Shepherd’s Pie (Cottage Pie)
This classic Shepherd’s Pie recipe will have everyone asking for seconds. It’s full of flavor and the creamy mashed potatoes make it extra delicious!
Your luck has just struck with my recipe for Shepherd’s Pie. The lovely folks of Ireland knew what they were doing when they created this dish. With flavorful meat and veggies at the bottom of a deep baking pan with a thick layer of mashed potatoes and cheese on top, what’s not to love? There is something for everyone with this dinner! The only thing that could make this meal more authentic than it already is, is if you serve a cold Guinness on the side.
WITH THIS MANY POTATOES, THERE WILL BE NO FAMINE IN YOUR KITCHEN
As mentioned earlier, there is a little something in this dinner for everyone. For me and my kids It’s the layer of mashed potatoes that tops the dish. Anytime I can incorporate this into one of my recipes, I know my kids will devour their dinner. Me too! For my husband, Kale it’s the base of the dish. Lean ground beef is sauteed with vegetables like peas, carrots, onions, and seasoning to bring out the full flavor. This recipe makes a TON of food as well. It’s also incredibly filling. We usually put at least half of the pan in the refrigerator to serve and eat the next day.
COTTAGE PIE VS. SHEPHERD’S PIE
There are probably some of you out there wondering what the difference is between the two. Authentic Shepherd’s Pie is traditionally served with lamb. This kind of wildlife was more accessible in Ireland at the time of its origin. If you and your family like the flavor profile of lamb, then I recommend going for it! Here in the Lofthouse we like to substitute ground beef for lamb in the recipe. This style of recipe can be called Cottage Pie. Honestly, if it tastes delicious then I couldn’t care less what dinner is called.
ENJOY THIS RECIPE? HERE ARE A FEW MORE OF MY INTERNATIONAL DINNER FAVORITES!
Szechuan Chicken – Tender bits of chicken sauteed with fresh vegetables in a gourmet teriyaki sauce.
Italian Herb Roasted Chicken – Juicy chicken that has been rubbed in a variety of Italian flavored herbs and spices that is cooked to perfection.
Easy Thai Noodles – Very simple and delicious Asian inspired noodle dish that is great for vegetarians and meat lovers.
Chicken Chimichangas – Fried burritos that are stuffed with flavorful chicken, rice, and beans.
Shepherd’s Pie (aka. Cottage Pie)
Ingredients
Potato Layer
- 3 large russet potatoes
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Meat Layer
- 2 pounds ground beef or lamb, turkey
- 1 small onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper
- 2 Tablespoons flour
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1/2 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 1/2 cups frozen peas and carrots
- 1/2 cup frozen corn
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
Potato Layer
- Peel potatoes and chop into small pieces. Place chopped potatoes in a large pot of water. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are tender. (About 15 – 20 minutes)
- Drain water from pot. Mash the potatoes. Add butter, milk and garlic powder. Continue to mash until no lumps remain. Cover potatoes and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 375° F. Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish with non-stick spray.
Meat Layer
- In a large 12-inch skillet, over medium-high heat, add ground beef,onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook and crumble meat until browned. Drain grease.
- Sprinkle flour evenly over meat mixture. Stir and cook 1 minute. Stir in tomato paste, broth, Worcestershire sauce and oregano. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in frozen peas, carrots and corn. Cook another 5 to 10 minutes or until heated through.
- Pour meat mixture into the prepared baking dish. Spread mashed potatoes evenly over the top. Top potatoes evenly with cheddar cheese.
- Bake, uncovered, for 35 minutes until casserole is hot and bubbly. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
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You are very right – it is Cottage Pie when made with beef because shepherds don’t herd cows, they herd sheep. So true shepherd’s pie is made with ground lamb, not beef. But your recipe sounds super yummy!!
🙂
I think you’ve gotten mixed up about the name of this dish.. Cottage pie is made with beef, Shepherds pie is made with lamb (get it… shepherd = sheep = lamb). What you’ve made is a cottage pie and definitely NOT a shepherds pie
I know that. Read above the recipe and I explain that. Thanks.
So Glad you said something!
Good lord do these “special people” even bother to look at the name.of the recipe.
Tell them to help themselves to a great big cup of shut the f#*k up!!
Superb recipe by the way!!
