Super Shepherd’s Pie
Super Shepherd’s Pie is the ultimate comfort food recipe! A savory casserole of ground beef and vegetables simmered in a rich gravy, topped with fluffy mashed potatoes.
Casseroles or dinner pies are a great way to feed the family. Two other budget friendly meals you will want to try are Baked Spaghetti Pie and Classic Tuna Casserole.
Ingredients
- Ground beef – use extra lean ground beef. I have found that regular ground beef is too fatty. Minced lamb can be used for a more traditional recipe.
- Vegetables – fresh and frozen vegetables are used in this recipe. Canned vegetables will bake up too mushy.
- Potatoes – Yukon gold are my favorite for making mashed potatoes.
- Butter – butter is added to the mashed potatoes giving them an extra creamy flavor.
- Milk – whole milk is added to the mashed potatoes. For a richer and creamier layer of mashed potatoes you can use cream.
- Thyme – this herb adds a subtle hint of flavor. If you do not like thyme, simply leave it out.
- Tomato paste – tomato paste compliments the ground beef for an extra punch of flavor.
- Beef gravy mix – prepared as per packet directions. In addition to adding more savory flavor, the gravy will ensure the Super Shepherd’s pie is saucy, not dry.
Variations and substitutions
- Using ground turkey in shepherd’s pie is a healthy alternative to ground beef.
- Try some different vegetables like celery, zucchini, red peppers and mushrooms.
- Instead of using regular mashed potatoes, this recipe tastes incredible topped with my garlic mashed potatoes.
- Top with melted cheddar cheese.
Add additional flavoring with:
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Lamb is not readily available here in Canada, so I have always made with recipe with lean ground beef. Growing up we simply called it Shepherds Pie, not Cottage Pie as some people will point out is incorrect. Call it what you like, it is a hearty, delicious recipe that my family loves!
Traditional Shepherd’s pie came from England and was made with minced lamb. The American version commonly referred to as Cottage Pie uses ground beef. Ground beef is more readily available in North America and has become the more popular version of this classic recipe.
How to make Shepherd’s Pie
Peel and cut potatoes into cubes. Boil in salted water until tender, about 15-20 minutes. Drain.
Add the butter and milk. Mash with potato masher until fluffy, set aside.
Using a large heavy skillet add ground beef, salt and pepper. Fully cook the meat and set aside.
Using the same skillet drain fat from skillet, leaving about 1 tablespoon. Add onions, carrots and garlic. Sauté over medium heat until tender.
Stir in the green beans, corn and peas. Simmer for about 4-5 minutes.
Prepare the gravy mix as per package directions.
Mix together the gravy, ground beef and vegetables. Stir in the tomato paste and thyme, then spread into a 2 quart casserole dish.
Top with the mashed potato mixture. Cover and bake at 350º fahrenheit for 40-50 minutes.
Optional – Add shredded cheddar cheese. Remove from oven, sprinkle with 1 cup of cheese. Return to the oven and bake uncovered for an additional 10 minutes.
Can you freeze Shepherd’s Pie?
Super Shepherd’s Pie freezes very well for up to 3 months. Cover with plastic wrap, and store in airtight container. Thaw and bake for 50-60 minutes.
Best ever ground beef recipes
From soup to meatloaf to burgers, ground beef is a budget friendly meat that I love to use in so many hearty recipes!
This post was originally published June 27, 2015. Occasionally I update with fresh tips, content, and photos. Current update April 28, 2021.
Super Shepherd’s Pie
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds extra lean ground beef
- 7 medium potatoes 6-7 cups raw, chopped
- 3 carrots chopped 2 1/2 cups raw, chopped
- 1 onion chopped about 1 cup
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 cup corn frozen or fresh
- 1 cup green beans frozen or fresh
- 1 cup peas frozen or fresh
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 6 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 packet beef gravy mix prepared as per instructions
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
- Peel and cut potatoes into cubes. Boil in salted water until tender, about 15-20 minutes. Drain.
- Add the butter and milk. Mash with potato masher until fluffy. Set aside.
- Using a large heavy skillet add ground beef, salt and pepper. Cook until meat is browned. Set aside.
- Using the same skillet drain fat from skillet, leaving about 1 tablespoon. Add onions, carrots and garlic. Sauté over medium heat until tender.
- Stir in the green beans, corn and peas. Simmer for about 4-5 minutes.
- In the meantime prepare the gravy mix as per package directions.
- Mix together the gravy, ground beef and vegetables. Stir in the tomato paste and thyme. Spread mixture into 2 quart casserole dish.
- Top with the mashed potatoes. Cover and bake at 350º fahrenheit for 40-50 minutes.
- Optional – add shredded cheddar cheese. Remove from oven, sprinkle with 1 cup of cheese. Return to oven and bake uncovered for an additional 10 minutes or until has melted.
