Shepherd's pie is a wonderfully cozy recipe to prepare for yourself and your loved ones when a comforting, hot, and nourishing meal is what you're hungry for. My scrumptious version features a rich, saucy mixture of ground beef and diced vegetables topped with a fluffy layer of freshly whipped roasted garlic mashed potatoes, served in individual ramekins!
Shepherd's Pie, Coziness in Every Spoonful
I must've been about eighteen years old when I first tried shepherd's pie, a delicious, classic English dish.
Being new to Los Angeles at the time, I found myself exploring and getting acquainted with all the neat spaces and places that it had to offer my young, impressionable soul, and stumbled upon an area of Santa Monica near the beach which had lots of British pubs and cozy little tea rooms.
During one of my excursions to that area, I decided to stop into one of those quaint little English tea rooms around lunchtime one day, and feeling a bit hungry, I ordered shepherd's pie, something I had never heard of at the time, to go with my little pot of blackcurrant tea.
The description of that shepherd's pie recipe was so comforting and cozy to me, with its rich mixture of ground meat, finely diced carrots, onions and petite peas topped deliciously with a creamy layer of piping hot mashed potatoes.
How could I resist?
Shepherd's pie sounded like a dish that was the epitome of comfort food, and something that my mom would prepare back at home in Michigan. It seemed like it would be just the kind of meal I'd thoroughly enjoy, filled with love and a sprinkle of nurture.
And that's exactly how it tasted to me…
I found coziness in every spoonful of that piping hot, saucy meal, and became a fan of it from that day going forward, which inspired me to eventually prepare my own take on shepherd's pie.
Again, how could I resist? 😉
How to Make Shepherd's Pie
In Britain, classic shepherd's pie is prepared using ground lamb, but you will often find ground beef used in the filling mixture here in the U.S. (This beef-filled version is called “cottage pie” in Britain).
Stateside, the term “shepherd's pie” is used interchangeably for either the lamb filling or the beef filling, and because I personally prefer beef, that is what I like to use for my filling. However, you can of course use ground lamb for recipe.
The meat mixture typically consists of some finely diced veggies such as carrots, onions, and peas, plus some seasoning such as Worcestershire sauce for that classic sweet-savory flavor. This filling is spooned into a prepared baking dish, topped with freshly-prepared mashed potatoes, and baked until hot and slightly golden on top.
I like to prepare my shepherd's pie recipe in individual ramekins for easy serving, and top each with creamy roasted garlic mashed potatoes, making this recipe a touch extra savory, comforting and flavorful!
Here's a peek at my shepherd's pie recipe:
- To get started, I prepare my mashed potatoes. I do this by first roasting off a head of garlic. Once they're cool enough to handle, I mash the cloves into a paste. While the garlic roasts, I cook my potatoes and mash them, then fold in the roasted garlic paste at the end.
- The filling comes next, and this takes just a few minutes. I begin by sauteing the veggies just until softened, then add in my ground beef, seasoning, garlic, and tomato paste, and once cooked through, I thicken things up with a touch of flour.
- I stir in my beef broth/stock, simmer for a moment or two, then finish things with the Worcestershire sauce, peas, and fresh herbs.
- To bake, I spoon the filling into four medium-large ramekins (you can alternately use a medium-large baking dish, if you prefer), top with the fresh roasted garlic mashed potatoes, and bake for about 20 minutes.
- I allow the shepherd's pie to cool slightly for about 5 minutes, then serve.
Recipe
Shepherd's Pie
by Ingrid Beer
Category: Entree
Cuisine: American
Yield: Serves 4
Nutrition Info: 712 calories
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Filling Ingredients:
- 3-4 tablespoons of Olive oil
- 1 onion, diced finely
- 1 large carrot, peeled and diced finely
- 1 pound ground beef (85/15 fat ratio), or ground lamb
- 1 large clove garlic (or 2 small), pressed through garlic press
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Pinch salt
- 1 ½ tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons (slightly heaping) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup warm beef stock/broth
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, plus a little extra for garnishing
- 1 teaspoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
- ½ cup frozen petite peas, thawed
Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes Ingredients:
- 1 head garlic, top cut off
- Drizzle of Olive oil
- Salt
- Black pepper
- 4 small russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 4 tablespoons softened, unsalted butter
- ½ cup (scant) milk (or half & half, for richer flavor)
- ½ teaspoon fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
Preparation:
- Begin by preparing the roasted garlic mashed potatoes: preheat your oven to 400°.
