Super Shepherd’s Pie is one of my family’s most requested recipes. This ultimate comfort food recipe has a rich tasty gravy, ground beef, veggies topped with fluffy mashed potatoes.
Super Shepherd’s Pie is one of those easy to prepare comfort foods. It is a simple dish with ingredients you usually have on hand. You can also make it ahead of time, then refrigerate until ready to bake. Super Shepherd’s Pie also freezes very well. My secret to making a Shepherd’s Pie that is moist and delicious is to add prepared gravy to the mixture. Adding my favourite packaged beef gravy mix adds a terrific boost of flavour and extra sauciness to the filling.
I you like top with some grated cheese for an extra savoury flavour.
Super Shepherd's Pie
This ultimate comfort food recipe has a rich tasty gravy, ground beef, veggies topped with fluffy mashed potatoes.
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Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 6 -8
Ingredients
- 1½ lb lean ground beef
- 6-7 medium potatoes about 6-7 cups raw, chopped
- 3 carrots chopped about 2 1/2 cups raw, chopped
- 1 onion chopped about 1 cup
- 1 clove minced garlic
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 cup frozen green beans optional
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp thyme
- 6 tbsp butter
- ½ cup milk
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 package beef gravy mix prepared as per instructions
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded optional
Instructions
- Peel and cut potatoes; cook in salted water until tender, about 20 minutes, drain.
- Add butter, milk and mash; set aside.
- In large sauté pan add ground beef, salt, pepper and cook until browned. Transfer to casserole dish.
- Drain off all but about 1 tbsp. fat from sauté pan, add onions, carrots and garlic and cook until tender.
- Stir in beans, corn and peas. Cook for about 4-5 minutes (I usually add the beans and cook for a few minutes before adding peas and corn as they take a bit longer to cook.
- In the meantime prepare gravy mix as per package instructions.
- When gravy has thickened, stir in tomato paste and thyme.
- Add gravy mix into vegetable mix, then stir in ground beef and pour into 2 quart casserole dish.
- Top with mashed potato mix, cover and bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
- (optional) Add shredded cheddar cheese and bake uncovered for an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
More great recipes your family will enjoy Baked Spaghetti Pie and Spaghetti and Meat Sauce
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Not sure if the original comment about the name was being critical or just informative. I don’t mind informative and on that note, we call this Shepherd’s Pie as well but realize it was historically lamb. I’ve never heard of Cottage Pie but I have a recipe similar to this called Hunter’s Pie as it is made with beef. I kind of like the differentiation. However, I really appreciated the way Laureen dealt with this, be it criticism or information. On a different note, I’m not at home so don’t have access to my recipe so plan on making this one! Sounds just what I’m looking for. Thanks.
Thank you Caroline for the great comment. I think we traditionally call things what our Mom or Grandma called them. They were great cooks and adapted many ethnic recipes and put there own flare on the recipe. No one really worried too much what it was called as long as it tasted good! (LOL)
Hey Thanks so much for sharing! I’m blessed to have to little angels 3 an 5 who are not picky eatters. My grandma use to make this same recipe with gravy that’s how we grew up on Shepard’s pie an I’ve never madeit myself. I got a craven for it couldn’t get grandma on the phone turn to pininterst an your recipe seems to be the exact recipe my grandma made.I’m excited to make this tonight for my hubby an the kiddos they are going to love having something new but similar to there fav meatloaf mash pot an veggie dinner. Just so much easier for Mama! Lol thanks again wish me luck! I will def let you how it turns out an what my little critics think! Keep up the great Blog!
Hi CariLynn, I hope they love it.
Good grief people, get a life. Why is everyone so angry?? What a waste of time most of these comments were just because someone had the nerve to think the recipe was misnamed, Can’t people make comments anymore unless everyone agrees with it? Save this type of anger for facebook.
Thankyou for the recipe…looks delicious.
Delicious! The entire family loved it, a hearty meal with great flavor. Thank you for sharing
That great Lori, my its one of my family’s favs!
How long can you freeze the shepards pie for.
Hi Michelle, casseroles are best for 3 months in the freezer.
This recipe looks delicious and I can’t wait to try it! What kind of potatoes do you recommend using?
any kind will work, but i like using simple red potatoes.
Not to be critical, (and this is not about the shepherd’s pie name!) but the more specifics that are given in a recipe, the greater the chances of a successful dish. The recipe states 6-7 potatoes with no size or weight given & the directions state to use an unspecified size of a casserole dish, yet the pictures show it was prepared in a skillet.
Hi Sam, thanks for the feedback. I did some adjustments to the recipe to given some more precise measurements. I hope this helps and you enjoy the recipe. As far a the casserole dish, the one I use is a stainless steel casserole pan.
My husband hates vegetables, so I was thinking of making individual servings in a muffin pan…have you ever tried this (your one picture made me think of it). About how long would you try cooking it for?
Than I figured I could freeze the individual servings and have an easy grab and go meal for work….do you think it would be ok (i know it won’t be the best) to microwave the froze servings?
Thanks!
Hi Jenny, can’t say for sure but I think muffin tins would make the Shepherd’s Pie hard to get out of muffin tin. I would use ramekins or something that could go from freezer to oven or microwave. If you are not freezing I would say cooking time would be about 20 minutes, but just guessing. Everything is cooked before placing in oven, so it is just a matter of making sure is thoroughly heated.
