Shepherd’s Pie
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
This shepherd’s pie recipe is cozy, crowd-pleasing, and just the thing to make when you’re craving something hearty and homemade.
Shepherd’s pie is the ultimate comfort food—creamy mashed potatoes piled on top of a rich, savory stew. It hails from the UK and Ireland and was originally made with leftover lamb stew, but here in the U.S., it’s usually made with ground beef (technically cottage pie, but most of us still call it shepherd’s pie).
In this version, you’ll start by making a batch of buttery mashed potatoes with a little sour cream for extra tang and richness. Then you’ll cook up a hearty ground beef and veggie stew with bacon and a splash of wine for depth. You can spoon the potatoes right over the filling in the skillet to keep things simple (easy clean-up!), or assemble the layers in a baking dish if you want to serve it more casserole-style.
“This is comfort food at its best! The meat mixture with the bacon was incredible. It takes a bit of prep time, but was a wonderful Sunday project (and worth the effort)!”
What You’ll Need To Make Shepherd’s Pie
- Ground Beef: The hearty base of the filling. Using extra-lean beef keeps things lighter and saves you the step of draining off fat. Ground lamb is the traditional choice for Shepherd’s pie and would work beautifully here as well. For a lighter version, you can substitute ground chicken or turkey. When using meats other than beef, you can omit the step of tenderizing with baking soda.
- Baking Soda: Helps tenderize the meat so it stays juicy and tender as it cooks.
- Russet Potatoes: These starchy spuds make the best mashed potato topping—light, fluffy, and perfect for soaking up the gravy.
- Sour cream, butter, and half & half: The combination of these makes the mashed potatoes extra rich, creamy, and flavorful.
- Bacon: Adds a smoky depth and heartiness to the filling.
- Onions and Garlic: Build the savory base of the filling.
- Carrots and Frozen Peas: Add color, sweetness, and some veggies to balance out the richness of the other ingredients.
- Red Wine: Brings bold, complex flavor to the sauce. Any dry red wine will work—use one you’d be happy to drink.
- All-purpose flour: Thickens the filling, ensuring it’s hearty and not too liquidy.
- Tomato Paste: Adds richness and a concentrated tomato flavor to the meat mixture.
- Worcestershire sauce: A splash adds a tangy, meaty depth of flavor.
- Chicken Broth: Keeps the filling saucy and adds more savory flavor without weighing things down. I use chicken broth as that’s what I typically have in my cupboard, but beef broth works just as well.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Tenderize the beef. In a medium bowl, combine the ground beef, baking soda, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 tablespoon of water. Mash with your hand to mix, then let sit for 20 minutes. This quick step raises the pH of the meat, which helps it stay juicy and tender as it cooks.
Step 2: Boil and prep the potatoes. While the beef rests, place the potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. (Starting the potatoes in cold water helps them cook evenly from the inside out.) Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until fork-tender, about 10 minutes. Drain, return the potatoes to the pan, and cook over medium heat stirring them with a wooden spoon or potato masher until they are dry and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Pro tip: Drying the potatoes in the pan removes excess moisture, which gives you a fluffier, creamier mash with better structure for topping the pie.
Step 3: Mash the potatoes. Off the heat, add the sour cream, butter, half & half, and remaining teaspoon of salt. Adding the dairy ingredients off the heat keeps it from curdling and helps maintain a smooth texture. Mash until smooth and creamy, then taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Set aside.
Step 4: Cook the bacon. In a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving the fat in the pan. Those bacon drippings add a ton of flavor to the base of the filling.
Step 5: Cook the veggies. Add the onions and carrots and cook until soft and starting to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook another minute. Letting the vegetables brown slightly builds flavor and adds sweetness; adding garlic after the onions and carrots keeps it from burning and turning bitter.
Step 6: Add and reduce the wine: Pour in the wine, turn the heat to high, and boil until reduced by half, scraping up any browned bits. The browned bits (called fond) add flavor and depth to the sauce.
Step 7: Add the flour. Stir in the flour until dissolved. Make sure to stir it thoroughly to prevent lumps later on. The flour adds body to the sauce; cooking it briefly removes any raw flour taste.
