Pub-Style Shepherd’s Pie
Shepherd’s Pie is a classic pub dish that’s pure comfort food. Beef & veggies in gravy get topped with mashed potatoes for the perfect bite!
Why This is the Best Sherpherd’s Pie Recipe
- Shepherd’s Pie is just so darn comforting. Creamy mashed potatoes over rich beef, vegetables, and gravy filling is a hug on a plate.
- There’s nothing really fancy about this recipe. It’s just simple food, done right.
- You can prep everything ahead to the point that you’re ready to bake. Then wrap up the dish with foil, pop it in the fridge, and bake it for dinner later.
- My husband gets shepherd’s pie at our local pub every year on St. Patrick’s day without fail. He tells me this recipe is better than when we go out.
Shepherd’s Pie Ingredients
BEEF: You’ll need 1 pound of ground beef for this recipe. I like to use lean ground beef so there isn’t as much grease to drain off. I think it also has a better flavor than the 80/20 or 85/15 blends. That being said, you can totally buy whichever ground beef is on sale.
VEGGIES: We’re keeping it classic with onions, carrots, and frozen peas. (My husband and I aren’t actually fans of peas, so I skip them when I’m making this dish just for us.)
GRAVY: We’re making a shortcut gravy by using a store-bought gravy mix packet. Then the mix gets flavored with thyme, rosemary, garlic powder, steak seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, beer, Worcestershire sauce, and water.
MASHED POTATOES: Nothing too fancy here. I like using Yukon gold potatoes for their creamy texture, but russets will work too. Then you’ll add butter, heavy cream, salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese. The cheese is optional but yummy. I’ve also made this recipe with shredded white cheddar sprinkled over the potatoes and boy was it good!
How to Make Shepherd’s Pie
Jump to RecipeSTEP 1 Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and then add the chopped potatoes to the water. Cook for 20-30 minutes until they’re fork tender. While the potatoes cook, heat some olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute the carrots and onion until the veggies are tender and the onions are translucent, and then transfer them to a bowl.
STEP 2 To the same skillet add the ground beef, garlic powder, steak seasoning, pepper, dried thyme, dried rosemary, salt, and red pepper flakes. Cook until the beef is browned, breaking into pieces as it cooks. Next, turn the heat to medium-low. Sprinkle the gravy mix over the meat and stir until it’s coated.
STEP 3 Add the beer, water, Worcestershire sauce, peas, carrots, and onions to the skillet and stir it all together. Bring the filling to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes until the gravy has thickened. Then pour everything into the bottom of a 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish and set it aside.
STEP 4 Once the potatoes are cooked, drained the water and return them to the pot. Use a hand mixer to whip the potatoes (or mash REALLY well is a potato masher). Mix in 4 tablespoons of butter and some of the heavy cream. Add more heavy cream a bit at a time until your desired potato consistency is reached. Then stir in the Parmesan cheese and some salt and pepper to taste.
STEP 5 Place large dollops of potatoes over the beef filling so it’s completely covered. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of melted butter over the potatoes. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the top is golden. Remove the shepherd’s pie from the oven and let it rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Tips & Tricks
- You can use a 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish, a 3-quart casserole dish, or a 10 to 12-inch cast iron skillet for this recipe. The cast iron skillet is a nice option because it can go right into the oven.
- If the filling sauce is not as thick as you would like once it’s finished cooking in the skillet, add some cornstarch slurry to the pan. Mix together 1 tablespoon water + 1 tablespoon cornstarch in a small bowl and then pour it into the pan. Stir to combine and then simmer until the gravy has thickened up more.
- I recommend using Guinness, Blue Moon, or a red ale for the beer. Guinness will give a deeper, rich flavor. Blue Moon has a lighter crisp flavor that brightens things up. T the red ale just adds a really nice mellow flavor to the gravy.
Sherpherd’s Pie Recipe FAQ
What is the meat in shepherd’s pie?
Traditionally ground lamb was used to make shepherd’s pie.
In the states, we usually use ground beef to make this dish. I’ve also seen ground turkey shepherd’s pie and ground chicken shepherd’s pie, but that’s stretching it a bit for me. We’re beef all the way at our house.
Why do they call it Shepherd’s Pie?
This dish is called Shepherd’s Pie when using lamb or mutton because the shepherds look after a flock of sheep. It’s also said that the mashed potatoes on top resemble a sheep’s fleece. (just go with it)
When this recipe is made with beef, turkey, other meats, or even as a vegetarian dish, it’s considered Cottage Pie instead. Cottage pie had a beef filling with sliced potatoes that looked like shingles on top, but mashed potatoes were commonly used too.
Just know that if you roll up to any Irish pub and order shepherd’s pie, they’ll get you sorted.
Other Recipes You May like
- Dorito Chicken Casserole
- Skillet Sloppy Joe Cornbread Casserole
- Baked Ziti with Sausage
- Hot Dish Tater Tot Casserole
- Spinach & Chicken Alfredo Ravioli Bake
Pub-Style Shepherd’s Pie
Equipment
- 9×13 Baking Dish (see note)
- Hand Mixer or Potato Masher
Ingredients
Mashed Potatoes
- 2.5 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes (or russet)
- ⅔ cup Parmesan cheese shredded
- ⅔ cup heavy cream
- 4 tablespoons butter softened
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
Beef Filling
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion peeled and diced
- 2 medium carrots peeled and diced (1 cup)
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon steak seasoning
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- 0.87 ounces brown gravy mix (1 packet)
- 12 ounces beer (see note)
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup frozen peas
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1-inch cubes. Place the potatoes into the boiling water and cook for 20-30 minutes until fork tender. Drain and return to the pot.
- While the potatoes cook, place a large skillet over medium heat and pour in the olive oil. Once hot, add the onion and carrots. Sautee for 5-8 minutes until the carrots are tender and the onions have softened. Transfer the veggies to a bowl.
- To the same skillet, add the ground beef, garlic powder, steak seasoning, pepper, salt, red pepper flakes, dried rosemary, and dried thyme. Cook until the beef is browned and cooked through, breaking it up as it cooks.
- Once browned, sprinkle the gravy mix over the beef and mix together. Add the beer, water, Worcestershire sauce, peas, carrots, and onions to the skillet. Stir together and then simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes until thickened. (see note) Pour the filling into a 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish and set it aside.
- Finish making the mashed potatoes by using a hand mixer to whip the potatoes. (Or mash them REALLY well with a potato masher.) Add 4 tablespoons of butter and some of the heavy cream and whip/mix into the potatoes. Add more heavy cream as needed to reach your desired consistency.
- Stir in the parmesan cheese and season the potatoes with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon large dollops of potatoes over the beef filling in the baking dish making sure the filling is completely covered. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of melted butter over the potatoes.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes of until the top is golden and the filling is bubbling. (If desired, you can broil the top to a deep golden color once the baking time is up.) Remove the shepherd's pie from the oven and let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- You can use a 3-quart casserole dish or a 10 to 12-inch cast iron skillet instead of a baking dish for this recipe. The skillet can be used to cook the filling and then go straight into the oven when you finish adding the topping. (Yay for fewer dishes!)
- If the filling sauce is not as thick as you would like once it’s finished cooking in the skillet, add some cornstarch slurry to the pan. (1 tablespoon water + 1 tablespoon cornstarch)
- I recommend using Guinness, Blue Moon, or a red ale for the beer. Guinness will give a deeper, rich flavor. Blue Moon has a lighter crisp flavor that brightens things up. T the red ale just adds a really nice mellow flavor to the gravy.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.