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My take on the classic shepherd’s pie recipe! A soul-warming shepherd’s pie scented with herbs and spices and topped with the cheesiest Irish cheddar mashed potatoes. You’ve never had Shepherd’s Pie like this!
Have mercy. Would you look at that bubbly brown, cheesy crust?
This isn’t any old shepherd’s pie recipe. Sure it’s humble food, but that doesn’t mean it has to be bland and boring. It starts with sauteed onions that we’ll cook down until they’re tender, celery, carrots, and of course, tons of garlic, because when do we not use ample amounts of garlic around here? Then there’s also this herb and spice-scented ground lamb (or beef) all blanketed with cheesy Irish cheddar mashed potatoes. It’s fall/winter/spring comfort food, and who can even say no to that?
There’s something so magical about this easy shepherd’s pie recipe. Sure, every family has a version, and sure with every version, you’ll find something that is a little different. Most of the time, I find shepherd’s pie to be a little on the bland side. It’s your simple mirepoix with ground lamb and mashed potatoes on top. And yes, that does sound comforting, but I like to use a few additional ingredients to amp this dish up to a whole new level.
Shepherd’s Pie? Yes. Bland and boring? Heck no.
So much goodness all up in this.
I made several different shepherds pies and they all lacked flavor. THIS is the one my family LOVES! It’s flavors are delicious, plentiful, and unique (love the cinnamon). My husband and 3 sons devour this. I’ve learned to make two batches of the meat mixture at once and split it. I freeze one for next time. Next time, all I have to do is make the potatoes to go on top and bake it.
How to make Shepherd’s Pie
Ingredients for homemade shepherd’s pie
- Ground lamb: I try to find the leanest ground lamb that I can for this recipe. If yours happens to be regular, make sure to drain as much of the grease from the meat once you’ve browned it in the skillet, before adding the other ingredients.
- Mirepoix: A mirepoix is a combination of chopped onions, carrots, and celery. For this recipe, you’ll want to use equal parts of all three.
- Frozen peas: I always have a bag stashed in the freezer. Just be sure to rinse the green peas under cold water to thaw them before using.
- Garlic: Press the garlic in a garlic press or mince it finely. I also like to have a few cloves on hand for the mashed potatoes!
- Tomato Paste: Adds depth to the recipe.
- Fresh herbs: I use fresh rosemary, fresh thyme, and a bay leaf. The herbs just simmer in the beef gravy for a bit before fishing them out. I don’t like to leave them in because I find it annoying to get a big bunch in a serving! Feel free to leave them in if that doesn’t bother you. You can also replace the herbs with dried thyme, rosemary, etc.
- Seasonings: You’ll need the obvious ones like kosher salt and black pepper, but for my recipe, I also like to add a dash of ground cinnamon and nutmeg. It just amps up all the other flavors. Instead of using flour to thicken the mixture, I use cornstarch. This makes the recipe gluten-free friendly as makes the sauce silky smooth!
- Liquids: Beef broth and Worcestershire sauce are critical to any good shepherd’s pie recipe. You can also use chicken broth instead of beef if you prefer.
- Potatoes: Feel free to use Yukon gold potatoes or russet potatoes for this recipe. I’ve tried it with both, and they work equally well.
- Softened Butter: you’ll need a few tablespoons of unsalted butter for this recipe. We’ll soften the butter and then add it to the mashed potatoes along with the cream cheese and cheddar cheese.
- Cheese: You’ll need both Irish cheddar cheese (or any other white cheddar) as well as softened cream cheese. Instead of using sour cream in my mashed potatoes, I like to use cream cheese for this one as it gives it a more delicious flavor.
- Egg: you’ll need just the egg yolk. I fold this into the mashed potatoes. Not only does it give the potatoes such a rich and delicious flavor, but it also makes for a golden crust!
- Half and Half: Thins out the potatoes. Feel free to use whole milk here instead to make these a little lighter if you’d like.
Classic shepherd’s pie recipe
- Prep the potatoes. Start by peeling the potatoes, cutting them into pieces, add them to a large pot of salted water and boil until they’re fork-tender. I like to toss in a few cloves of garlic while they’re boiling to give them extra flavor! When the potatoes are done, drain them, and mash it with a potato masher. Stir in the egg yolk, cream cheese, butter, and Irish cheddar.
- Make the shepherd’s pie mixture. In a cast iron casserole dish, cook and crumble the ground lamb until the fat has rendered off. Drip the pan to remove the excess grease, or use a napkin to soak it up. Add some oil to the pan and then cook the mirepoix vegetables until it softens. Season with salt and cook them down. Add garlic and season with spices and cornstarch.