Step 8: Add the ground beef and flavoring. Add the beef mixture, tomato paste, and Worcestershire sauce to the skillet.
Step 9: Cook ground beef mixture and add broth. Cook, breaking the meat up with a spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth and simmer until thickened, 2 minutes more, scraping the pan as needed.
Step 10: Add remaining ingredients. Stir in the thyme, pepper, peas, and cooked bacon. Cook just until the peas are warmed through. (Adding peas at the end keeps them bright and tender, not mushy.)
Step 11: Top the ground beef mixture with potatoes. Drop spoonfuls of mashed potatoes over the filling. Dotting the top with spoonfuls first makes it easier to spread without disturbing the filling underneath.
Step 12: Spread the potatoes. Use a rubber spatula to spread the potatoes into an even layer, all the way to the edges. (Spreading all the way to the edges helps seal in the filling and prevents bubbling over.) Drag a fork across the top to create ridges.
Step 13: Bake. Place the skillet on a baking sheet to catch any drips and bake at 400°F until hot and bubbling, about 30 minutes. For a more golden top, pop under the broiler and broil for the last 5 minutes (just keep a close eye on it to prevent it from burning).
Sprinkle with chives and serve. Shepherd’s pie can be made ahead—just prep the stew in advance and store it in the fridge. For best texture, make the mashed potatoes fresh before baking.
Shepherd’s Pie Video Tutorial
More Hearty Dishes You May Like
Shepherd's Pie
This shepherd’s pie recipe delivers big, cozy flavor with rich beef and creamy potatoes in every bite.
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds 90% lean ground beef
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons salt, divided
- 2½ pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1-in chunks
- ¼ cup half & half
- 4 oz bacon, diced (about 3 slices thick-cut bacon)
- 2 medium yellow onions, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup red wine
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1½ cups chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup frozen peas
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and set an oven rack in the middle position.
- Place the beef, baking soda, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and 1 tablespoon of water in a medium bowl. Mash with your hand to combine. Set aside for 20 minutes.
- While the meat tenderizes, place the potatoes in medium saucepan and add just enough cold water to cover them. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until the potatoes are soft and fork-tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the potatoes and return to the saucepan. Place the pan over medium heat and stir the potatoes with a wooden spoon or potato masher until they are dry and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add the sour cream, butter, half & half, and the remaining teaspoon of salt. Using a potato masher, stir and mash the potatoes with the other ingredients until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Set the mashed potatoes aside.
- Heat a 12-in oven-proof skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring frequently, until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving the fat in the pan. Add the onions and carrots to the bacon fat and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and starting to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add the wine and increase the heat to high; bring to a boil, scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the pan, until the liquid is reduced by about half. Add the flour and stir until dissolved. Add the reserved ground beef mixture, tomato paste, and Worcestershire sauce; continue cooking on high heat, breaking the meat apart with a spoon, until the meat is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth; bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, and cook, scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the pan, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the thyme, pepper, peas, and reserved bacon, and cook until the peas are warmed through. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
- Dollop the mashed potatoes evenly over the filling. Use a rubber or offset spatula to spread the potatoes evenly over the stew and all the way to the edges of the skillet. Drag a fork across the top to make ridges. Place the skillet on a baking sheet or large sheet of foil to catch any drips and bake until the filling is hot, the topping is lightly browned, and the edges are bubbly, about 30 minutes. (For more color, turn on the broiler and broil for the last 5 minutes, or until the top is golden.) Sprinkle with chives and serve.
- Note: If you don’t have an oven-safe skillet, you can transfer the meat mixture to a 2.5-qt casserole dish and then spread the mashed potatoes overtop.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: The stew portion of the recipe can be made several days ahead of time and refrigerated. Before assembling the pie, reheat the stew, adding a little broth if necessary if it seems dry. The mashed potatoes should be made right before assembling and baking the pie.
Nutrition Information
Powered by 
- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 650
- Fat: 33 g
- Saturated fat: 15 g
- Carbohydrates: 50 g
- Sugar: 7 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 33 g
- Sodium: 1243 mg
- Cholesterol: 122 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Made this last night with leftover leg of lamb that I chopped up small. Other than that followed the recipe to a t and it was delicious! We will add it into the rotation for sure!
