Shepherd’s Pie Recipe with Cheese Topping

“Stand straight. Lean into it. Glide your skates OUTward. Hold tight. Don’t slip! Find your balance.”

Seriously, “find your balance?” “glide outward”? SHE’S FIVE. It’s like I’m giving yoga instructions to a puppy. No wonder she’s holding on for dear life in that photo. I may as well be telling her to do the crow pose.

I was laughing, but that’s because I only had one kid at the party. You should have seen the moms trying to drag 2 or even 3 kids along. Note: a 5-year-old wielding a roller-skate-clad foot is a danger to innocent feet everywhere.

Best Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

Do you love Shepherd’s Pie as much as I do? We didn’t have the traditional version growing up. My mom made “Meat and Potato Stuff.” No, I’m not kidding. (We also had “Chicken and Broccoli Stuff.” Bless your heart Mom.) Meat and Potato Stuff had tomato sauce and was basically Sloppy Joe Casserole. (Which explains why I was not into it. Sloppy Joes are gross. Slop sloppy joes…slop, sloppy joes.)

THIS Shepherd’s Pie however, is anything but sloppy. You make a flavorful gravy with beef broth and ground beef, add some peas and carrots, and cover it up with All The Potatoes. In my opinion, the greatest fault of most Shepherd’s Pies is a serious lack of creamy potato-y goodness. It’s all meat, tiny potatoes. Not gonna cut it for this mashed potato freak. 5 pounds definitely does the trick though!

Top it off with some cheddar cheese that you broil for a few minutes to make it extra crispy. Mm-mm. Invite the neighbors because this casserole feeds a small army!

What is Shepherd’s Pie?

Shepherd’s pie is a baked British casserole traditionally made of ground lamb and vegetables topped with mashed potatoes. In this version (and many American versions), we’re making it with ground beef instead of ground lamb since it’s cheaper and easier to find at the store. Technically when this dish is made with beef, it’s called “cottage pie.”

Shepherd’s Pie Origin

Shepherd’s pie had its humble beginnings in the British Isles. It was called “cottage pie” as well as “shepherd’s pie” and was a way to use up leftovers. It’s always satisfying to see that the problems home cooks have today (“You can’t just keep expecting me to make dinner when we have all these leftovers in the fridge!”) also troubled our ancestors. 

Shepherd’s Pie vs Cottage Pie

Technically, shepherd’s pie contains lamb or mutton, and cottage pie contains ground beef. You can definitely see why this makes sense, shepherds aren’t taking care of cows. However, I call this recipe Shepherd’s Pie because we don’t really make the distinction as much in the US, where I live, and calling it Cottage Pie would actually be more confusing.

Shepherd’s Pie Ingredients 

Here’s a quick shopping list to help you gather your ingredients. See the recipe card below for the full ingredients and instructions!

For the mashed potatoes: 

For the beef mixture: 

How to make Shepherd’s Pie 

Here’s a quick overview of how to make Shepherd’s Pie. Scroll down to the recipe card below for complete instructions!

1. Cut and boil your potatoes until fork tender, then drain. 
2. Add butter and mash the potatoes, then stir in sour cream, milk, salt, pepper, seasoning salt, garlic powder, and onion powder. Cover and set aside.
3. Saute onions and carrots until tender in butter.
4. Add ground beef and cook. Drain the fat and add the peas.
5. Add cornstarch, beef broth, and Worcestershire sauce.
6. Cook and season with salt and pepper. 
7. Add meat mixture to a casserole dish, then add mashed potatoes, followed by cheese.
8. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, or until bubbly. 

What is the point of baking Shepherd’s Pie?

If the meat mixture and mashed potatoes are already fully cooked and ready to eat, why are we baking this thing?? Casserole comfort food, baby. The mashed potatoes start soaking up the beef gravy, the cheese on top melts and browns, and the whole dish is heated through to the same temperature.

You could take this question a step further. What’s the point of putting the mashed potatoes on top of the meat? What’s the point of making dinner at all? What’s the POINT OF EXISTENCE??

Just bake your shepherd’s pie–I promise it’s better that way ;-)

Storing and Reheating Shepherd’s Pie with Beef

Can you freeze Shepherds Pie?

Yes! Shepherd’s pie is a great one to make ahead, freeze, and defrost and reheat when you need an easy meal. You can freeze individual portions or the whole pie. Either way, you’ll want to let it cool completely, then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and then in tinfoil. Don’t forget to tape a label on so you remember what it is. It will still be perfectly delicious in 2-3 months (or even longer). 

How to reheat Shepherd’s Pie with Beef

If your shepherd’s pie has been refrigerated, you can reheat individual portions in the microwave (covered, so they don’t splatter) or a whole shepherd’s pie in the oven at 350 for 20-30 minutes or until warmed through.

If you’ve frozen your shepherd’s pie, let it defrost in the refrigerator overnight (or a few hours for individual pieces) before heating in the microwave or oven as you prefer.  

Shepherds Pie Recipe FAQs

More casseroles to love!

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Easy Pizza Casserole << for the kids, or the kids at heart. So stupid easy.

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