- Place the head of garlic onto a small square of foil, drizzle with a little oil, and sprinkle over a bit of salt and pepper; wrap the head tightly in the foil, and roast for 40 minutes until soft.
- Once roasted, allow the garlic to cool just until it can be handled, then squeeze the soft cloves from the papers and make a roasted garlic “paste” with a fork or knife; set aside. (Leave the oven on.)
- While the garlic roasts, add the cubed potatoes into a pot and cover with water by about an inch; add a liberal amount of salt (so it tastes like sea water), and put the potatoes over medium-high heat.
- Cook the potatoes until fork tender, about 20-22 minutes; then, drain the potatoes very well.
- Put the cooked potatoes through a ricer, if you have one (otherwise, just mash them very well), and add to them the butter and the milk (or half & half); fold those in and check to see if any additional salt/pepper is needed.
- Add in the roasted garlic “paste”, plus the thyme and parsley, and fold those in to combine; keep the potatoes warm.
- Prepare the filling and assemble the dish: turn your oven up to 425°.
- Place a large pan or skillet over medium-high heat, and add in about 3-4 tablespoons of oil; once the oil is hot, add in the onion and the carrot, and saute for about 3-4 minutes, or until the veggies begin to become tender.
- Add in the ground beef, breaking it up with your spoon into a crumble, and allow it to cook and brown with the veggies until no longer pink, about 4-6 minutes.
- Next, add in the garlic, the black pepper, and the pinch of salt, and stir to combine; once the garlic becomes aromatic, add in the tomato paste and stir to combine, cooking it for about 30-45 seconds just to cook out the raw flavor.
- Sprinkle over the flour and stir to combine, and cook that for about 30-45 seconds, as well.
- Add in the beef stock/broth and stir, and allow the mixture to cook just until slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and add in the Worcestershire sauce, thyme, parsley, and peas, and stir to incorporate.
- To bake, spoon equal amounts of the meat filling into individual, medium-size ramekins (you could also use a medium-size baking dish, as well) and top each with a generous amount of the mashed potatoes, making a little design in them with a fork.
- Place the ramekins onto a baking sheet (for easier removal), and bake the shepherd's pies for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are golden on top.
- Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes or so before serving (they will be hot!), and garnish with a few more thyme leaves, if desired.
Tips & Tidbits for my Shepherd's Pie recipe:
- Your choice of ground meat: Because I personally prefer ground beef to lamb, I use that in my filling. But feel free to use ground lamb to make this a classic version of shepherd's pie, or even substitute ground turkey or ground chicken as slightly leaner options.
- Fast-track the mashed potatoes: While adding the roasted garlic into the creamy mashed potatoes offers a little something “extra”, you can certainly skip this step if you prefer to save time. In this case, you'd simply just proceed with preparing the recipe starting with cooking the potatoes, and omit the step for roasting the head of garlic.
- Individual ramekins, or a single baking dish: The individual ramekins I used are roughly 4” across and 2” deep. If you prefer to prepare this recipe in one baking dish, then a medium-size baking dish should work well.
- Prepare ahead for easy shepherd's pie: To make things a bit quicker and easier the day you'd like to serve this recipe, you can make the filling a day or two ahead of time, then reheat before spooning it into the ramekins or baking dish. It's best to prep the mashed potatoes fresh to keep them nice and creamy, but those can also be done ahead if you prefer, then reheated with a touch more milk or half & half added to make them creamy again.
Feast your eyes on these, or just jump to the recipe:
Hungry for more cozy and warming recipes? Check out this Hungarian Red Potato Goulash, this Steak and Ale Soup, this Stuffed Acorn Squash, or this Stuffed Eggplant!
Cook's Note: This recipe was originally published in 2015, and has been updated with even more love!
Lynda
This is one of my favorite dishes! Your recipe looks wonderful.
The Cozy Apron
Thanks so much! 🙂
Roxanne
Your words are as inspirational as your delicious recipes! Thanks for sharing a part of YOU!
The Cozy Apron
Roxanne, I really appreciate that! And thank YOU for your readership!
Melissa
Thanks for sharing...needed that today 🙂
The Cozy Apron
Melissa, thank you!
Roseanne V. Sabol
Dear Ingrid ~
We were expecting another of our New England snow storms this past weekend and I thought this would be a hearty dish to share with my folks. In the past, my husband had always wrinkled his nose and let me know he just wasn't a fan of Shepherd's Pie. "Too dry, too bland......" Your recipe was so delicious, so moist, so perfect. Everyone, including you-know who, loved it! Honestly....this is one of the best meals I've made. I made the recipe one and a half times, having also added a drop or two of Tincture of Love, and sent a small casserole home with my parents. And because of this context we've shared, it will be always be a bit special for me.
