🥧 Classic Shepherd’s Pie
A comforting, hearty dish with savory ground meat, vegetables, and a fluffy mashed potato topping — perfect for cozy dinners.
🧾 Ingredients (Serves 6)
Filling
- 1½ lbs (680 g) ground lamb or beef
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup beef or chicken broth
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp thyme (dried or fresh)
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Mashed Potato Topping
- 2 lbs (900 g) potatoes, peeled and cubed
- ¼ cup butter
- ½ cup milk (or cream)
- Salt & pepper to taste
Optional: shredded cheddar cheese for topping
👩🍳 Instructions
1️⃣ Make Mashed Potatoes
- Boil potatoes in salted water until tender, ~15 minutes.
- Drain and mash with butter, milk, salt, and pepper.
- Set aside.
2️⃣ Cook Filling
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Sauté onion, carrots, and celery until softened (~5–7 minutes).
- Add garlic and cook 1 minute.
- Add ground meat, cook until browned.
- Stir in tomato paste, broth, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, peas, salt, and pepper. Simmer 5–10 minutes until slightly thickened.
3️⃣ Assemble Shepherd’s Pie
- Spread meat and vegetable mixture evenly in a baking dish.
- Spread mashed potatoes on top, smoothing with a spatula.
- Optional: sprinkle shredded cheddar on top.
4️⃣ Bake
- Bake 20–25 minutes, until potatoes are slightly golden and filling is bubbling.
🔥 Tips for Perfect Shepherd’s Pie
- Use lamb for authentic flavor; beef works as a delicious alternative.
- Mash potatoes until very smooth for a creamy topping.
- For extra golden potatoes, broil 2–3 minutes at the end (watch closely).
- Add a splash of cream to the meat mixture for a richer filling.
🧊 Storage
- Refrigerate: up to 3 days
- Freeze: up to 2 months, thaw before baking
If you want, I can also give a quick one-pan stovetop version of Shepherd’s Pie that’s perfect for weeknights with minimal cleanup.
Do you want me to do that?