Hearty and Wholesome Classic Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

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Cooking With Anadi

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Warm and Hearty Shepherd's Pie Recipe

You wouldn’t guess it, but this is actually one of my favorite comfort foods! Now this is one that I made when I was in Canada for quite some time, and it was long overdue! I had seen some pretty disgusting Shepherd’s Pies on Kitchen Nightmares. Of course those dishes didn’t do the actual recipe justice, but the concept did seem interesting to me, and I wanted to try my hand at a proper version!

Oh boy. When I first made a Shepherd’s Pie my life had seriously changed! I used ground lamb as the protein for the first couple of times and I fell in love! This meal encompasses your favorites all in one, and the deliciousness of all elements are in every single bite. I’m head over heels for the nice crust on those fluffy mashed potatoes. The meat is so tender and juicy. When you grab your fork and dig in, it’s going to be full of those soft mashed potatoes, the saucy meat and the veggies. I personally like my mixture to be a bit saucy yet a bit dry if that makes sense, but feel free to adjust the consistency to your liking. Whenever I eat this, I never want it to end! Seriously, what are you waiting for if you’ve never made this before! If lamb is a pesky protein for you, then Shepherd’s Pie is the best way to conquer your fear and enjoy it! Try this Classic Shepherd’s Pie as part of your Live to Cook challenge! To get started on your cooking journey for free, simply sign up to my email newsletter! You’ll also get 5 exciting tips on how to get motivated and inspired in the kitchen, and you’ll never miss a new recipe that’s on the blog!

To get all the details and follow along with how I make the lamb mixture and assemble the Wholesome Shepherd’s Pie, be sure to watch the video! I would really appreciate it if you would please subscribe to my YouTube channel if you haven’t already! Don’t forget hit the bell button to get notified when new videos are released! Let’s get cooking!

What Is Shepherd's Pie?

You may be confused as to what a Shepherd's Pie is versus what a Cottage Pie is? A Shepherd's Pie is made with lamb, because as the name suggests, “Shepherd” for the sheep! On the other hand, a Cottage Pie is made with beef, and it is given this name because this was an affordable dish enjoyed by peasants who were unable to afford beef at the time.

Traditionally this is a dish made with ground meat, gravy, onions, carrots and celery with a mashed potato crust.

By the way, I hope you’re subscribed to me on YouTube! Make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss a new recipe video! Also, be sure to check out the hashtags on those collaborations to see other delicious recipes by other awesome content creators!

So if you want to make this a Cottage Pie, all you need to do is use ground beef instead!

Tools Needed

• Nonstick pan
• Wooden spoon
• Strainer
• Whisk
• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Baking sheet
• Basting brush

Ingredients for This Warm and Hearty Shepherd's Pie

You can scroll to the bottom of this post or press the “Jump to Recipe” button for the FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD to save the recipe for later and to see the full ingredient quantities. You can also adjust the recipe based on how many portions of this Shepherd’s Pie you want to make! This recipe was designed to be small-scaled, but you can always increase to serve a crowd! All measurements will automatically be adjusted for you!

• Ground lamb: This recipe is using ground lamb. To make it into a Cottage Pie, use ground beef. You could try this with ground turkey or chicken too if you don’t consume beef or lamb.
• Extra virgin olive oil: To cook the meat.
• Veggies: Pearl onions, carrots, green peas.
• Spices: Dried thyme and dried rosemary.
• Gravy: This gravy is made with tomato paste, all-purpose flour, and broth (you can use either beef broth or chicken broth).
• Mashed potatoes: You can follow my recipe for or use any of your favorite mashed potato recipe you like! For the mashed potatoes with my method, you need 10% (table) cream, butter, salt and pepper, and Yukon gold yellow potatoes.

How to Make the Best Shepherd’s Pie

Prepare the Mashed Potatoes - Check Out My Full Recipe Here

To prepare the mash, first boil the potatoes. My preferred method is to steam them in the Instant Pot - they turn out perfect every time, and I can focus on the rest of my prep while they cook.

Once cooked, peel the potatoes and add to a large bowl, or to the bowl of a stand mixer. Lightly mash the potatoes before adding the cream and butter.