Video
Nutrition
Hi Memoria, I guess even Martha Stewart has it wrong as well then 🙂
Shepherds pie is exactly like yours yummy. It’s called sheppards pie as its made from all things you an throw in. That’s just being tacky so to speak. I love this recipe. My nana was from Ireland and this is pretty much how she made it! Koodo’s to you.
Thanks Lori, those nana’s sure knew how to cook delicious, hearty meals!
I THINK IT LOOKS GREAT I CAN’T SEE WHERE THE DIRECTIONS ARE FOR THE GRAVEY ?? WHAT TYPE GRAVEY ? CAN’T WAIT TO TRY THIS
Hi Scott, I should have been more clear in the instructions, the gravy is prepared as per package instructions.Any type of packaged gravy mix will work.
Shepherds pie is made from lamb, hence the name shepherds. Cottage pie is made from beef, always has been always will be. As a Scottish chef living in Texas this is one of my pet peeves! My family recipe doesn’t have peas or cheese in it either, just onions and carrots with a good mashed tattie topping with salt, butter and a good lot of white pepper!
Good for you. There is more than one way to make a dish! It is my pet peeve hearing about others pet peeves!
Absolutley right. Thx is cottage pie.
Absolutely
Hi Lauren, Your dish looks really good.
I don’t mean to be bipolar, but in the one posters’ defence. I don’t think he was being sarcastic, I think he was just trying to be informative. And he may be correct even though I’ll call your dish Sheperds’ Pie. That’s what a lot of restaurants refer to it as too.
The word Sheperd is an abbreviation for sheepherder. I don’t think sheepherders had a lot of cattle. Sheepherders’ Pie was their invention.
It may sound like a good idea, but if you substitute cornbread for potatoes, then what do you call that?
By the way. If you don’t want your cornbread to get rock hard in a few hours put it in a sealable container. It will stay soft forever! Sometimes I put a little Crown Royal Maple flavored whisky in the cornbread mix. As a drink, the smell gives me a headache!
You direct to cover the dish to freeze it.
How long can you leave it in the freezer then? What do you think of putting it in sealable containers like the cornbread and freezing it then microwaving it when ready.
That packet of gravy mix comes in an envelope like chili seasoning and should be well under $1.00 for the gentleman that asked about the gravy.
The next time you make a dish of your Sheperds’s Pie for dinner, may I come over? I promise not to bring any whine!
Hi Larry, people seem to be quite passionate about what they call their Shepherd Pie LOL. My Grandma made it like this, so that I will probably always call it Shepherd’s Pie even though it is made with beef. There are so many adaptations of recipes and names of recipes. I just want it to taste good! Crown Royal is one of my favourite drink, I’ll have to try the maple. If well sealed it should last for 3 months. For sure come on by next time I cook some up. LOL
This looks amazing! One of my good Irish -American friends always corrects me when I say Shepherds Pie instead of Cottage pie, lol. Its cool though, I’m totally going to keep calling it Shephard’s pie. It’s what we grew up calling it, and I’m totally not changing, lol! It’s the stubborn Englishwoman in me. 😜😄
Thanks Valerie. There are so many recipes over the years that get adapted, called different names. I don’t get too worked up about that. My Grandma called it Shepherd’s Pie and that is what I will always call it, regardless of the type of meat used.
I made your shepard pie as written and,it is wonderful
how fantastic Marda, thank you!
Well you know somebody is always learning in cyberspace to correct you,lol we also call it Shepherds pie
Laureen : I dont care what anyone wants to call this pie….Whether Shepherd or Cottage …. I tried your recipe and it is delicious…
Thanks Brenda, I agree, but people sure seem to get passionate about what they call recipes. lol
Thanks Robin, hope you enjoyed the recipe. Do you have a website?
Hi Freddie, yes where I grew up in Western Canada we always called it Shepard pie (made with beef) .
Hi Lisa , how dense of me to forget that, bake at 350 degrees. Let me know how it turns out.
Awesome!!
Let me know if you try it, and you don’t have to put it in the round cylinders, a 9×9 baking pan works great!
I have never tried that, but it sounds interesting.
I may have to give the cream corn a try, thanks for your comments 🙂
Try it they may not even taste the veggies, aren’t kids just delightful to feed.
Thanks for the comment 🙂 Isn’t that what cooking is really all about. Starting with a recipe then adapting it with a little of this and that to come up with a personal favourite.
I think I have finally found a shepards pie recipe that I want to try. I have made this previously and didnt like how it turned out…Thank you!
I would love to hear back how it turns out if you make it. Cheers!
Mine is in the oven as I type this, 10 mins down, 20 til add cheese. I’m ready… mamas hungry!! 🙂
Awesome Tonya, please drop me a note to know how it turned out.
Sheesh. I’m super stoked I don’t have to eat anything near Robin. HoleyMoley what hostility!
