Shepherd’s Pie – or Cottage Pie – is cold weather comfort food at its best! A rich and hearty casserole made of seasoned ground meat (lamb or beef) and veggies in gravy, topped with cheesy mashed potatoes.
This classic Irish/British recipe is delicious year-round, but also a great way to celebrate St Patrick’s Day if you didn’t have time to make Corned Beef and Cabbage or Guinness Beef Stew. It’s quick, easy, and made with ingredients you probably have on hand!
Craving comfort food but don’t have time to simmer or braise something for hours? Cue to this easy shepherd’s pie, which is a meal in itself and can be made ahead!
This dish is the epitome of simple home cooking and one of our family favorites. It is also a classic Irish dinner for St. Patrick’s Day! ☘️ Way Irish-er than corned beef and cabbage, which is an American invention and not something you will find in Ireland.
If you’re familiar with Brazilian cuisine, you will find that shepherd’s pie is quite similar to our Escondidinho. It also has versions in Chile (Pastel de Papa), France (Hachis Parmentier) and Netherlands (Philosopher’s Stew). Potatoes and meat are a staple in cuisines all over the world, so it doesn’t surprise me that everybody has a similar dish that combines both!
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What is Shepherd’s Pie?
Shepherd’s Pie is a hearty dish of ground meat in gravy, topped with mashed potatoes. It has origins in the United Kingdom and Ireland, although its exact roots are hard to pinpoint.
This dish most likely originated in the late 1700s and early 1800s, with the name cottage pie. It was a way for the poor (who lived in cottages) to make use of leftovers, such as unused meat from a roast. It also used affordable (and filling) potatoes for the topping, making it a favorite of frugal housewives.
Since the Irish couldn’t typically afford beef, chances are the earliest forms of this pie were made with mutton, which was more affordable than beef or lamb.
It wasn’t until 1854 that the term shepherd’s pie appeared. At first, both names were used interchangeably, but eventually a distinction was made: cottage pie was made with beef and shepherd’s pie was made with lamb.
Step 1: Make the meat filling
- Heat oil in a sauté pan and brown the ground meat. Season with salt and pepper, then reserve.
- Sauté the onion, carrots, celery, garlic and herbs. Season with salt and pepper.
- Deglaze the pan with the red wine and cook until evaporated. You can skip this step or deglaze with beef stock if alcohol is an issue.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook for a minute or two, until it changes from bright red to a deep red color. Cooking the tomato paste for a couple of minutes enhances its flavors and brings forward its underlying sweetness.
- Add the flour and cook for a minute, to get rid of the raw flour taste.
- Stir in the stock and Worcestershire sauce, cooking until thickened. Then, add the reserved beef and any resulting juices.
- Cover, lower the heat and simmer for 45 minutes.
- Add the frozen veggies and continue cooking for another 15 minutes.
- Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Crockpot SHEPHERD’S PIE SOUP, A Ground Beef Soup Recipe
FAQ
Should shepherds pie be runny?
How do you thicken up shepherd’s pie?
Why is my shepherd’s pie falling apart?
How do you thicken shepherd’s pie without cornstarch?
Should Shepherd’s Pie be soupy?
No, shepherd’s pie should not be soupy. It should contain a gravy that comes from the juice of the cooked vegetables and juices of the cooked ground beef. This gravy should mostly absorb into the part of the mashed potatoes that is touching the beef mixture; it shouldn’t create a pool of liquid on your plate.
Is Shepherd’s Pie a casserole?
Shepherd’s Pie is a casserole type dish, dating back to the 18th century. It was created as a way to use up leftovers instead of letting them go to waste. It’s “traditional” in the sense that this recipe uses ground lamb. If you make the dish using ground beef, it’s actually called cottage pie.
How do you make a Good Shepherd’s pie?
You make a flavorful gravy with beef broth and ground beef, add some peas and carrots, and cover it up with All The Potatoes. In my opinion, the greatest fault of most Shepherd’s Pies is a serious lack of creamy potato-y goodness. It’s all meat, tiny potatoes. Not gonna cut it for this mashed potato freak. 5 pounds definitely does the trick though!
What is Shepherd’s pie made of?
Shepherd’s pie is a baked British casserole traditionally made of ground lamb and vegetables topped with mashed potatoes. In this version (and many American versions), we’re making it with ground beef instead of ground lamb since it’s cheaper and easier to find at the store. Technically when this dish is made with beef, it’s called “cottage pie.”