Shepherd’s Pie
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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 It hails from the UK and Ireland and was originally made with leftover lamb stew, but here in the U.S., it’s usually made with ground beef (technically cottage pie, but most of us still call it shepherd’s pie).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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nutrition Information
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- 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.
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I made this dish last night and everyone had seconds. I can’t stop thinking about it! Totally delicious. Not at all like the Shepard pies I have had in the past. This dish had so much flavor and did not make you feel stuffed. I did not have half and half so I used skim milk and it was still perfect. Used 90% lean ground beef. I also used edamame in lieu of peas. So so so good!! Passed the recipe on to friends already! Thank you!
Made this most delicious meal over the weekend. Pure Bliss! Delish! I used my Apilco large casserole dish and the presentation was beautiful. Thank you for this recipe Jenn!
The Husband would like me to use ground lamb, do you think that’s okay?
Thank you,
Juliana
So glad you enjoyed it! Yes, lamb will work here. You can skip the tenderizing step as well as the bacon (lamb is so flavorful that I don’t think the bacon is necessary). Enjoy!
I made this on a Sunday and went into work on Monday and bragged to all my co-workers about how amazing this recipe is. Even the picky eaters in our household had more than one helping! The only change I would make is to prepare the potatoes after the sauce has been made. They were really hard to spread by the time I was ready to add them – probably the cook and not the recipe’s fault. Your recipes are fantastic! Thank you so much!
I used the recipe for the meat portion of my shephards pie and it was a delicious change! I will make again, I used 1 1/2 c of frozen corn and a can of cream style corn on the meat mixture and I eliminate all the butter, sour cream and cream in the potatoes and only use milk.
Another perfect recipe. This came out hearty, savory, and delicious. Don’t skip the meat tenderizing step, it made a big difference. Thank you Jenn for all of the detail and thought you put into each and every recipe.
I made this with ground venison and it was excellent! I’m going to have to double it next time so we can have some leftovers!
I just made this tonight with 3/4 ground pork, 1/4 ground beef and grilled steak tips cut up very small; as this was our choice for thawed meats, and let me tell you it was fantastic! I did put it in a 13 x 9 pyrex dish. I am going to look at more of your recipes and try another; my family was very pleased!
Made this last night and it was delicious. My husband and toddler went back for seconds! Our local grocery store was out of sour cream and chives. I added a little greek yogurt to the potatos and they came out great. Thank you for the wonderful recipe.
I just made this tonight and it tasted great but was still a little soupy when I went to serve it. Should I have reduced it more before baking, or baked it longer? I followed the recipe but only had 80/20 ground beef.
Hi Lauren, I suspect it was the 80/20 ground beef that would’ve contributed a lot more fat which would create more liquid. Hope that helps!
I am going to try this recipe tonight, but also have 80/20. What do you suggest to combat the extra liquid?
Hi Brenda, after you make the ground beef mixture, I’d just use a spoon to spoon out some of the additional liquid. Hope that helps and that you enjoy!
I made this last night for dinner and it was delicious!! I used 2 pounds of hamburger to make it a little larger. Definitely this will go on the menu plan again!