Warm blessings and regards to you.
The Cozy Apron
Dear Roseanne, you don't how excited I am that you made this and that even "you-know-who" enjoyed it, haha!! 🙂 Too cute...
My heart is so warmed that your precious parents were sent home with some, and could relish the love that you certainly sprinkled into it. Always a pleasure to hear from you, and I thank you for all you share, and for all of your care. Warm blessings to you and your family, Roseanne!
Amy Hunt
It was the recipe that brought me here..love Shepherds Pie. Thank you for sharing..your recipe and your thoughts.
The Cozy Apron
Amy, thanks so much for stopping by, and if you do try the recipe, I truly hope you enjoy it!
MB
I am so excited to find this recipe! My very picky son tried Shepherd's Pie and LOVES it! Your recipe sounds very close to how he described it! Could you please tell me, though, what size ramekins did you use? I'm not a very kitchen savvy-could you give me the approximate ounces, please? Thank you so much for sharing! Many blessings to you!
The Cozy Apron
Hi MB! So excited that YOU are excited to make this! It's a really comforting and fairly simple recipe, and my hope is that your precious son will thoroughly enjoy his momma's efforts and be well-nourished both with the physical food and with your love! So here's what I can tell you about the ramekins: I purchased them at Cost Plus World Imports (if you have those near you), and when I poured water in mine to see roughly how many ounces they hold, it was about 10 ounces. (I was hoping it would have the number on the bottom, but didn't.) They're not the really small ones, but ones that you can see fitting a nice meal-size portion into. And also, if you can't find them, just make this recipe in one larger baking/casserole dish—no problem! Hope you enjoy!
Olivia Simoen
Hi Ingrid, I have a question about your Shepherd's pie. Do you think I could freeze these? I like the fact that you make these in ramekins and will try it. But I'd like to make more so I can freeze. You might have seen me passing on insta (Olivias_kitchen_diary). I just started this adventure and like it. But have a lot to learn from people like you. I really like your insta and your Blog. Your cooking is really my taste. I started around Christmas. One of my best friends passed away on November 20th. After her passing her daughter (15 years old) and husband (picky eater) kept telling me that they would miss mom's cooking so very much. That really stuck with me and still makes me so very sad. My daughter (3rd year at university) and son (16) told me I should do something positive with this grief. I love to cook as my friend did. And my family likes to eat (hahaha) My daughter would always call me (she is in Schotland for uni and I am in the US) and ask about recipes. So I decided to just cook my meals as I do every day but put them on instagram like a step-by-step so she could follow. And every time I post something I think of my friend. I really like it and it sparked a renewed love for cooking in me.
The Cozy Apron
Hi Olivia, yes I know you from Insta...and your beautiful comment has touched me so deeply.
I am so sorry for the loss of your dear friend, and my heart goes out to her daughter and husband. It makes me want to weep that they say they "miss mom's cooking". Of course they do...
What a beautiful thing you are doing, sharing your experiences with recipes and "passing it on", as I always like to say at the end of so many of my posts. You are doing a wonderful thing with this grief and with the love in your heart, and you are a blessing!!
I do believe you could freeze these. I don't see why not. If you don't want to make in ramekins, you can make it on larger baking dish or even aluminum pan (for easy disposal). I would just assemble it (or them, if making ramekins), allow to completely cool, then wrap in plastic wrap and freeze. When ready to bake off, allow things thaw in the fridge for a couple of days, then proceed.
My hope it that this meal as well as others you find on my site will be a comfort to your family as well as your friend's family, and provided some nourishment. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you need more help or inspiration!!
Sending my love and well wishes...
Penny at Enjoying The Simple Things
Love Shepards Pie and served in the little ramakins it looks delightful!
The Cozy Apron
Thanks, Penny!
Karen
Another wonderful recipe of yours. We all loved this. I made as directed. Comfort food!
I made one pie with the roasted garlic mashed potatoes and unexpected company called and stopped by. So while one was baking I whipped up another. This one I just used my garlic press and added 2 garlic cloves to a pan of heated milk and butter and let the garlic infuse before I added it to the final mashed potatoes. Both ways were tasty and I could not tell the difference.
By the way, this dish was just as delicious reheated.
Lake Orion is not far from us.Just over the river and through the woods.
The Cozy Apron
Karen, I'm so happy you shared all of this with me—I'm thrilled the recipe turned out to be so comforting and warming for and your unexpected guests! 😉
Please say "hello" to Lake Orion from me!