Skillet Shepherd’s Pie
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This Skillet Shepherd’s Pie recipe, also known as cottage pie, is loaded with flavorful beef and veggies, topped with fluffy and creamy mashed potatoes, then baked to perfection!
Easy Shepherd’s Pie Recipe
Shepherd’s pie is the epitome of simple and homely comfort food. It’s a classic recipe, easy and quite basic dish to put together, that’s been around for a very long time and there are probably hundreds of variations of it. It’s a homey, comforting casserole that we all love that combines ground meat, peas, carrots and corn, then topped with a mountain of mashed potatoes!
The great thing about my recipe is that it’s made in a skillet, so you can literally take this recipe from the stovetop to the oven to bake, no casserole dish necessary. It’s super easy to make, especially if you have some leftover mashed potatoes, and can easily be done any night of the week. The end result is nothing but incredibly tasty and flavorful.
Why We Love This Skillet Shepherd’s Pie
- Made in one skillet, straight from the stovetop to the oven, no casserole dish needed.
- Easy, straightforward recipe, loaded with tons of flavor!
- Comfort food at its finest!
- Simple Pantry Staple Ingredients!
- Olive Oil – Substitute avocado, vegetable, sunflower or safflower oil.
- Ground Beef – You can use any ground protein you prefer. Try using ground lamb for a more authentic shepherd’s pie.
- Onion Soup Mix – You can find this in your local grocery store, or scroll down to see how to make your own.
- Beef broth – I opt for low sodium. You can also sub this with chicken broth or vegetable broth.
- Vegetables – I decided to go with a frozen mix here of peas, carrots, green beans, and corn. You can actually find this mix in the frozen food section.
- Onion And Garlic – Essential for developing lots of flavor in our meat filling.
- Red Pepper Flakes – This ingredient is optional but it’s great if you like a bit of heat to your pie.
- Worcestershire Sauce – This is going to give that umami flavor to our meat filling. Feel free to sub it with soy sauce.
- Potatoes – I prefer Yukon Gold potatoes or Russet Potatoes.
- Salt and Pepper – I usually use white pepper, but black pepper works as well, especially if you like to see the black specks in the potatoes.
- Butter – I always use unsalted butter in most of my cooking and baking because this way I can control the amount of salt that goes in my food.
- Parmesan Cheese – Freshly grated. This is optional, but I like a bit of cheesy flavor in my mashed potatoes.
- Half and Half or Milk – I usually uses milk but if you would like these potatoes to be a bit creamier go with half and half cream which contains 12 % fat. You can even go ahead and use heavy cream which usually contains 38 % fat.
Making this classic dish has always been easy, but with this recipe, it’s even easier with a few less steps and one less pan to clean! Just follow these simple directions and you’ll have dinner on the table in no time!
To start, peel and cut all the potatoes into equal size cubes so that they cook evenly. Next, put the potatoes in a large pot and cover them with cold water. Now, add about a teaspoon of salt and bring the potatoes to a boil over medium-high heat. Then let them simmer for about 15 minutes or until they are fork tender.
While the potatoes are cooking, you can begin cooking the ground beef. To do this, heat the olive oil in an oven-safe large skillet over medium heat. Next, add the ground beef and sprinkle it with some salt and black pepper to season. Then cook the meat for about 5 minutes as you break it up with a wooden spoon. When it’s done the ground beef should no longer be pink.
After the ground meat has been browned, add the onion and garlic to the skillet and cook it together with the beef for 3 minutes or until the onion becomes soft and translucent.
Next, stir in the red pepper flakes, Worcestershire sauce, onion soup mix, and beef broth. Now, stir in the frozen vegetables and let the mixture cook for a couple more minutes until it forms a gravy. And you don’t need to add any flour or tomato paste. The soup mix will thicken the mixture right up for you. Then turn off the heat and set the pan aside for now.
Before you move on to the next step, you need to preheat your oven temperature to 350°F (177°C). You want the oven to be already hot once the pie is assembled. Dishes never cook as well if the oven is still warming up when you put them in.
Once the potatoes are cooked, drain them in a colander and put them in a large bowl. Then add the butter and use a potato masher to mash them until smooth. Next, add the milk, parmesan cheese, salt, and black pepper. Then mash them once again until they are fluffy and a bit more smooth.
Now that your potatoes are mashed, layer them over the meat mixture in the skillet. Then spread them evenly using the back of a spoon or a rubber spatula. Now, use a fork to rough up the top a little bit to create a little texture that will brown nicely in the oven. If you don’t have an oven-proof skillet you can put the meat mixture into a baking dish and then top it with the mashed potatoes.
After the pie has been assembled, place the skillet on a baking sheet. Now, transfer the pie to the oven to bake for 40 minutes or until it’s golden brown on top. Then when the skillet shepherd’s pie is done, garnish it with a sprinkle of chopped fresh parsley and serve it immediately.
What’s The Difference Between Shepherd’s Pie And Cottage Pie
Shepherd’s pie is also commonly referred to as cottage pie and there is a difference. Cottage pie is usually made with beef and Shepherd’s pie is usually made with lamb.
