This easy-to-make classic shepherd's pie recipe is cooked in one pan for simple cleanup. Featuring a savory beef and vegetable filling topped with creamy mashed potatoes, this hearty dish is the perfect comfort food for a cozy night in!
Everyone! It's March!!! And you know what that means...St. Patrick's Day!!! When all of a sudden everyone wears green and Baileys and Guinness is imbibed with gusto. AND what St. Patrick's Day celebration would be complete without Shepherd's Pie??
Why You'll Love It
First and foremost, those potatoes: Mashed to creamy perfection and then baked in the oven? YESPLEASE!
Secondly, Shepherd's Pie is an excellent way to eat vegetables in secret, especially for kids. Who would know there were carrots, onion, celery, AND peas under that gorgeous layer of taters? It was a regular on the menu rotation when I was the chef at my daycare center and whenever I made it, classrooms call for more every time!
Third and final, Shepherd's Pie is a full meal! The mashed potatoes on top essentially serve as the side dish.
It's also just so comforting, easy, and delicious. If you can't tell, I'm a huge fan of Shepherd's Pie. I've even made a lightened up version and a vegetarian variety at this point but sometimes you just gotta go back to the OG!
Tips and Tricks
For the tastiest, easiest shepherd's pie:
- Add the diced potatoes to the potย beforeย boiling the water. The potatoes will cook much more evenly, resulting quite a bit more mash than if you added them to boiling water.
- Use a large, oven safe skillet to cook the filling. That way, you can just top it with the mashed potatoes and throw it straight in the oven! Directions for this are included in the recipe at the bottom of this post.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can prep this up to the day before serving โ Follow the recipe up to the Assemble and Bake section. Let cool, cover, and pop in the fridge until you're ready to bake!
Absolutely! Shepherd's Pie freezes quite well. Store it in an airtight container in the freezer up to 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge and reheat to serve
Shepherd's Pie is pretty much a meal in itself but it also pairs well with a simple side salad, or a slice of crusty, buttered bread (my personal preference).
Easy Classic Shepherd's Pie
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 mins
- Yield: Serves 4 to 6 1x
Description
This easy-to-make classic shepherd's pie recipe is cooked in one pan for simple cleanup. Featuring a savory beef and vegetable filling topped with creamy mashed potatoes, this hearty dish is the perfect comfort food for a cozy night in!ย
Ingredients
For the Mashed Potatoes
- 2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and diced
- ยฝ cup unsalted butter
- ยผ cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon salt (more to taste)
For the Filling
- 1 lb ground beef
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- ยฝ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 large carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 celery ribs, halved and thinly sliced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ยฝ cup dry red wine, cooking wine or ยผ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup frozen green peas (no need to thaw)
- Optional garnish: Roughly chopped fresh parsley, thinly sliced fresh chives
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
Make the Potato Topping
- Add potatoes to a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Cook for 15 more minutes, until potatoes break apart when pierced with fork.
- Drain the potatoes. In a large mixing bowl, add potatoes, butter, sour cream, salt and milk and mash together until completely combined. Add salt to taste. Cover and keep warm.
Make the Filling
- While the potatoes are boiling, preheat oven to 400หF. Prepare aย 9X13 casserole dishย or use an oven safe skillet (I like to use a braiser if I go this route) to make the filling.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet (or use the oven safe pan here) over medium high heat.ย Add the ground beef, salt and pepper. Stirring frequently, sautรฉ until cooked through, about 4-5 minutes.
- Stir in the onion, carrots, and celery. Sautรฉ until the onion starts to turn translucent, about 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently
- Add the garlic and sautรฉ for another minute or until fragrant.
- Add the tomato paste and sautรฉ for another minute. Add the red wine and cook down for about 2 minutes while scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pan.
- Pour in the Worcestershire sauce and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer, cooking down for another 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Add the peas and stir to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Assemble & Bake
- If using a casserole dish, pour beef mixture into the dish and press into a smooth layer and add the mashed potatoes on top. If using an oven safe sautรฉ pan, leave the filling in the pan and simply add mashed potatoes on top! Seal in the sides to avoid too much bubble up from the filling below.
- Optional: Using a fork, gently scrape the potato topping to create little ridges and valleys that will crisp up in the oven.
- Place in the preheated oven on a center rack. Cook for 25-30 minutes until potatoes have just started to brown and any liquid on the sides is bubbling.
- Remove from heat and let cool on a wire rack for 5 to 10 minutes. Garnish with freshly ground black pepper, chives, and fresh parsley. Serve warm and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Irish
Dan says
Good timing on this one chef. I've already gotten multiple people telling me their excited to serve this dish for St. Patty's.
Erin go Bragh!
Kristin says
Way too much salt in the mashed potatoes. Almost inedible. Is this a typo? Should it be 1 teaspoon instead of 1 tablespoon?
Aberdeen says
Hi Kristin, Iโm SO sorry, that is most definitely a typo! Thank you so much for letting me know, Iโll update the recipe immediately!