Then, using a hand mixer, a large whisk or the whisk attachment of your stand mixer, start mixing the potatoes, butter and cream on the lowest speed until potatoes are creamy and smooth. Then taste and adjust for seasoning before you switch the setting to medium speed and whisk for 30 seconds to 1 minute to make them fluffier.

This next step is fun, now transfer the mashed potatoes to a large Ziploc bag and turn it to a makeshift “icing” bag. This step is optional, but is recommended if you want those lovely peaks on your Shepherd’s or Cottage Pie which will turn crispy in the oven.

Prepare the mashed potatoes first, so that by the time the mince is prepared and portioned, the potatoes have cooled down. Warm potatoes will not spread as well and may give an inconsistent texture.

Prepare the Meat

We begin with heating some oil in a stainless steel pan on medium heat. Add the mince and break down any large chunks. The mince will release a lot of water and it’s natural fat as it cooks. Once the meat is no longer pink, drain any excess fat using a strainer before transferring the meat back to the pan.

Lamb, naturally contains lots of fat, and if we cook our pie without draining the fat, our final casserole will be unnecessarily greasy, and will take away from the fluffy and creamy mashed potatoes. Plus, we really don’t need the extra fat to make this dish delicious.

The ratio of mince to veggies will be 2/3rds to 1/3rds for a satisfying, meaty pie.

Prepare the Veggies

Once the meat has browned, add the pearl onions which is cut in big chunks and carrots and cook until they turn soft. The big chunks of onions and carrots will turn so tender as the pie bakes in the oven and mingles with mince and mashed potatoes.

Once the veggies are soft, add the peas and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Then add the tomato paste at the center of the pan and cook off the tartness from the tomatoes, about 30 seconds. Mix the tomatoes into the mince and turn heat to low as you prepare the slurry for the gravy.

Prepare the Gravy

To prepare the gravy, mix flour and half of the broth and whisk until there are no lumps. Then, add the rest of the broth and pour this mixture directly in the pan. Mix well and release any browned bits from the pan - this only adds more flavor!

Sprinkle the dried thyme and rosemary and mix well. Simmer, until the gravy thickens, about 3-5 minutes. The mince is ready to portioned in your casseroles.

Prepare the Casserole

Evenly portion out the mince in your casserole, I like to use a ceramic oval dish from Staub which is about 11” x 8” in size for perfect individual sized portions.

Once the mince has been portioned, cut a slice at the edge of your makeshift “icing” bags prepared for the mashed potatoes and add dollops of the mash all over the casserole. The recipe for the mashed potatoes should be perfect for 2 individual sized casseroles.

Note: If you don’t want to do this, watch the video for an alternative method on how to top the casserole with just a spoon!

Time to Bake

Preheat the oven to 425 F and adjust the oven rack to the topmost position. Place the casseroles on a baking sheet and place the baking sheet in the oven rack, directly under the heat element. This will help creating the crispy mash crust.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the mash is crispy to your liking. Top with fresh parsley and serve hot!

What to Serve with This Shepherd’s Pie

Nothing. I wouldn’t.

I think the dish is so complete in itself, you have potatoes, veggies, meat, all baked into one casserole - what more can you ask for?

HOWEVER, if you really want some sides and/or appetizers and/or desserts to complete your meal if serving Classic Shepherd’s Pie for a dinner party (or you just want to treat yourself!), then here are some ideas:

• Instant Pot Devilled Eggs
• Air Fryer Jalapeno Poppers
• Deep Fried Mini Mozzarella Balls
• Arugula Salad with Goat’s Cheese and Almonds
• Garlic-Sautéed Broccoli
• Caramelized Bananas with Apple Spice
• The BEST Gluten-Free Fudgy Banana Brownies

Can You Make Shepherd’s Pie Ahead of Time?

Storing Shepherd’s Pie

Definitely, up to a point though. If you are planning getting the legwork for the prep completed before dinner time, complete all the steps till topping the casserole with the mashed potatoes. At this point, you can carefully cover the casserole with plastic wrap, to keep the peaks on the mashed potatoes and refrigerate until ready to cook.

Choosing Potatoes for the Mash Topping

The mash comes from my Ultimate Creamy Mashed Potatoes, and that recipe covers the mashing itself, but it is worth saying which potatoes make the best potato topping specifically. Russet potatoes are the standard choice because they are starchy and dry, so they take butter and cream without going soupy and they crisp properly under the broiler. Yukon gold potatoes are the other good option, a little waxier and naturally buttery, and they give a denser topping that holds its shape well. Whichever you use, boil them whole or in large chunks in a large pot of salted water until they are fork-tender all the way through, then drain them properly and let the steam escape before anything else goes in. Wet potatoes make a loose mash, and a loose mash slides off the mince instead of sitting on it.