Made this last night and it was fabulous. I do think next time I will just put one cup of chicken broth in to see if it holds together a little better. Put the whole frying pan in the frig over night and it was easy to cut portions for out next meal and freeze them. They held together perfectly.
For people wondering – I left out the bacon and wine and this recipe still kicks ass! The potatoes were so perfect, I added some grated parmesan at the end and they were gloriously crispy. Leaving 5 stars partially to counteract all of the unhinged nitpickers complaining that Shepherd’s Pie uses lamb.
I love your recipes but needed to comment on this one. My husband is from England and loves Shepard pie. I have made this dish on a number of occasions with various recipes. I tried your recipe, but I have an issue with the amount of animal fat left in the final dish. Between the bacon fat that is used to cook the onion and carrots, and then the ground beef fat, it is way too greasy. Because your recipe suggest browning the ground beef and adding the tomato paste at the same time, there is virtually no way to drain off any fat. By the time I was done cooking the ground beef portion of this dish, I was personally grossed out with all of the fat content left in the pan. You can’t see it but it’s there. I finished the dish (too late to make changes), but I would suggest browning the ground beef, drain, then continue on. I’m no cooking expert, but in my opinion, any recipe with ground beef should also include a step to drain the fat before moving on. Personally I couldn’t eat it because I knew how much unhealthy portions were in the dish. Other than that, the recipe is a good and a staple for Shepherds Pie.
Is there a chance you didn’t use 90% beef as recommended? I didn’t find it greasy at all.
Another GREAT recipe! TY Jenn!!!
I agree with Christine Mine was not greasy in the least, actually very little and just delicious!
Cottage pie beef, shepherds pie lamb.
Great recipe that evolved a little bit in our making of it. Had never heard of tenderizing ground beef before, interesting….Added cremini mushrooms, mushroom ‘dust’ (dried varietal mushrooms ground), added garlic powder and onion powder. Meat filling extremely flavourful! Added additional S&P to suit our tastes. The inclusion of wine and bacon really did add alot of flavour, you don’t taste the wine once it’s cooked down by half. Fortunate to live in the Maritimes and the mashed potato topper was delicious. Shredded gruyere makes for a tasty finish… Highly recommend this recipe and tweak it to your own tastes if you wish.
Made it tonight and it was not traditional shepherd pie but the wine and bacon took it over the top. We ate the whole lasagna pan sized dish. I shared some with my neighbor. Whatever cottage shepherds and to each their own. You know what you love and are used to tasting. You can’t be negative about this recipe. Loved the bacon bits the most!! Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe. 😋
In the uk shepherds pie is made with lamb and cottage pie made with beef. I’m almost 50 and that’s how my Grandma always referred to them 😊 both born and bred in uk 😊
I made this last night and have a few comments of things I would differently. I read and re-read the recipe wondering if you suggested draining the fat from the cooked ground beef anywhere and I didn’t see it. So I very reluctantly went along without draining it but it stuck in my mind as kinda gross. Between the bacon fat and the ground beef fat from a pound and a half of meat…that’s a lot of fat. The end result was fine and my husband ate it, but I couldn’t eat it which is a shame because there is so much of it. I couldn’t get over the visual of all that fat sitting in it. Can you help me understand why the fat isn’t drained? I am a decently experienced cook and have not seen too many recipes that don’t drain ground beef fat. What’s the thinking behind it? I presume it’s for the flavor?
Hi Angela, I use 90% lean ground beef in this recipe, which I find does not need to be drained. However, if you prefer draining it, that is perfectly fine. Hope it turns out better for you next time!
Made your shepherds pie recipe this week. I never write reviews, but this deserved an applause.
I never review any recipe that I have tweaked, and I did not do that to this one.
This recipe is absolutely delicious. Moist tender, flavourful filling. The red wine makes the gravy, and you don’t taste the wine. Also the mashed potatoes are creamy but still hold their shape so that the pie when does not look like mush . This is a 5 star. I am getting rid of my old shepherds pie recipe