Ground Beef Shepherd's Pie Recipe

Name: Shepherd's Pie with Beef
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1 lb lean ground beef; ½ teaspoon baking soda; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 onion (chopped); 4 ounces mushrooms (sliced); 1 tablespoon tomato paste; 2 cloves garlic (minced); 2 tablespoons Marsala wine; 2 tablespoons flour; 1 ½ cups beef broth; 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce; 2 sprigs fresh thyme; 1 bay leaf; 2 carrots (cut into bite size pieces); 2 teaspoons cornstarch; 6 cups Mashed Potatoes

Traditional shepherd’s pie is a savory meat pie topped with creamy mashed potatoes, a classic comfort food for cold weather months. Great to make with left-over mashed potatoes.

Traditional Shepherd’s Pie

Make extra mashed potatoes this year for Thanksgiving, they’re great on a traditional shepherd’s pie. While Shepherd’s pie originated in Great Britain and Ireland, it’s a pretty common dish in the US. It was originally called “cottage pie” and “shepherd’s pie” was the same dish but made with lamb instead of beef.

The terms are used interchangeably now, and almost anywhere in the States you will find it made with beef.

You could use leftover beef in any form, but cooking ground beef with the seasonings gives the meat portion more flavor. Some folks like to throw in corn and peas, but who wants peas in a beef casserole, they’re just going to get mushy. I prefer mushrooms, onions and carrots.

Whatever you choose to add to the meat mixture, all cottage and shepherd’s pies are covered in mashed potatoes and then baked until the top is golden brown. It doesn’t matter what you put in your mashed potatoes, they’ll be great on top of this casserole. This might sound like a lot of work but I have a few suggestions to make this an easy weeknight meal.

If you don’t have mashed potatoes, try a hamburger potato casserole instead, you’ll still get potatoes and meat all in one pan.

What is Shepherd’s Pie?

Shepherd’s pie is a meat pie made with beef or lamb and covered with mashed potatoes.

Why you’ll love this Shepherds Pie Recipe

If you love creamy mashed potatoes, than this has your name on it
A savory meat filling flavored marsala wine
You only have one pan to clean up
This is a hearty meal that can serve 8, great when the gangs all home for dinner

Traditional Shepherd’s Pie Ingredients

Ground beef – you can use ground chuck for more flavor but you’ll need to drain the grease before adding the remaining ingredients. I prefer ground sirloin for this dish since there are so many other flavors added to the mixture.
Baking soda – this is added to the raw ground beef and helps tenderize the meat. It does this by locking in the moisture.
Onions, Mushrooms, Garlic and Carrots– All of these are the flavor base for the meat mixture.
Tomato paste – this adds a concentrated tomato flavor.
Marsala wine – I love the flavor that marsala wine adds to meat dishes whether in the sauce for chicken marsala meatballs or in marsala pork.
Beef broth and Worcestershire sauce– for a flavor boost.
Fresh Thyme and a Bayleaf – you can use dried thyme if fresh is not available, substitute about 3 teaspoons dried thyme for fresh.
Flour and Cornstarch – to thicken things up.
Mashed potatoes – this recipe calls for 6 cups but you just need enough to cover the mixture, a minimum of 3 cups is needed. I like mashed potatoes, so go big or go home!

What type of potatoes are best for mashed potatoes?

Yukon gold potatoes will make the creamiest mashed potatoes.

Substitutions

You can use ground lamb or ground chicken in this recipe. If using chicken, use chicken broth instead of beef broth.

For a simpler topping other than mashed potatoes, you can make a recipe of cheese grits and add to the top instead. If doing this, you will need to bake it at 400º for 20-25 minutes to cook the eggs in the grit mixture. You can get more directions in the recipe for chili with grits.

How to make Shepherd’s Pie with Ground Beef

Step 1

Add some baking powder to the ground beef to tenderize.

Step 2

Cook onions and mushrooms and add hamburger and cook.

Add tomato paste and marsala wine. Next add carrots and broth and seasoning. Thicken with flour and cornstarch.

Onions and mushrooms cooked in a skillet.

Step 3

Make mashed potatoes or use left-over mashed potatoes and top meat mixture.

Mashed potatoes covering a meat mixture in a skillet.

Step 4

Bake under the broiler until golden brown.

Shepherds pie after it has come out of the oven.

How to make Mashed Potatoes for Beef Shepherd’s Pie

You can find step by step directions to my favorite mashed potatoes along with a video on my post for Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes, they’re so creamy and delicious.

A bowl of creamy mashed potatoes. — Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes

Add this to your list to serve for a St. Patrick’s day dinner if you’re not in the mood for brisket.

The meat filling for a traditional shepherds pie in a skillet.

How to simplify this Shepherds Pie Recipe

Make a double batch of mashed potatoes and freeze the leftovers, you can freeze them for up to three months, longer if you vacuum seal them.
Make this the day after Thanksgiving with leftover mashed potatoes, when you still have a crowd to feed but don’t want to spend much time in the kitchen. You can make the meat portion in less than 30 minutes.
Top with Grits instead of potatoes, like I do with chili sometimes.

What I suggest is that any time you make mashed potatoes, you make a double batch and freeze the left-overs. You’ll always have some on hand to make this wonderful dish or make some potato rolls.

How to store this Classic Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

You can store leftover shepherd’s pie in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 2-3 days. Do not store it in an iron proof skillet as it will remove the seasoning on your pan. You can also freeze it but the mashed potatoes may not have the same texture.

Can you freeze mashed potatoes?

Yes you can freeze mashed potatoes. The fat from the milk and butter keeps them from forming ice crystals.

Ground Beef Shepherd’s Pie FAQs

How many potatoes do you need for 6 cups of mashed potatoes?

You need a ½ pound of potatoes to make a cup of mashed potatoes, so for 6 cups of mashed potatoes, you would need about 3 pounds of potatoes.

Can you use ground lamb for Shepherd’s pie?

Yes, you can use ground lamb which is what you would get if you ordered this in a pub in Great Britain.

What is the Shepherd’s Pie origin?

Shepherd’s pie originally was a lamb dish developed in Great Britain and Ireland as a way to use up left-over meat.

Why is it called shepherd’s pie?

Shepherd’s pie originally was made with lamb. Since shepherd’s take care of sheep it was named after them.

Shepherd’s Pie vs Cottage Pie

The difference between Shepherd’s Pie and Cottage Pie is the type of meat used. A traditional shepherd’s pie is made with lamb and cottage pie is made with beef. In the US, shepherd’s pie is typically made with beef.

A spoon in the edge of a skillet of mashed potato covered sheperd's pie.

More comfort dinners you’ll love

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