Thanks, Jeff! 🙂
So embarrassed. I thought it literally meant Shepherds were part of the recipe. Now the whole town is upset since we are missing 3 shepherds. Will use lamb or beef next time. Tasted great tho!
Right on ! Some people are so picky. I’m surprise she didn’t say it was a racial slur. What’s happen to our country.
Thank you!!! Who gives a damn beef, lamb… The recipe is delicious!
Well, I’m gonna mess with everyone and make it with Bison. I/we still call it Shepherd’s pie.
Pam! I love this!!
Lol! My sentiments exactly.
I plan to make this as a surprise meal for my busy daughter and her family. I will explain the controversy over the name. They won’t care. They will call it Yummy Pie. May even make a pumpkin pie for dessert. Granddaughter’s fav.
Guess some people just can’t read.
For Gods sake you forsaken woman get it right!!! LOL But seriously I make this recipe all the time and it is delicious and comforting in all sense of the word! And I prefer to call it Shepards pie regardless of the fact that yes it may have lost the shepherding party as it came across the pond! Thanks!
Hahaha, you tell them Holly Anyway, who cares what it’s called, I am making it right now, and I can’t wait to try it! Thank you for sharing!
Evidently they don’t read everything. Also in this country with beef we call it Shepherds Pie
Same here. In Canada, anyway. Never even tried a lamb version until this year.
Holly, beautiful recipe!!! I added more Worcester sauce and stove other herbs. Delicious and simple. Exactly what I was looking for. Thank you
Some people need to read the article before they start to make snarky comments. Love the recipe, no matter what you call it. I call it good food! ❤️
In the USA …. in the South….WE call this Shepherd’s Pie…made with ground meat. If YOU are a foreigner in these parts……it may be easier to adapt to the local customs. This is a fabulous recipe. We do not eat potatoes due to the sugar content…so I use cauliflower and mash like potatoes. So good.
Thank you Holly
ummm that sounds yummy too.
Shut the f up. Get off your high horse and get a life. A-hole.
Oh brother! Holly please ignore these perfect people. This site is wonderful and I just thank goodness for it daily! Let’s the correctobots play elsewhere. Keep it light people!! Xo
Thank you 🙂 I appreciate that!
I first ate at an English family home very good friends of mine. It was called Shephered Pie and made with beef. Excellent dish. Never had had that before. (no cheese though) I must try it with the cheese. thank you so much.=:)
Shepard’s pie.. cottage pie… shut up and eat! It’s delicious!
That may have been the original name the dish but everyone I know would associate ground meat + mashed potaroes = shepherd’s pie…I’ve never even heard the the term ‘cottage pie’…point is, nice to add some flavour to a classic favourite! I always add ‘Bisto’ – gravy mix – to the meat mix to make it saucy – why am I so hungry all of a sudden?? 😉 lol
Hmmm… what is this Bisto that you speak of, Jenn?
Shepherd’s Pie to me… Made a very similar recipe just the other day, it was delicious. I’ll be sure to try yours. Try a tablespoon or more of horseradish added to the mashed potatoes. It adds a nice touch. Love your blog.
Would y’all get off your high horse & leave her alone??? She knows what the proper term is, hence she explained it. Gah! Just try her delicious recipes and have a seat. Thx!
Can’t wait sounds yummy 🙂
Made this last night for St. Patty’s day and it was DELICIOUS!!!!! Your site has so many yummy recipes, thank you!!
Jennifer! Glad it was a hit for you 🙂
So where do you add the beef stock? It’s not mentioned in the instructions
It’s mentioned in step 5.
This is the best recipe ever! I sub the corn and peas for mushrooms. Yum!
I’ve been laughing at all the bickering. Just cook people and enjoy! HAKUNA MATATA!
I have made it before with beef and I call it Shepherds pie
I was born and raised in the UK and this is known as Shepherds Pie. Chill out everyone! Thanks for posting its delicious!
Just found this recipe and it looks dee-lish. I’ve never made Shepherd’s-slash-Cottage Pie (although I did appreciate learning Shepherd’s is traditionally made with lamb – never knew that, always thought it was beef), but this looks like just the one I want to try! Thanks.
I live in England Sheperds pie is made with lamb hence Shepard, cottage pie is made with beef. No English person would call it shepherdess pie with beef.