You’re probably wondering why I’m calling this Shepherd’s pie when it should be called cottage pie. It’s because I’ve always known it as Shepherd’s pie. Ground lamb is not something you’ll see in many grocery stores here in North America. Even in restaurants here, the beef version is always called Shepherd’s pie.
Another interesting fact to note about Shepherd’s pie is that Scotland usually makes these pies with a pastry instead of mashed potatoes.
Isn’t This Cottage Pie?
Yes, it is! I know there’s been a great debate about this on social media, but yes, it is in fact cottage pie. However, I’ve never seen it referred as cottage pie in any of the restaurants I’ve been to, it’s always Shepherd’s pie and yes it’s made with beef! However, for the true food nerds out there, this is indeed, Cottage pie!
Do I Have To Use Frozen Veggies
I used frozen veggies here, but you can use fresh or canned if you like! Just make sure to drain all the excess liquid from any canned veggies. This recipe is also great for doing a fridge/freezer clean out! You can toss any veggies you want in here.
I Can’t Find Any Onion Soup Mix!
That’s totally okay. Here’s a super easy version that you can make yourself:
- ¼ cup beef bouillon powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon parsley flakes
- ¼ teaspoon ground celery seeds
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- salt and pepper to taste
How To Serve Shepherd’s Pie
My favorite part about Shepherd’s pie is that it includes all your typical dinner items in one easy dish. You got meat, potatoes, and veggies all together living in harmony. The thing about Shepherd’s pie, though, is that it’s hard to create a stunning plating presentation. All I have to say is, embrace the mess! Top it wish some chopped parsley. That always makes a meal look fancy. However, here are some dishes that would go great with this pie.
Easy Tossed Salad
Easy Garlic Bread
Fast and Easy No Knead Bread
Tomato Basil Salad
Expert Tips
- Make sure you don’t add too much salt as the onion soup mix already has plenty of sodium in it.
- Shepherd’s pie is easy enough to make, but you can simplify your life even further by buying some shortcuts. If you use frozen veggies, you’re saving chopping time. Choose a bag of your favorite mixed vegetables from the freezer.
- While you can use store bought mashed potatoes, homemade is always better, so focus your efforts on this. You can boil the potatoes while you’re making the beef mixture. This way you’ll end up with creamy and fluffy mashed potatoes.
- Brown the beef in the same skillet you’ll be serving from. This will ensure maximum flavor in your pie.
- I used lean ground beef for this recipe, but you can leave out the oil if you are using ground beef with a higher fat content.
- When adding the butter, I like to cut mine into pieces to make it easier to mash the potatoes.
Leftovers
Refrigerator
You can transfer this shepherd’s pie to an airtight container to store leftovers, or you can leave it right in the skillet and cover it well with foil, which will make re-heating much easier. Refrigerate for 3 to 5 days.
Keep it covered with foil, and bake for about 20 minutes at 350°F, or until heated all the way through. You can remove the foil for the last 5 minutes to crisp the potatoes up.
Freezer
To freeze, once the pie has come to room temperature, cover the skillet tightly with aluminum foil and freeze for up to 2 months. When ready to serve, bake the shepherd’s pie still covered with foil, for 1 hour at 350°F, straight from the freezer. You can also thaw it overnight, then bake it at 350°F for just 30 minutes.
Other Delicious Meat And Potato Recipes To Try
- Meatball Casserole
- Ranch Pork Chops and Potatoes Sheet Pan Dinner
- One Pan Roasted Honey Orange Chicken and Potatoes
- Moroccan Roast Chicken and Potatoes
- Roast Chicken with Roasted Potatoes
- Cheesy Bacon Ranch Potatoes
- Sausage Potato Hash
- Sausage Potato Breakfast Casserole
- Harissa Roasted Chicken and Potatoes
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Skillet Shepherd’s Pie
Video
Ingredients
For Meat Mixture
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1¼ pound ground beef (lean)
- ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- ½ teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
- 1 large onion (chopped)
- 1 clove garlic (minced)
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1.9 ounce onion soup mix (I used Knorr, 55g pkg)
- 1 cup beef broth (low sodium)
- 2 cups frozen veggies (I used mix of peas, carrots, green beans and corn)
For Mashed Potatoes
- 6 large potatoes (peeled and cut into cubes)
- 4 tablespoon butter (softened)
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- ½ teaspoon white pepper (or to taste)
- 1 tablespoon parsley (fresh, for garnish)
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Boil the potatoes. Start by first cooking the potatoes in boiling water for about 15 minutes or until fork tender. While the potatoes are cooking, you can prepare the meat mixture.
- Prepare the meat mixture. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground beef to the skillet, season it with the salt and pepper and cook it for about 5 minutes or until it's no longer pink, breaking it up as you go along.
- Add Ingredients. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 3 more minutes until the onion softens and becomes translucent. Next, add the pepper flakes, Worcestershire sauce, onion soup mix, beef broth and stir. Stir in the frozen veggies and cook for a couple more minutes. Set aside.
- Preheat oven. Preheat the oven 350°F.
