This shepherd’s pie recipe has a rich, savory filling with vegetables and a buttery mashed potato topping baked until golden. It’s a weeknight favorite that reheats beautifully.
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights
- Why Make It: This recipe uses freezer veggies and a simple gravy to create cozy comfort-food flavor with minimal chopping.
- Recommended Tools: You’ll need a large skillet or Dutch oven, a 2-quart casserole dish, and a spoon or spatula.
- Time-Saving Tip: Leftover mashed potatoes make this recipe feel effortless on busy nights. Spread them over the savory filling and bake.
- Freezing: Freeze whole or in portions for up to 4 months for easy reheat dinners.
What’s in Shepherd’s Pie
- Meat: Use ground lamb for a classic shepherd’s pie or ground beef for a cottage pie variation.
- Mashed Potatoes: Use mashed potatoes according to the recipe below, or swap them for instant mashed potatoes. Stir cheddar into the potatoes for a “loaded potato” twist.
- Vegetables: Frozen mixed vegetables make the prep quick, just thaw and drain. Swap for fresh vegetables by finely dicing and cooking until tender.
- Gravy: This sauce includes broth, seasonings, and a little tomato paste. If short on time, use tomato soup, cream soup, or a gravy packet as a shortcut sauce.
How to Make Shepherd’s Pie
- Cook the lamb, onion, and garlic in a skillet until no pink remains.
- Stir in the flour and seasonings.
- Add the remaining filling ingredients and simmer until thickened.
- Transfer to a baking dish, top with potatoes, and bake (full recipe below).
Storing, Reheating, and Serving
To store leftovers, cool completely, cover tightly, and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or wrap well in foil and freeze for up to 4 months.
To reheat, thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Then warm in the microwave or cover with foil and bake in the oven at 350°F until hot in the center. Add a splash of broth around the edges before reheating in the oven to keep the filling nice and saucy.
Shepherd’s pie is a cozy casserole with a savory meat-and-vegetable gravy layered under creamy mashed potatoes and baked until bubbly. Traditionally it’s made with lamb, while beef is often called cottage pie.
Bake shepherd’s pie at 400°F for 25–30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly, then broil for about 2 minutes if you’d like a golden top.
It can be served with crusty bread, Irish soda bread, and/or a fresh side salad.
To make shepherd’s pie easy, brown the meat with onion and garlic, then stir in a can of condensed tomato soup (undiluted) to make a quick, rich sauce. Add the vegetables, top with mashed potatoes, and bake until bubbly.
Yes, shepherd’s pie freezes well for up to 4 months; cool completely, wrap tightly, and thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
St. Patrick's Day Pairings
Did you make this Shepherd’s Pie recipe? Leave a comment and rating below.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground lamb or lean ground beef
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ⅔ cups beef broth more as needed
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables thawed
- 4 cups prepared mashed potatoes see notes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- In a large skillet or Dutch oven, cook lamb (or beef), onion, and garlic over medium heat until no pink remains. Drain any fat.
- Stir in flour, thyme, salt, and pepper and cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in broth, Worcestershire sauce, and tomato paste and bring to a boil. Simmer uncovered 2 to 3 minutes or until thickened. Stir in mixed vegetables and add more broth if needed to reach a gravy consistency.
- Transfer the ground beef mixture to a 2-quart casserole dish and spread it into an even layer. Spoon mashed potatoes over top.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly. Broil for 2 minutes if desired.
- Remove from the oven and cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Shortcut Sauce: For a quick shortcut sauce, brown the meat, onion, and garlic as directed. Add one 10.5 ounce can of condensed tomato soup (undiluted), cream of mushroom soup, or one packet of gravy with the water as directed on the package.
- To make homemade potatoes: Boil 2lbs of peeled and diced russet potatoes or Yukon gold potatoes in a large pot of salted water for 15-20 minutes or until tender. Drain well and mash with a potato masher. Add 4 tablespoons of butter, ¾ teaspoon salt, and up to ¾ cup of warmed half and half as needed.
- Store leftovers tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months.
- To make as a freezer meal, line the pan with parchment paper and prepare the casserole as directed. Once cool, freeze the entire pie, then remove and wrap in foil. Remove the wrappings and replace in the same baking dish, with a foil cover and bake at 350° for 60 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Beef, Casserole, Dinner
Cuisine American, Irish© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Such a hearty and delicious recipe! I added some zucchini that was lingering in my fridge and topped it with mashed butternut squash. It was great!
I made this for St. Patty’s day and it was a huge hit. My son and husband almost ate the entire thing! Will add this to our dinner rotation list. Thank you.
Absolutely delicious!
made this today for st. Patty’s day! was a big hit. thank you for a great recipe.
I am making today and today and want to freeze leftovers. Can this be done?
Thanks
Sherry
Yes, the leftovers freeze well. You can also find this info in the post:
Freeze individual portions in airtight containers for up to 4 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating in the microwave or oven for a quick and easy meal.
I did exactly how the recipe asked, and I made the potatoes from scratch just as your recipe called for. I wish I could send a picture as I have a great picture of it. It looks beautiful and landed up tasting great everyone loved it! But it took me a lot longer than 20 minutes to prep it, considering I cooked over the potatoes and then put it all together to cook it
This is one of the easiest recipes and so much fun to make! I did used lean ground beef and switched out the Worcestershire sauce with soy sauce and used prepared mashed potatoes, quick, easy and delicious!
This meal for my family it is the ultimate comfort, food filling, tasty and delicious and super easy to prepare. I will be making it on repeat.
very delicious, easy-to-follow, inexpensive recipe! I didn’t change a thing and we loved it! (
this was my first Shepherd’s pie. i used beef, mixed vegetables, cream of mushroom soup, onions and golden mashed potatoes. I cook for myself and my mother. she loved it! I’m thinking of making it for my aunt Margie when she has surgery next month. thank you!
Easy to put together ahead of time. Very filling and comforting dish.
I made this Shepherds Pie and submitted a photo for this month’s cooking challenge. It was so easy and I did use instant mashed potatoes. We loved it and will definitely make again. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
So happy to hear that, Leatha! Thank you for cooking along with us this month.
Used pre-made mashed potatoes from Costco and this came together so quick/easily. Will make again!
Loved this recipe! I made mine with a little extra gravy which was delish!!
Really, really good! The mince is perfect. We used lamb and it was so good! We will be making it again soon!
This recipe was pretty easy to prepare. I added rosemary as well.
Could I use prepared refrigerated mashed potatoes?
Absolutely! That’s a great time saver.
My husband said “this turned out good” while he was eating. That’s a win! And I also thought it turned out good!
Your recipe pretty much matches mine. I love the idea of putting left over roast instead of ground beef. I’m trying that next. I always add green and red peppers to mine. Just my preference.
I did the mushroom soup version. It was delish!
I recommend you update the recipe to say frozen peas and carrots instead of mixed veggies. Mixed veggies includes green beans and corn along with peas and carrots.
Hi Tammy, for this recipe we do use mixed veggies which often included corn, green beans, and edamame in the mixture.