Oh, my! The heavenly smells filling my kitchen, as this bakes in my oven! I will double the magic that is the “gravy” the next time I make this. I also cheated and used 2 family sized packets of Idahoan Baby Reds mashed potatoes. Thanks for such a delicious recipe that I can be proud to serve my family 🙂
Great recipe. Made it for dinner tonight (used instant potatoes because that’s what I had on hand) and added some leftover crumbled breakfast sausage to the ground beef. Tasted wonderful/highly recommend!! Recipe will be in steady rotation at our house – thank you!
Does it really matter what it’s called?! It’s a really good meat pie/ sheppards pie !!
Ha! Thanks, Laura! I agree 100%
Did you make this in a 9×13 dish? I wasn’t sure from the picture.
This recipe was delicious!! I made it for my boyfriend and I and it fed us all week 🙂 I am also making one for my best friend who recently had a baby and doesn’t like to cook 😉 That way all she has to do is warm it up!! This is a great go to that I would recommend to anyone! <3
Hi Holly,
This recipe is wonderful, so much so that I had to tell you about my experience in making it!
Even though I had never made Shepherd’s Pie/Cottage Pie in my life, I volunteered to make six 9 X 13 pans of it for a huge crowd last weekend (yes, I had had a glass of wine when I volunteered, lol!) So with no recipe of my own, I searched Pinterest through dozens of recipes and decided on yours above all others, mainly because your recipe was simple, easy, straightforward, and seemed spot-on as to what traditional Shepherd’s Pie/Cottage Pie should taste like. I made a batch for myself first, just to be safe, and I was not disappointed for choosing your recipe, it was absolutely delicious.
Of course it was a little more work when you multiply it times six, but over than the extra time to make it and then clean up just about every pot and pan that I own (lol), it was still well worth it. And it traveled extremely well too! The crowed I was serving to was a good 30 minutes away, so I pulled all six pans out of my oven, wrapped them in foil and then towels to hold in the heat, and loaded them in my car to deliver them. Believe it or not, they were still piping hot when I served them (the potatoes definitely seal the heat in, and I think the cheese adds its own heat barrier as well).
To let you know that this meal was a “hit” would be a gross understatement, it was absolutely tremendous and the entire crowd raved about it. That night was an unseasonably cold, rainy, raw night here in Connecticut, and I could not have picked a better choice of what to serve, nor could I have picked a better recipe.
So thank you, thank you! I apologize about the length of my comments here, but I truly wanted you to know how wonderful this Shepherd’s Pie/Cottage Pie recipe is and that someone like me does appreciate someone like you who takes the time to share such a great recipe…one that is easy to make but tastes like you slaved over it hours and hours…those are ALWAYS the best recipes! And I also wanted you to know that, besides me, you made a huge crowd happy last Friday night, and you never even knew it!! Until now…
So thanks again, and keep those great recipes coming!
🙂
PS: One final note…even though you clearly explained why you call this “Shepherd’s Pie (aka Cottage Pie),” it seems that the PC Police will always be popping up somewhere, even in the world of cooking! Please don’t take their comments to heart, just keeping doing what you do, there are so many of us who appreciate it!
Liz, Wow. I’ve never had someone comment in such detail, lol, but I absolutely loved reading it and you totally made my day!! I am so glad it was a hit for you, and great job for making that much for a crowd! That is really incredible! Thanks again for your amazing comment. I truly appreciate it ♥ -Holly
You can also place your pans in a cooler and it works great keeping stuff hot also!
My husband is from England. I made this for him tonight (he said he wanted it extra juicy) so I added a little extra Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, and beef broth. He LOVED it. Thanks for helping me give my husband a touch of England in Texas… 🙂
Yay! Glad it was a hit 🙂
It’s also delicious made vegetarian! I used Trader Joe’s beefless ground beef, and veggie broth. My husband can’t tolerate dairy, so I used daiya vegan cheese. It’s awesome. Btw, still calling it shepherds pie… Thanks for the recipe!
I wish I had read all the comments before making this tonight. The gravy is soooo good! I would have doubled it. The only change I made to the recipe was to add a teaspoon of dried thyme and two crushed sprigs of dried rosemary to the gravy. This is now my husband’s favorite dish.
I have made this twice and it is delicious! I followed the recipe exactly as written and wouldn’t change a thing!