Shepherd’s Pie
Shepherd’s Pie is the ultimate comfort food! This recipe is hearty, flavorful, and is the kind of meal the whole family will love.
This version is made with seasoned ground beef, mixed vegetables, gravy, cheese, and creamy mashed potatoes. It uses ingredients that you probably already keep in your refrigerator, pantry, or freezer!
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Ingredients
- Ground beef
- Onion, chopped
- Salt, pepper, oregano, thyme, paprika, onion powder, and parsley
- Flour
- Butter
- Beef broth
- Minced garlic
- Worcestershire sauce
- Frozen mixed vegetables
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Mashed Potatoes
Make Mashed Potatoes
Before you start making this recipe, you need to decide on what kind of mashed potatoes you are going to use for the Shepherd’s Pie.
I like making my easy homemade mashed potato recipe, but if you have a favorite recipe you can use that instead!
If you want to keep it super simple you could even use boxed mashed potatoes or the microwaveable mashed potatoes like Bob Evan’s!
If you are interested in how I make the mashed potatoes keep reading!
Start by peeling, washing, and chopping six potatoes into smaller pieces. Boil the potatoes in a large pot of water until they are fork tender.
Drain the water from the potatoes and add 1/2 cup of butter, 1/2 cup of milk, 1/2 cup of sour cream, and season with 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tbsp dried parsley flakes.
Use a potato masher to mash potatoes until you get the consistency you like. Set aside until you are ready to assemble the Shepherd’s Pie.
Make Shepherd’s Pie
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown 1 lb of ground beef with a chopped onion. I like using my large cast iron skillet for this recipe since it is oven safe.
If you don’t have an oven safe skillet, you can always transfer this to a 9×13 greased baking dish before assembling and baking the Shepherd’s Pie.
Season the ground beef with salt, pepper, oregano, thyme, paprika, onion powder, and parsley.
Once the beef is fully browned, drain any extra grease. Make a well in the center of the skillet and add 2 tbsp of butter with 2 tbsp of flour.
Stir the butter and flour together well to make a roux. Let this cook for a couple of minutes stirring constantly. Once the butter and flour are well combined you can go ahead and stir it into the ground beef mixture.
Add 1 cup of beef broth, minced garlic, and Worcestershire sauce.
Next, add a bag of frozen mixed vegetables and stir everything together well. Let this cook until the veggies start to soften and the mixture thickens.
Top the meat and veggies with about 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese.
Top with the mashed potatoes and spread them out into an even layer.
Bake at 375 degrees F for about 20 minutes.
If you want the potatoes slightly browned you can broil the Shepherd’s Pie for a minute or two, but that is completely optional!
Serve Shepherd’s Pie
Once the dish is hot and the cheese is melted, it’s time to eat! Top with dried parsley and serve.
This is one of those meals that can be a complete dinner, but if you want a side you could serve it with a salad, some bread, or extra vegetables.
You will love this recipe because it’s the ultimate comfort food, hearty, filling, and the leftovers reheat well!
Tips and Frequently Asked Questions
- You can make homemade mashed potatoes for this recipe, use boxed mashed potatoes, or even use the microwavable Bob Evan’s mashed potatoes.
- If you don’t have an oven safe skillet, transfer the meat mixture to a greased 9X13 baking dish before assembling the Shepherd’s Pie with the cheese and mashed potatoes.
- My family prefers ground beef, but you could swap the ground beef for ground lamb or turkey.
- This recipe can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator. Just know that if the Shepherd’s Pie is cold from the refrigerator it will take longer to be heated through in the oven and you will need to adjust the cooking time.
- This recipe also makes a great freezer meal! Assemble the Shepherd’s Pie and freeze without baking it. Let the frozen Shepherd’s Pie thaw in the refrigerator the day before you plan on baking it. Bake at 375 degrees F until the whole thing is hot! This will probably take closer to 45 minutes – 1 hour depending on how thawed the Shepard’s Pie is.
Similar Recipes
Ingredients
Mashed Potatoes Ingredients
- 6 russet potatoes
- 1/2 cup of butter 1 stick
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp dried parsley flakes
Shepherd’s Pie Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 onion chopped
- 1/2 tsp each salt, pepper, oregano, and thyme
- 1 tsp each paprika, onion powder, and parsley
- 2 tbsp flour
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 12 oz bag frozen mixed vegetables
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
Mashed Potatoes Instructions
- Peel, wash, and chop the potatoes into smaller pieces.
- Boil the potatoes in a large pot of water over high heat until they are fork tender.
- Drain the water from potatoes and add butter, milk, sour cream, and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and dried parsley. Use a potato masher to mash potatoes until you get the consistency you like. Set aside until you are ready to assemble the Shepherd's Pie.
Shepherd’s Pie Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown 1 lb of ground beef with a chopped onion. Season with salt, pepper, oregano, thyme, paprika, onion powder, and parsley.
- Once browned, drain any grease. Make a well in the center and add 2 tbsp of butter with 2 tbsp of flour. Stir together to make a roux. Let the roux cook for 1-2 minutes stirring constantly. Add 1 cup of beef broth, minced garlic, and Worcestershire sauce.
- Next, add a bag of frozen mixed vegetables and stir everything together well. Let this cook until the veggies start to soften and the mixture thickens. Top the meat and veggies with about 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese. Top with the mashed potatoes and spread them out into an even layer.
- Bake at 375 degrees F for about 20 minutes. If you want the potatoes to slightly brown you can broil it for a minute or two. Top with dried parsley and enjoy!