- Prepare the mashed potatoes. Drain the potatoes then add them to a large bowl. Add in the butter and using a potato masher, mash until smooth. Add the milk, Parmesan cheese, salt pepper and mash a bit a more until smooth.
- Finish assembling the shepherd's pie. Spread the potatoes over the meat and smooth it out with a spoon. Take a fork and rough up the top a bit.
- Bake. Place the skillet on a baking sheet, then transfer it to the oven and bake for 40 minutes until golden brown on top.
- Garnish and serve. Garnish with parsley and serve warm.
Equipment
Notes
- Make sure you don’t add too much salt as the onion soup mix already has plenty of sodium in it.
- Shepherd’s pie is easy enough to make, but you can simplify your life even further by buying some shortcuts. If you use frozen veggies, you’re saving chopping time. Choose a bag of your favorite mixed vegetables from the freezer.
- While you can use store bought mashed potatoes, homemade is always better, so focus your efforts on this. You can boil the potatoes while you’re making the beef mixture. This way you’ll end up with creamy and fluffy mashed potatoes.
- Brown the beef in the same skillet you’ll be serving from. This will ensure maximum flavor in your pie.
- I used lean ground beef for this recipe, but you can leave out the oil if you are using ground beef with a higher fat content.
- When adding the butter, I like to cut mine into pieces to make it easier to mash the potatoes.
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
Recipe originally shared Dec 2016.
I’ve made this recipe over and over and it is always a hit! It is so easy and flavorful!
That’s fantastic to hear! When a dish becomes a repeat favorite, you know it’s a keeper. Here’s to many more delicious servings of skillet shepherd’s pie! 🥧🍴
Made this Shepard’s Pie today and it was delicious! I used all dairy free products (husband’s food allergy) and my husband wants me to make this again…and again. Thank you for the great recipe.
It’s wonderful to know that the recipe was adaptable to dairy-free products, making it a versatile option for different dietary needs. It sounds like it was a hit in your household, and it’s always a joy to hear when a dish earns a spot in the regular rotation. Thank you so much for trying out the recipe and for your kind feedback!
It was excellent! My husband doesn’t usually like shepherds pie, and he asked to have it again!
I’m thrilled to hear that your husband enjoyed the shepherd’s pie, especially since he’s not usually a fan! It’s always a win when you can convert a skeptic. Thanks for trying out the recipe and taking the time to leave a comment. I hope it becomes a new family favorite!
This is my go to Shepherds Pie. I like to caramelize about half the onions first then cook the beef. I also season the beef when cooking with some herbs. Absolutely love this recipe!! Right now my peppers are in season so used most of those instead of veggies. I also cut up a couple tomatoes and used them instead of beef broth.
Caramelizing the onions is a fantastic idea; it must add an extra layer of flavor that’s just irresistible. And seasoning the beef with herbs? You’re speaking my language! Your tweaks sound absolutely delightful—especially taking advantage of in-season peppers and fresh tomatoes. It’s the perfect example of how this recipe can be adapted to whatever you have on hand or whatever you’re craving.
My favorite Shepherd’s Pie recipe! I’ve been. Making this one for awhile now and everyone loves it. So hearty, easy and delicious!
I’m so glad to hear that this has become your go-to Shepherd’s Pie recipe! It’s fantastic that you find it hearty, easy, and delicious—that’s exactly what I aim for. Thank you for your kind words and for making this dish a regular in your home
So good! I used lentils instead of beef to make it vegetarian. Otherwise made a few tweaks to use what I had on hand (greek yogurt instead of milk, cayenne powder, chili powder, and paprika instead of red pepper flakes, plus black pepper instead of white pepper) but the base of it with the beef broth, worcestershire, and onion soup mix is so flavourful on it’s own. And adding the parm to the mashed potatoes really takes this to the next level. Will be making this many times over!
P.S. I’ve never posted a recipe review before but I was so pleasantly surprised with this one that I just had to!
So glad you enjoyed it and thank you for leaving your comment.
This was very delicious. I’ve made many Shepherd Pie’s in my 50 yrs of cooking and this one is a keeper.
The best Shepherd’s Pie EVER!! Making it again this week.
Fabulous! I made it with ground lamb with no other changes. Everyone loved it. I’ll be sharing this again and again!
I’ve been making this recipe for five years and it’s a staple in our home. So good! Highly recommend adding this to your meal rotation.
We love this recipe. I used this to meal prep for my last baby! i doubled the recipe and portioned them out over 6 dishes to freeze and have on hand. Just as delicious from frozen!
This is a favorite at our house. I like how it is versatile with the vegetables. If I have it on hand, I usually add a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste.
So glad you like it!
Absolutely delicious, always a hit with my family. Thank you.
Excellent recipe. Second time making it. My husband just loves it. Full log flavours and so simple to make. Thanks for another great recipe Jo!
My pleasure, I’m so glad you like it!
The first time we had this, it was cooked on a grill or so I think. The meat had crusty edges and the veggies were hand cut and roasted. My guess is they were improvising, but those crusty edges on the meat were so good.
I bet we’d get same effect using cast iron skillet like this! Thanks! ♥️