by CatalinaShepherd’s Pie is a traditional Irish dish made with ground lamb cooked with peas and carrots and topped with a mashed potato crust. Easy and tasty, all year round!
Shepherd’s Pie is a delicious combo of ground lamb that has been cooked with carrots, sweet green peas and corn. The lamb mixture is then topped with a crust of creamy mashed potatoes. You will love how easy and convenient this dish is. It can be made a day in advance, which makes dinner prep easier. This recipe is so easy that you have to try it. If you are not a fan of lamb, you can substitute it with beef, and it will still taste delicious.
What is Shepherd’s Pie?
Shepherd’s pie is a delicious casserole traditionally made with ground lamb. Many people make this recipe with ground beef however, if you use ground beef it’s actually called Cottage Pie! Either way, it’s a delicious crustless meat pie topped with mashed potato. The recipe can vary widely, but it is usually made with minced meat, cooked with onions, peas, celery, corn or carrots in a gravy.
Do you put cheese on top of Shepherd’s Pie?
Traditionally, a Shepherd’s Pie is not topped with cheese, but if you are an avid cheese lover, you can add a sprinkle of cheddar cheese on top of the mashed potatoes, and it will taste even better.
Tips on how to cook the Shepherd’s Pie:
- You can use a mix of vegetables: I used sweet corn and sweet green peas, as well carrots.
- You can use homemade mashed potatoes or if you are in a hurry, you can use store-bought mashed potatoes. I used this recipe for mashed potatoes.
- The cheese on top is optional, but totally delicious.
- You can prep and assemble the pie one day in advance and store it in the fridge. Let it come to room temperature 30 minutes before baking it.
- To prevent the mashed potatoes from sinking, after you add the meat mixture, let it cool and then chill it in the fridge for 20 minutes. This will help keep the layers separated.
- If your baking dish is very full, I recommend adding a baking sheet covered with parchment paper (or aluminum foil) under it in the oven to avoid any juices spilling in your oven.
Why is it called Shepherd’s Pie?
Originally a meat pie made with minced (or ground) meat and mashed potatoes was known as a Cottage Pie (and it was even sometimes made with pastry many years ago). It is very popular in Ireland, Scotland and England as well! In the late 1800’s the pie was named Shepherd’s Pie if made with lamb (since the shepherd looked after the sheep) and if made with beef it was called Cottage Pie.
Regardless of the name, this recipe is a classic Shepherd’s Pie recipe loaded with flavor and the perfect make ahead meal to serve all year long!
Easy Shepherd's Pie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground lamb or beef
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 10 oz frozen peas and carrots defrosted
- 10.5 oz can corn drained
- 10 oz can tomato soup or mushroom soup
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon basil
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 cups prepared mashed potatoes
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Cook lamb or beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until no pink remains. Drain any fat.
- Stir in soup, Worcestershire sauce, salt, basil and pepper. Spread into the bottom of a 2 qt casserole dish. Sprinkle with peas, carrots and corn.
- Spoon mashed potatoes overtop and top with cheese.
- Baked 25-30 minutes or until bubbly.
Recipe Notes
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)
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