Go Back
+ servings
Easy Shepherd's Pie- A delicious shepherd's pie recipe complete with ground lamb or beef, and topped with mashed potatoes and butter
Print Recipe
4.50 from 8 votes

Shepherd’s Pie

Shepherd's Pie: Hearty ground lamb and vegetables topped with cheesy mashed potatoes, this is a comfort food classic. 
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 15 minutes
resting time5 minutes
Total Time1 hour 25 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Irish
Keyword: cottage pie, shepherd's pie
Servings: 4
Calories: 1036kcal
Author: Rachael

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 Tbs olive oil
  • 1 Tbs minced garlic 2 cloves
  • 1 yellow onion finely chopped
  • 1 large carrot finely chopped
  • 1 rib celery finely chopped
  • 3/4 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/4 tsp dried sage
  • 1/4 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/4 tsp crushed rosemary
  • 1/2 cup chopped zucchini
  • 1 1/2 lbs ground lamb Can be subbed for ground beef
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1/4 cup tomato paste
  • 2 cups beef stock
  • 1 beef bouillon cube crumbled
  • 1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 cup frozen petite peas

Mashed Potato

  • 2 lbs potatoes peeled and cut into cubes
  • 2/3 cup milk
  • 2 Tbs butter salted
  • 1 cup gruyere cheese

Additional

  • 2 Tbs butter melted

Instructions

  • Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat,  then add onion and garlic.
  • Cook onion and garlic for 1 minute, stirring so as not to burn.
  • Add carrots, celery, oregano, sage, thyme and rosemary, and cook for 3 minutes. Then turn heat up to high.
  • Add lamb and use a wooden spoon to break it up as you cook it. Cook until browned. 
  • Once lamb is browned, and broken up, add flour and stir it in.
  • Add tomato paste, broth, bouillon cube, Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper. Stir well.
  • When mixture starts bubbling, turn heat down to medium, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring from time to time. Continue to cook until the sauce has reduced to the thickness you desire.
  • Taste, and adjust seasonings to your preference.
  • Pour mixture into a 2 qt baking dish.
  • Add peas and stir to combine.
  • Put mixture into refrigerator and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Potatoes

  • Peel and cube potatoes.
  • Cook potatoes in boiling water for 15 minutes or until soft.
  • Drain potatoes, and return to pot.
  • Add butter and begin mashing. Then add milk, salt and pepper.
  • Mash until it's soft, add more milk if needed, but you don’t want the potatoes to be runny.
  • Stir gruyere cheese into potatoes

Assemble

  • Remove lamb mixture from refrigerator, and spread potatoes over lamb mixture.
  • Drizzle with butter.
  • Bake for 30 - 40 minutes or until golden on top and bubbling on the edges.
  • Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Video

Notes

However thick the lamb mixture is when it goes into the dish is how thick it will be when it comes out, so make sure you cook it down to your desired thickness. 
This recipe was slightly adapted from RecipeTinEats.com

Nutrition

Calories: 1036kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 52g | Fat: 69g | Saturated Fat: 32g | Cholesterol: 195mg | Sodium: 1017mg | Potassium: 2034mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 3840IU | Vitamin C: 50.8mg | Calcium: 522mg | Iron: 12.3mg