Make the ultimate comfort food for your family: Homemade Shepherd’s Pie (or Cottage Pie) with ground beef (or lamb!) – simple, yummy and easy to make.
A delicious filling with lots of gravy underneath a fluffy layer of mashed potatoes – perfect for a cold night, or as a special St. Patrick’s Day treat.
I always use my Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes on top (but regular mashed potatoes work just fine, if you’re not an instant-potter ?). You can also use leftover mashed potatoes (those also make great Irish potato pancakes… just saying!). Simple, but so comforting!
Ingredients you’ll need
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!
Ingredient notes
- Wine: You can skip the wine and use more broth instead. If you’re not sure which wine to use, go for a dry red wine you would also drink. A Merlot or Pinot Noir is great. (You can technically use cooking wine, it’s just not my preference – if you do use seasoned cooking wine, make sure to taste test and pay attention to the amount of salt you add.)
- Tomato paste: Can also use ketchup instead if you don’t have tomato paste.
- Mashed potatoes: I usually make my Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes for this, but my regular mashed potatoes are delicious, too. I’ve also had readers made this with ready-made mashed potatoes, so that’s a great shortcut.
- Allergy friendliness: For a gluten-free friendly version, use cornstarch in place of the flour. Be sure to check all of your ingredients to make sure they’re gluten free (especially the beef broth! you can use water if you don’t have any).
- If you don’t like peas, it’s also delicious with chopped green beans.
- I hear people make this low carb by using mashed cauliflower they whisk together with 1 egg yolk in place of the mashed potatoes. I love my potatoes, but your call 😉
- You can also make this vegetarian by using 2 cups of cooked, brown lentils in place of the ground beef and vegetable broth in place of the beef broth.
Beef or lamb?
It might we worth telling you right now that the technical term for this recipe is actually cottage pie (made with ground beef) and not authentic shepherd’s pie (made with ground lamb). But my mission here on Savory Nothings is always to share recipes real people with a real grocery budget and a regular grocery store and an everyday exhausting kids/work/life situation can make.
So, there it is. Fake Shepherd’s Pie. Aka Homemade Shepherd’s Pie with ground beef. One that’s simple and affordable and delicious. It is the best ❤️
Feel free to use ground lamb in place of the beef for a more authentic version! Lamb tends to be more fatty, so drain it after browning if you prefer less fat.
Step by step photos
Recipe tips
- Don’t be scared of adding some color: Make sure to brown the meat and vegetables well for the most intense flavors
- Do not skip cooling the filling: This is how you keep the layers in shepherd’s pie from mixing; depending on the dish and the room temperature, cool it for 15-30 minutes (sometimes I put mine outside in the winter, it’s cold in 15 minutes!)
Shepherd’s Pie FAQs
Like I said above, the main difference between cottage pie and shepherd’s pie is the meat: Shepherd’s pie uses ground lamb, cottage pie uses ground beef. In America, the term Shepherd’s pie has commonly been adopted for the version made with ground beef.
Yes, if you keep it in the fridge, shepherd’s pie keeps well for up to 3 days. Just reheat it until piping hot all the way through and serve.
Oven: Reheat the leftovers at 350°F until piping hot all the way through (this will take 15-30 minutes, depending on how much of the pie you are reheating). If you’re re-heating leftovers, I recommend transferring them to a clean baking dish to avoid food burnt into the dish.
Microwave: Make sure you put the pie in a microwave-safe dish. Cover and microwave in 30 second bursts until piping hot all the way through. Check the pie in between (careful, it can get hot!) and stir a little to make the food heat evenly.
Make ahead instructions
Assemble the entire pie as directed in the recipe, right up to the finally baking step. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days, then bake at 400°F for 30-40 minutes, or until the filling is bubbly and the top is golden.
Freezer instructions
Prepare as directed in the recipe, right up to the final baking step. Wrap well with foil and then aluminum foil. Label and freeze for up to 2 months.