Mash them with a potato masher rather than a blender or food processor, which overworks the starch and turns the whole thing gluey, and use unsalted butter so you control the salt yourself. The one instruction in this recipe that people skip is letting the mash cool before it goes on top. Warm mash will not hold a peak, and the peaks are the point: piped through a corner of a Ziploc bag, they catch the heat from the element directly above them at 425 F and go crisp and brown while the mince underneath stays saucy. A rubber spatula gets the last of the mash out of the bag.

The Gravy, and Easy Swaps

The gravy is a flour slurry, and the order matters. Whisk 1 tablespoon of all purpose flour into half of the 1 cup of broth first, until there are no lumps at all, then add the rest and pour it into the pan. Doing it the other way round, flour straight into the hot pan, is how you end up straining it later. Beef broth gives the deeper flavor and chicken broth the lighter one, and both are listed on the card. Stir well as it goes in and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom, then simmer for three to five minutes until it coats the back of a spoon. If you need it gluten free, use 2 teaspoons of cornstarch in place of the tablespoon of flour, slurried in cold broth the same way.

A few things are not in this recipe but sit naturally in it. A teaspoon of worcestershire sauce added with the tomato paste is the classic British move and deepens the whole thing considerably. A clove or two of garlic with the pearl onions, a handful of corn in with the peas, and a layer of grated cheese over the mash before it bakes are all common and all optional. On the herbs, the recipe uses a quarter teaspoon each of dried thyme and dried rosemary; if you are using fresh thyme or fresh rosemary instead, roughly triple it and add it at the end rather than with the broth. Season with kosher salt and black pepper at the end, once the gravy has reduced, since it concentrates as it thickens, and put a teaspoon salt in the potato water rather than trying to fix a bland mash later.

Freezing and Reheating Leftovers

This freezes better than most casseroles, because there is nothing in it that separates. Freeze it assembled and unbaked for the best result: build the whole thing in the baking dish, cool it completely, wrap it well and freeze for up to three months, then bake from frozen at the same 425 F, adding roughly twenty minutes and covering the top with foil for the first half so the peaks do not brown before the middle is hot. Already-baked leftovers keep in the refrigerator for three to four days and reheat well in the oven; the microwave works but softens the crust you worked for.

On the nutrition, this is a genuinely complete plate rather than a heavy one. The 454 g, about 1 lb, of lamb or lean ground beef across two servings is where the protein sits, the potatoes carry most of the carbohydrates, and the carrots, peas and onions bring the fiber along with a useful amount of vitamin C, which potatoes contribute more of than people expect. Draining the fat after browning the meat over medium-high heat, which the recipe tells you to do, is the single step that makes the biggest difference to how heavy it eats. Exact figures are on the recipe card.

Assembling It, and Why the Rest Matters

Everything up to this point happens in one large skillet: the savory beef or lamb browned and drained, the pearl onions and carrots softened in the same pan, then the tomato paste worked in at the center. Push the paste around the bare pan for about 30 seconds before you mix it through, because dropping it straight into the mince leaves clumps of tomato paste that never quite disappear and taste raw where they sit.

Then the shepherd’s pie filling goes into the casserole dish. This recipe is portioned for two, and an oval dish around 11 by 8 inches is the sweet spot. Anything deeper and the mash on top of the meat insulates the filling so the middle never properly bubbles. Spread the filling level, let the mash come to room temperature, then pipe it in dollops over the top of the meat from the corner of a Ziploc bag. The easiest way to get an even layer is to work from the outside edge inwards, so the mash seals against the rim and the juices stay underneath rather than climbing the sides.

Bake at 425 F on the topmost rack for 25 to 30 minutes, then give it 10-15 minutes out of the oven before serving. That rest is the one recipe tip most people skip. Straight from the oven the gravy is still thin and runs the moment you cut into it, whereas a quarter of an hour lets the liquid settle back into the meat filling so each spoonful holds together. It also takes the top of the potatoes from scalding to edible.