I ate at an authentic Irish lunchroom, and the back part was a dinner. In the lunchroom I had Shepards Pie and it was like a huge Pot pie, with lamb. OMG it was so good. A crust was used instead of mashed potatoes. Now we ate in the dinner part at night and I had shephards pie again, only this time it was like the picture posted above, only lamb was used instead of ground beef. I liked both of these versions, but I liked the “pot pie” version the best! The crust was like nothing I ever tasted before! Both were prepared by Irish owners, and both were quite authentic! Delicious!
Funny thing, my Grandma was straight from Scotland and she made this all the time. It was always called Shepards pie and it was made with ground beef or ground left over roast beef. She used whatever veggies were available from the garden at the time. Sometimes even cubed squash and pumpkin as well as turnip, carrots and parsnip. I don’t believe she used tomato paste. Just gravy. It’s one of my favorite meals.
Please excuse my ignorance……but this sounds like a pot pie times a hundred! Walnut Grove, Georgia speaking. 🙂 just out of curiosity, is lamb less expensive than beef here in the south, or will this recipe work with chicken? I would love to try the traditional recipe one day!
That sound delicious, it is a great family recipe!
definitely will try this soon!!!!
Love if you drop me a note after you’ve made it 🙂
Trying with ground turkey on Tuesday will let you know, it looks amazing….. thank you! Oh and was wondering do you think half loaded baked mashed half sweet potato? I think I will try it. lol
I would be very interested to know how the ground turkey works in this recipe. As I am not a big fan of sweet potato I personally would just use regular potatoes.
Can this b made ahead?
Hi Anne, yes it can, and it freezes well.
Hi Laureen! My family loves sheperd’s pie and my recipe is very similar to yours. I was wondering about your gorgeous presentation! I would love to be able to make the individual entrees! Fancy schmancy! Gorgeous! Did you use a ramekin or spring form?
Thanks, Kathy
Hi Kathy, for these I simply used a tall circular cutter, and cut them from the baking dish (spatula on the bottom to remove. Problem with this is too waste (which I ate). Now you’ve got me thinking, I will try to come up with a better solution!
I have used a tall square cutter in the past to achieve a similar presentation without as much waste. It looks very fancy as well!
Wow, what a great dish. I have had to adapt it a bit in the past, not having alot of veggies on hand and I used frozen creamed spinach for one of the layers. I also do two layers each. It is such a great winter comfort food. 🙂
Hey Sarah, that sounds great, best thing about finding recipes is adapting them!
I am making mine tonight, & I do not care what it is called. It looks and sounds amazing so mine is about to go in the oven! Thank you for sharing, I will let you know how it turns out.
I made this recipe several times and it’s always a hit! Only change i made was using 2 jars (Heinz) no salt beef gravy in place of gravy packet. One jar for filling and the other I placed in a gravy boat on the table for those that liked a little extra. I did not use the cheddar cheese topping. Great Recipe. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks Linda, glad your family enjoys it, a super comfort food.
My son has been begging me to make him a shepherd’s pie for about a month now. I just don’t make it much cuz hubby doesn’t like it. However, I am making this today for me and T. T is 17 and loves this dish. I am surprised cuz he’s not a veggie lover. Sweet little hubby is making his own dinner tonight yayyy! Anyway, I wasn’t in love with the last recipe I used so I am going to use this one tonight. Good grief, gravy is my middle name!
Hey Stacey, let me know if you enjoyed the recipe. thanks
I’ve eaten this my entire life and always called it Shepherd’s Pie, as does every other person I know who eats it. Good thing since I’d never eat lamb. I think this recipe looks incredible and I can’t wait to try it.
My Grandma always called it Shepherds Pie, made with beef, sometimes even pork and beef combined, so thats what I call it, I don’t think it matters much as it tastes great!
My great-grandparents were Irish …from.just outside of Waterford Ireland ….this is shepard’s pie !!! It does not matter what meat you have… it looks wonderful …keep up the good work.
Thanks for the comment Kp, I agree doesn’t matter what kind of meat, its just a great dish the family will love.
why would you not eat lamb?
Why would you call this Sheppard ‘ s pie? Why wouldn’t you market this as your own recipe? Sheppard pie has a history and culture. You have prepared a hamburger helper recipe with a mashed potato crust.
Mike, I respect your comment but my Grandma always called it Shepherd’s Pie and that is what I have always called it.
Why on earth would you be so RUDE?????? Good gosh, everybody I know calls this Shepherds Pie. Why do you have to be so technical. Google Shepherds pie and you come up with tons of recipes that are basically just like this. Hamburger with veggies, gravy and topped with mashed potatoes.
I don’t think it’s meant to be a criticism, rather education. Shepard pie is made with lamb. What’s the problem? We live and we learn!