Description
Shepherd’s Pie is a comforting British and Irish classic featuring a savory ground lamb filling cooked with vegetables and herbs, topped with creamy mashed potatoes and baked to a golden perfection. This hearty casserole combines tender meat with flavorful veggies and a cheesy potato crust, making it perfect for a satisfying main course meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat Filling
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb ground lamb (or ground beef)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 1/2 cup frozen corn
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup beef broth
Mashed Potato Topping
- 2 lbs potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
- 1/2 cup milk
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven: Set your oven to 400°F (200°C) to get it ready for baking the pie.
- Boil and Mash Potatoes: Place peeled and chunked potatoes into a large pot of salted water. Boil for 15–20 minutes until tender. Drain well, then mash with milk, butter, salt, and pepper until smooth and creamy. If using cheddar cheese, stir it in now. Set mashed potatoes aside.
- Cook the Vegetables: In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add diced onion and carrots, sautéing for 5 minutes until softened. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 more minute until fragrant.
- Brown the Meat: Add ground lamb (or beef) to the skillet, cooking until browned and crumbled. Drain any excess fat from the pan.
- Add Flavorings: Stir in tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, salt, and pepper. Pour in the beef broth and simmer for 5–7 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly. Then add frozen peas and corn, cooking for an additional 2 minutes to heat through.
- Assemble the Pie: Transfer the lamb and vegetable mixture into a 9-inch baking dish. Evenly spread the mashed potato topping over the meat. Use a fork to create ridges on the mashed potatoes to help them brown nicely while baking.
- Bake: Bake for 20–25 minutes or until the potato topping is golden brown and the filling bubbles around the edges.
- Rest and Serve: Allow the shepherd’s pie to rest for 5–10 minutes after baking before serving. This helps the filling set and makes it easier to portion.
Notes
- Traditional shepherd’s pie uses ground lamb; using beef makes it technically a cottage pie.
- You can prepare the pie ahead of time by assembling and refrigerating it up to 2 days before baking.
- For a richer topping, add shredded cheddar cheese to the mashed potatoes.
- Adjust salt and seasoning according to taste.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking, Stovetop
- Cuisine: British, Irish
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 portion
- Calories: 430
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 480mg
- Fat: 22g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 35g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 25g
- Cholesterol: 85mg