To reheat: No need to defrost! Remove both foils, then replace the aluminum foil. Bake at 400°F with the foil on for 1 hour. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes, until browned.
Serving suggestions
As a casserole, this is generally an all-in-one meal I often serve pretty much by itself. Sometimes I’ll make sautéed green beans or crockpot glazed carrots on the side, especially if it’s a holiday or we have family over.
A nice green salad is also a good side. I make mine with a homemade honey mustard dressing – so good!
I LOVE Shepherd’s Pie. It’s the ultimate comfort food to me. It reminds me of working in a pub after finishing high school, it reminds me of my late British grandma, and it reminds me how much better it is to spend St. Patrick’s Day at home vs at a party, haha!
While, admittedly, this IS a bit more work than something like a one pot pasta or a throw-together casserole… It’s still fairly simple for such a hearty and traditional meal.
AND, you can always make double and freeze one for an easy meal later – freezer instructions are included in the recipe notes below. Enjoy!
More comfort food classics
PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram.
Printable recipe
Homemade Shepherd’s Pie
Recipe details
Equipment
- Casserole Dish
Ingredients
For meat & vegetables
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 clove garlic chopped
- 2 onions finely chopped
- 2 medium carrots finely diced
- 2 sticks celery finely diced
For gravy/to finish filling
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground paprika
- ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons white flour
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ⅓ cup red wine OR more broth if avoiding alcohol
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
- ½ teaspoon finely chopped thyme
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
For topping
- 4 cups mashed potatoes (click for my recipe and you’ll have some leftovers to sneak during cooking)
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Brown meat and vegetables:Heat the oil over medium high heat in a large, deep skillet. Brown the ground meat, then add the chopped vegetables and sauté until softened.
- Season and deglaze the pan:Sprinkle salt, paprika, pepper and flour over the pan. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring often. Stir in tomato paste and cook, stirring all the time, until it smells roasted (about 1 minute). Pour in the red wine (OR beef broth if you prefer!), scratching any browned bits off the bottom.
- Finish filling and cool:Then stir in broth, herbs and peas, simmer 4-5 minutes and then let cool in a 7×11 inch baking dish.
- Prep mash:In the meantime, make your favorite mashed potatoes. You need about 4 cups of mash to top off the casserole. About 1.5 pounds of peeled potatoes should yield enough.
- Bake pie:Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Spread the mashed potatoes over the cold filling. (Be careful not to mix up the two.) Criss-cross with a fork for a great look and crispy edges! Sprinkle with the cheese. Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes or until golden (I recommend baking on a lined baking sheet to catch any spills).
Notes
Beef or lamb?
Feel free to use ground lamb in place of the beef for a more authentic version! Lamb tends to be more fatty, so drain it after browning if you prefer less fat.Make ahead instructions
Assemble the entire pie as directed in the recipe, right up to the finally baking step. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days, then bake at 400°F for 30-40 minutes, or until the filling is bubbly and the top is golden.Freezer instructions
Prepare as directed in the recipe, right up to the final baking step. Wrap well with foil and then aluminum foil. Label and freeze for up to 2 months. To reheat: No need to defrost! Remove both foils, then replace the aluminum foil. Bake at 400°F with the foil on for 1 hour. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes, until browned.Cooking tips
- Make sure to brown the meat and vegetables well for the most intense flavors
- Don’t skip cooling the filling. A cool filling is much easier to top with mashed potatoes without mixing the layers.
