
- Use yellow onion instead of leeks
- Try adding parsnips or sweet potatoes to the filling.
- Use half parsnips and half potatoes for the topping, or try it with mashed sweet potatoes
- Add corn to the filling
- Use yellow cheddar cheese instead of white cheddar
- Substitute ground turkey or lamb for ground beef
More Comforting Ground Beef Dinners to Try
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Joe
I’m not a big fan of sheppard’s or cottage pie but this was great! I worried that it would fit in a fry pan but the amounts were perfect. Very tasty and simple to make. I used onion instead of leek and omitted the peas (didn’t have any). Also used Herbes de Provence dried. Tasty and filling. Will make this again!
So glad you enjoyed this Joe!
Primrose Bohne
Traditional Shepherd’s Pie is made with lamb. This is a Cottage Pie, with beef.
Hi there, you can always use lamb but since I don’t care for it, I use ground beef.
Maria
I love shepherds pie it’s good meal for Easter !!!
Regina Dalpra Leibman
Haven’t tasted it yet.. but just putting it together, though a tad laborious, the scent just makes your mouth water!!
Hats off Heidi.. Irish pub food…you nailed it!!
Hayley
Thanks, Regina—we hope you loved it as much as we do and that you found it worth the time! :)
Anne Grinstead
This is not shepherd’s pie, it is cottage pie.
Shepherd’s pie is made with lamb.
Hayley
Hi Anne! We actually acknowledge this in the post. It’s made the same way and features all of the other usual suspects you’d find (we just prefer beef over lamb, which is why we made that swap). Feel free to make it with lamb though. We hope you enjoy!
Nancy
Nothing is better than a good Shepherd’s Pie – great recipe.
Hayley
Thanks Nancy, we’re so glad you enjoyed it!
Rex Revard
I made it for our company St Patrick’s day party. Everyone enjoyed!
Side note It took me about 2 1/2 hours from start to finish.
Glad everyone enjoyed Rex!
Teresa K
I didn’t know what I wanted to make for dinner tonight. This morning, this recipe showed up in my email box. I had all the ingredients so why not?? I made 1/2 a recipe with 1 pound of ground beef. It was delicious!! Followed everything else as written. I love all of your recipes that I have tried!
Happy you enjoyed Teresa!
Bonnie Teet
I was going to make this, but a real Shepherds pie is made with lamb & not as many vegetables & definitely not with soy sauce. This recipe should be labeled ‘Cottage Pie’ Because it’s made with minced beef.