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Overhead view of a golden brown shepherd’s pie in a rustic white ceramic baking dish with crispy mashed potato topping, a spoon scooping into the savory beef filling with peas and carrots, steam rising on a wooden table with fresh thyme.
Jana Rae

Classic Shepherd's Pie

This easy shepherd's pie recipe features seasoned ground lamb (or beef), mixed vegetables, and creamy mashed potatoes. A cozy one-dish meal perfect for cold nights.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 6
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: British, Irish
Calories: 540
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the mashed potato topping:
  • 2 lbs russet or Yukon Gold potatoes peeled and quartered
  • ½ cup whole milk or heavy cream
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • 1 egg yolk optional
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese optional
For the meat filling:
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 lb ground lamb or ground beef
  • 1 medium yellow onion finely diced
  • 2 medium carrots finely diced
  • 2 celery stalks finely diced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 1 tsp fresh thyme or ½ tsp dried
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch + 2 tbsp water optional

Method
 

  1. Boil potatoes in salted water for 15–20 minutes until tender. Drain, return to pot, and mash with butter, milk, salt, and pepper. Stir in egg yolk and Parmesan if using. Set aside.
  2. Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 9×9 baking dish.
  3. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Brown the ground lamb (or beef), about 5–7 minutes. Transfer meat to a plate.
  4. In the same pan, cook onion, carrots, and celery for 5–6 minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook 1 minute.
  5. Stir in tomato paste and cook 1 minute. Add Worcestershire sauce, beef broth, thyme, salt, and pepper. Scrape up browned bits.
  6. Return meat to the pan. Add peas. Simmer 5–8 minutes until slightly reduced. Add cornstarch slurry if a thicker gravy is desired.
  7. Pour filling into baking dish. Spoon mashed potatoes over the top and spread to the edges. Create ridges with a fork.
  8. Bake for 20–25 minutes until bubbly and golden brown. Broil for 2 minutes if desired.
  9. Rest for 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Notes

To make cottage pie (the beef version), simply substitute ground beef for the lamb. Add 1 cup of corn kernels along with the peas for extra sweetness and color. For a gluten-free version, use gluten-free Worcestershire sauce and cornstarch (not flour) for thickening.