- Make the gravy. Start by preheating the oven. While that’s preheating, continue adding the Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, all the herbs, bay leaf, and beef broth. Bring everything to a simmer over medium-high heat and then lower and let it all hand out for 15 minutes. Take out the herbs, add in the peas, taste the filling, and adjust with more salt and pepper as you’d like. Smooth out the layer of filling.
- Bake and serve. Drop the potatoes in large dollops and then smooth it out with a rubber spatula. If you used a pot that isn’t oven-safe, transfer the filling to a baking dish before topping it with the mashed potatoes. Bake until the potatoes are warmed through, about 15 minutes. Serve warm! Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container.
FAQs about this recipe
The difference between these two pies is the type of meat. Shepherd’s pie is made with ground lamb, and cottage pie is made with ground beef.
You can. Just follow the instructions on the instant mashed potatoes package, making sure to use at least 3 tablespoons of butter.
For a weeknight-friendly version, try my cottage pie topped with crispy potato bites
Yes, follow my garlic and herb mashed potato recipe here, following steps 1 and 2.
Yes, any ground beef alternative would work for this recipe, you could even use ground turkey or chicken if you prefer. You’ll just need a bit more oil for these ingredients.
If you like this recipe, you might also like:
- Chicken Tetrazzini
- Chicken Pot Pie with Biscuits
- Chicken Pot Tater Tot Hot Dish
- Best Easy Homemade Sloppy Joes
- One-Pot Lasagna Soup
Easy Rustic Shepherd’s Pie with The Cheesiest Mashed Potatoes
Equipment
Ingredients
Shepherd’isPie:
- 1 lb ground lamb or beef
- 3 cups mirepoix equal parts chopped onion, carrots, celery
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- fresh herbs a few sprigs rosemary, thyme, and a bay leaf
- 1 ¼ cups low sodium beef stock or chicken
- 1 ¼ cups frozen peas thawed + drained
Mashed Potatoes:
- 2 lbs. yukon gold potatoes peeled
- 3 tablespoons softened butter
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 4 ounces Irish cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 egg yolk
- ¾ cup half and half or milk, room-temp
Instructions
- POTATOES: boil the potatoes in a large pot of salted water until fork tender. Sometimes I'll throw in a couple cloves of garlic in with the potatoes too. Drain, mash and mix in the remaining mashed potatoes ingredients and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- COOK: heat a large oven-safe pot over medium-high heat. Add the ground lamb and crumble the meat using a wooden spoon. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until the meat browns, drain any excess grease leaving just the tiniest bit.
- VEGGIES: Add the oil and mirepoix and season the veggies with a small pinch of salt and allow the veggies to cook down until translucent, about 7-9 minutes. Add the garlic and let cook another 30 seconds or until fragrant.
- PREHEAT: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 425ºF.
- SIMMER: Sprinkle the ground meat mixture with the cinnamon, nutmeg, and cornstarch, stir to combine and let cook for 15 seconds before adding the Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, herbs, bay leaf, and beef stock. Allow the gravy to come to a simmer before reducing the heat to low and letting it simmer for 15 minutes.
- TOP: remove the herbs, stir in the peas, taste and adjust with salt and pepper as desired. Drop large dollops of the prepared mashed potatoes on top of the beef gravy then smooth out gently.
- BAKE: for 15 minutes then, finish it under the broiler if you want it to be golden brown on top. Let cool for several minutes before serving.
Notes
- You can also make the potatoes in the instant pot. Here’s how; just follow steps #1 and #2.
- If you don’t have a dutch oven or an oven-safe pot, transfer everything to a greased baking dish.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like This? Leave a comment & rating below!
Oh my this is so good! I love the touch of cinnamon and nutmeg. I never would have thought to add those! They certainly did make the dish extra delicious. When I went to make it, I realized I had everything except ground beef! I usually keep a pound in the freezer. But I did have a package of Impossible Burger. It worked out so well! Really delicious, I can’t say that enough. Thank you for this!
I wouldn’t go so far as to say this recipe is “easy” but then again the effort I put into making cheeseburgers is extensive .lol
What I do know is that this recipe is worth every ounce of energy and despite occasionally swapping out the lamb for beef I would never change a thing.
As others have stated this dish is exploding with layers upon layers of flavor, a perfect consistency all around and a beauty on the plate to top it off.
Many thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe 🙂
Delicious! We had this last night for a St. Patty’s day dinner and it did not disappoint! I was skeptical about the cinnamon and nutmeg but, boy am I glad I followed your directions. The flavors in this meal were amazing! Thanks for sharing this goodness!
Great recipe! I made a few changes. I used 0.5 lb ground beef and 1.5 cups of cooked green lentils. I added some riced cauliflower and also 1/2 cup of corn. I used Tamari sauce in place of Worcestershire sauce and ketchup in place of tomato paste. I used my own chicken stock and some red wine when the beef was sizzling. I omitted the cheddar cheese in potatoes and added one sweet potato to the 2 pounds of Yukon gold potatoes. Delicious.