Ingredient notes
Mashed potatoes: I usually make my Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes for this, but my regular mashed potatoes are delicious, too. I’ve also had readers made this with ready-made mashed potatoes, so that’s a great shortcut. Tomato paste: Can also use ketchup instead if you don’t have tomato paste. Gluten free: For a gluten-free friendly version, use cornstarch in place of the flour. Be sure to check all of your ingredients to make sure they’re gluten free (especially the beef broth! you can use water if you don’t have any). If you don’t like peas, it’s also delicious with chopped green beans. I hear people make this low carb by using mashed cauliflower they whisk together with 1 egg yolk in place of the mashed potatoes. I love my potatoes, but your call 😉 You can also make this vegetarian by using 2 cups of cooked, brown lentils in place of the ground beef and vegetable broth in place of the beef broth.Nutrition
More recipe information
And in case you’re here for St. Patrick’s Day…
More Irish inspired recipes
I first published this recipe in 2017. I republished it on 06/04/2020 to make it better for you.
Laura says
I made this exactly to the receipe. My family loved it. I would like to thank you & tell everyone how delicious it was. My husband kept saying did you print it out make sure.
Lindsay says
Made this for dinner tonight. It smells fantastic and tastes even better!! I didn’t have any red wine so I replaced it with more broth. Worked great and took care of our left over mashed potatoes for Easter!
Thank you so much
Carrie Agee says
Hello,
My friend made this for our bunko group and it was a hit!
I’m making it today. Does it matter what type of red wine you use?
Thank you
Nora Rusev says
Carrie, glad it was a hit. You can use any dry red wine; a Merlot or Pinot Noir would be well suited. Hope that helps!
Rae says
Will red cooking wine work the same?
Nora Rusev says
Rae, check your wine for added flavors and seasoning. If it has any, make sure to season to taste. Otherwise you might over-season the filling. Otherwise, it works the same.
Monica says
This is one of the best Cottage Pies I have ever made. My entire family loved it! I added more garlic and left out the herbs because my husband doesn’t like them. It came out of the oven a pretty golden yellow and the aroma had the kids running down the stairs. Thank you for a delicious new addition to my rotation.
Nora Rusev says
I’m so glad, Monica!
Dena Barnes says
This is a great recipe. I added Onion Powder and Garlic salt 1/2 teaspoon each. My husband love this dish. Thank you.
Nora Rusev says
I’m so glad to hear, Dena.
Amy R says
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!! It was a BIG hit with my family! I didn’t have any frozen peas so I added some frozen corn instead….it was still delicious! Will definitely be adding this to my dinner rotation!
Nancy says
howdy, I am sitting here working from home. which I do not like. I miss getting out in the world…so I am looking for an easy good recipe with ground beef for me, hubby and 84 year old mom. Shepherd’s pie sounds good. thanks for the recipe and video. I hope your family stays safe during this “thing”.
Nora Rusev says
I hope you enjoyed the pie, Nancy!
Lauren says
This recipe was DIVINE. I ended up halving it. I even halved the wonderful mashed potato recipe provided and it came out perfectly. And a perfect meal for two!
Nora Rusev says
Yay, I’m so glad, Lauren!
Sandra says
Oh my goodness, so good. Used ground turkey and my favorite Italian red wine. Great recipe!
Nora Rusev says
Sounds great with the ground turkey, Sandra! Thanks for your review, I appreciate it.
Lynn says
Great recipe. I personally doubled the garlic. I also doubled the gravy ingredients as mashed potatoes absorb a fair amount of gravy. Played with seasonings to my taste but always do. Didn’t have fresh herbs which is preferable and that may be why I felt the need to alter herb amounts.
Nora Rusev says
Thank you so much for sharing your changes, Lynn! Glad it turned out well for you.
Susan says
My mashed potatoes are perfect ❣️?
Using the hand mixer is genius!
?
Jill says
Loved the dish, especially the hamburger base. Since I live in Pennsylvania Dutch country, I used a potato filling instead of just mashed potatoes.
Nora Rusev says
Jill, I had to look up potato filling because I had never heard of it. Now I want to try it ASAP! Thanks for sharing – glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Holly says
What to use instead of wine?
Nora Rusev says
More broth! Hope that helps, Holly.