Hey I love the recipe and thank you for sharing. I am about to prepare this lovely dish, but donot have whole potatoes. I have instant. Could you please tell me how much I should prepare? I wouldn’t want to overpower the dish with spuds lol. Ok thank you again!
Hi Elbert, I actually have never made instant potatoes and not sure the flavour or texture you will attain, but I would try to make enough to top the burger mixture with about 1 inch of potatoes.
Made your Shepard’s Pie for my friend’s family as a comfort meal while she is going through her chemo appointments. I just tasted my little sample and I must say, it looks like and tastes like your description. It is absolutely delicious! Thank you for your explicit directions…it was a breeze! The only change I made ( because I couldn’t find your package) was to use jar Heinz Savory Beef Gravy. Now I must look for more recipes 😊
Hi Carolyn, so sorry to hear about your friend. How very kind of you to be there for her and what better way than a good comfort meal. I am so glad to know you liked the recipe. Take good care.
This is my second time making your deliciously awesome Shepherds Pie and my family loves it! I have 5 year old twins that think they’ve boycotted vegetables until I make this and it’s game on. I’m so happy I found your recipe. Thank you Lauren! 👍👍
That is terrific, what a way to get the twins eating their veggies.
I found this recipe today and plan to make it for a 90 wonderful man tomorrow, he mentioned he loves “hamburger meat Shepherd’s pie” So here I am! This looks simple enough for me to make for his dinner!! I have everything needed except the beef gravy mix. I do have pork gravy mix, so I’ll use it. I bet it will turn out fantastic!!
Hi Kathy, hope he enjoys it. Its one of my husband’s favourite meals!
A little to dry. Maybe double the gravy. Overall good taste.
It was excellent. Thank you for the recipe. Um, many things are one thing in Britain and something else in the U.S. A bonnet in GB is called a “car hood” here, a “Bobby” is a “policeman” and there are many other differences. Cottage Pie in England is called Shepherd’s Pie here and we don’t use enough lamb here to have a special name for a Shepherd’s Pie made with Lamb.
I don’t much care what you call it, your recipe looks delicious! But for the record, I’ve made a Shepherd’s Pie for years that is a bit different than this but also uses beef not lamb. I am going to make your version tonight for supper, I can’t wait to try it. Thanks for sharing.
I plan to make this for my kids when they come for the weekend because it looks totally awesome and sounds so easy to make! But I’m really concerned because if I use ground turkey, should I then call it “Turkey Pie”? or “Poultry Pie? Or maybe even “Barnyard Pie”? And good God almighty, what if I decide to leave the meat out altogether? Should I then call it Vege Pie? Or maybe “Pie-Pie”?
Thanks Lauren for the recipe. It does look totally awesome!
Lol, thanks for the great comment Rick, you sure gave me a good chuckle this morning!
The BEST comments!!! A sweet mini book! ❤️
Gravy mixes vary greatly so I would appreciate the one or ones you prefer. Have you tried the addition of Worcestetshire sauce as one reader suggested? That sounds good.
Linda, I like McCormick International roast gravy mix
Well, here I go my stomach is growling at me. I was thinking of making this pie with whole chicken livers and a lot of grilled onions, maybe some mushrooms in there too! Maybe latter with ground venison. Wine in both versions.
I may even go back to Aldis and purchase the sheperds’ pie I saw in the freezer case.
By the way. The word sheperd refers to someone that herds sheep. The only time I’ve heard any version of the word herd around cattle is when I was a cowboy driving cattle and one turned around, looked at, and said
STOP IT, YOU’RE HERDING ME!
The comparison between Shepherd’s Pie and Cottage Pie ignores a couple of basic rules on language itself. A word in one country may have a different meaning in another country although they speak the same “root” language. What’s a hood in America is a Bonnet in the UK and both words are correct only in the location in which they are used. There are many other varietals of the English Language. Austrailia has many varietals, South Africa has many varietals. The second rule is the rule of dictionary meaning which, in English, means that any word in common usage and widely used by everyone in the area in which it is used is, in fact, a legitimate word. Shepherd’s Pie, therefore, is a regional dish and has regional names, and second, whatever local uses a word has are, by definition, correct as long as there is widespread LOCAL agreement as to what the word means.
I’m new to cooking and was wondering what the best stove top setting would be to cook the onions carrots and garlic? Also the beans corn and peas. Thanks in advance!
I usually cook onions carrots and garlic over medium heat. Cook the onions and carrots a bit before adding garlic as it doesn’t need as much time to saute and you don’t want to burn the garlic or it becomes bitter tasting.
We substituted packet gravy with kfc gravy and it was even better. We also put pastry in because it’s not a pie without pastry and you can pry that from my cold DEAD CHINESE HANDS. Also we didn’t put the tomato paste or thyme in because it sucked. in
Firstly, Shepherd’s Pie should only be called that if it’s made with with LAMB. Secondly, it is BRITISH cousins not American as incorrectly stated in the heading.
Also, if one applies the same logic as this particular cook, then it is okay to make Pecan Pie with walnuts, Beef Wellington with pork, Peach Cobbler with apricots, and Apple Pie with pears….!!!!!
Lauren, this is a wonderful Shepherd pie. We had seconds and this recipe is what I will cook from now on. I didn’t have green beans so used frozen red and green bell peppers. I can’t wait to make it for friends coming for dinner after Thanksgiving. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and thank you for sharing your delicious recipe.
Hi Marjorie, thrilled you tried my recipe. This is one of my family’s favs!