A “few” changes?? LOL I love it!! Great ideas! 🙂
I made several different shepherds pies and they all lacked flavor. THIS is the one my family LOVES! It’s flavors are delicious, plentiful, and unique (love the cinnamon). My husband and 3 sons devour this. I’ve learned to make two batches of the meat mixture at once and split it. I freeze one for next time. Next time, all I have to do is make the potatoes to go on top and bake it.
This was a great combination of flavors. I’m frozen in right now and dont want to go to the store. I used what I had. Ground beef. I also used a small container of brown gravy and a little powdered aujus mix and water, and little white wine. My husband loves gravy. I used frozen peas at the end so as not to over cook them. It’s that cinnamon and nutmeg that gave it that great interesting flavor. I never would have thought it.
This is my favorite Shepherd’s Pie recipe! I can make this over and over again, and my picky husband loves it too. I make it with beef (so I guess technically cottage pie). I also just make my own mashed potatos in the instant pot with yukon golds. I then mash them up and add in dublinger cheese, half and half, and butter like the recipe suggests!
Have made this recipe several times and we absolutely love it! Tonight, I’ll be making it with a sweet potato/white potato topping, can’t wait!
Made a vegan version of this with veggie ground and vegetable broth, no egg or cheese. Amazing taste and layered flavours!
Who knew I had been Shepard Pieing wrong all of these years.
When you say remove the herbs… is that the bay leaf?
Yes, the bay leaves and the rosemary and thyme sprigs if you threw them in whole!
I made this for the third time last night. I baked it in ramekins and my family LOVED it again. Someone remarked below that they’d used other Shepherds Pie recipes and they were bland. I had the same experience. I gave this one a try because of the herbs and tomato paste. I figured it couldn’t be bland, and I was correct. It’s delicious with so many wonderful flavors in every bite. The POTATOES! They’re so creamy ! Thanks for another fantastic recipe!
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed my take on Shepherd’s pie, Laurie! Really appreciate you taking the time to come back and comment 🙂
Made this last night for the first time and it was amazing. Husband wants it in our regular rotation. We have half a pie left over for lunch today, and it’s a good thing, because otherwise we’d be fighting over it.
We forgot to put the cheddar cheese in and it was just as tasty. We used heavy cream instead of milk/half and half, and used Shake & Blend instead of cornstarch. All fresh veggies for the mirepoix.
This was amazing and so easy. Thank you for the recipe!
So happy to hear you enjoyed it! Thank you for taking the time to comment 🙂
Hi
What brand if Irish Cheddar did you use in this recipe.
Hi Jackie! I used Kerrygold brand cheddar for this recipe! 🙂
Thank you very much for this recipe! Shepherd’s pie was not a huge favorite of my family just because it was always on the bland side. Yesterday I found your recipe and decided to give it a try! I used instant mashed potatoes, just made them extra creamy and added some garlic powder and seasoned salt. I also used canned carrots and peas just because I didn’t have any other veggies on hand. I also used canned tomatoes instead of tomato paste. Everything else – according to the recipe. The meat gravy was just fantastic! And the warm aroma of cinnamon and nutmeg – mmm. Half of the huge casserole dish is gone – and that says a lot!
Hi again
I’m in Edinburgh, Scotland and we don’t ha e that here. Will using the milk just do as well or is there an alternative for half and half? I would know which cream to use if I halved the milk with cream – can you help?
From my research, it seems your options are ‘single cream’ and ‘double cream.’ I would suggest doing ¼ cup single cream and a ½ cup milk. That should make it absolutely delicious ?
What is meant by “3/4 cup room-temp half and half (or milk)? What’s “half and half”?
Jacqui
Hi there! I’m not sure where you’re located but in the states we have a product called half and half that’s readily available in the dairy section of our grocery stores. It’s basically 50% cream and 50% milk. You can use a combination of the two or just milk for this recipe.
If substituting dried herbs for the fresh, what quantity of each would you recommend?
1/2 teaspoon of each the rosemary and thyme along with 1 bay leaf should do it!
About how long will the potatoes need to boil?
In the ballpark of 12-18 minutes. Just test with a fork, to see if they’re done before draining. The potatoes shouldn’t resist, if they do, let them go for a few more minutes.
I love Shepherd’s Pie! I definitely will try it with the additional spices! Growing up my mom always made it with mixed vegetables instead of just peas. She was probably trying to get more veggies in us! And the mash potatoes sound way better than mom’s. We are headed to upper 80’s this weekend is West Texas…way too soon. I may make it anyway and just crank up the air conditioning!
Wow! Upper 80’s already? ? we’re sitting around the 60-70’s at the moment. Hope you thoroughly enjoy the shepherd’s pie, Chris!