Sue says
I had leftover mashed potatoes…and thought, why not make a shepherd’s pie? I cannot even remember the last time I made one….but remember it being kind of bland. Your recipe was wonderful! Such nice flavors. My husband loved it…
Kelley says
Do you have to use fresh vegetables or can you use canned? Would be a little faster to make.
Nora Rusev says
Kelley, you can absolutely use canned if you prefer.
Rachel says
Delicious! Added chopped mushrooms and a can if corn. Used Bob Evans pre-fab potatoes. So good, no leftovers!
Nora Rusev says
I’m so glad, Rachel! Thanks for coming back to leave a review – I appreciate it very much.
Gina says
I’ve been married and cooking for my husband for 4.5 years now and he said verbatim “this is the best shepherd’s pie you’ve ever made!” Plus my normally pickier, eats-like-a-bird 3.5 year old daughter had seconds and completely raved about how much she liked it! I am so grateful for this recipe! I unfortunately didn’t have peas so I substituted frozen green beans and corn instead and i didn’t have fresh or dried thyme so I subbed a third of the suggested amount with dried marjoram and it was still delicious! ??
Nora Rusev says
I’m so glad to hear, Gina! Thanks for your review, I appreciate your time so very much.
Sally Hinebaugh says
I’ve made this twice now. BEST cottage pie Ever! Thank you
Taylor says
Haven’t tried yet but can I make this with something other than red wine?
Nora Rusev says
Taylor, sure! Just use extra broth.
Nancy says
Great flavor and easy recipe! I didn’t have red wine so I used Worcester sauce instead and it was delicious. Will make again soon.
Samantha says
Your recipe sounds delicious but Shepherds pie is made with lamb not beef. Your recipe is Cottage Pie. They are often confused but it’s easy to remember if you think about a shepherd watches over his sheep not cows ??
Nora Rusev says
Samantha, thanks for your comment. If you check my recipe notes, I have a statement that says exactly this! Unfortunately, in the US people have no clue what a cottage pie is ?? so I named it Shepherd’s Pie, even though it does hurt my British roots ?
Carol says
Great recipe! Easy to follow and it definitely was my best ever Shephards pie that I made for my family. They all loved it!❤️
Jan says
This was a hit at our house, the sauce in the meat was so flavorful. I would add extra veggies next time just because my family likes more. I didn’t measure my potatoes, but be sure not to over do them on top (which I did) because it takes away from the meat mixture. I will definitely be making this again! Oh, and it you have a chance to make anything ahead of time I would suggest it. This recipe does take some time to put together especially on a busy weeknight.
Nora Rusev says
I’m so glad to hear this, Jan! And I agree, it definitely takes some time. But worth it, right? 🙂
Dan says
So good! I made one small change by adding sautéed mushrooms. Definitely recommend using red wine, which really adds to the flavor.
Wanda says
This was the best Shepherds Pie I ever made!
Maureen Mc Morrow says
I’ve was always led to believe that Shepherds Pie was made using lamb minced. Hence Shepherd as sheep minder
Nora Rusev says
Maureen, that’s correct, however that is not what reflects common use of the term “Shepherd’s Pie” at the moment. If you take the time to read through my recipe, you’ll see this at the bottom in the notes section:
It might we worth telling you right now that the technical term for this recipe is actually cottage pie (made with ground beef) and not authentic shepherd’s pie (made with ground lamb).
But my mission here on Savory Nothings is always to share recipes real people with a real grocery budget and a regular grocery store and an everyday exhausting kids/work/life situation can make.
So, there it is. Fake Shepherd’s Pie. Aka Homemade Shepherd’s Pie with ground beef. One that’s simple and affordable and delicious. It is the best ❤️
Feel free to use ground lamb in place of the beef for a more authentic version! Lamb tends to be more fatty, so drain it after browning if you prefer less fat.
Christine says
This was amazing the best shepherds pie I have made!!!
The only thing i will say is it did need double the meat (I used 1lb of each beef and veal) which I put from the get go.
But everything tasted great even with extra addition.
Thanks!