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Taking a serving out of the Shepherd's pie recipe.
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5 from 154 votes

Easy Shepherd's Pie Recipe

This easy shepherd's pie is a classic comfort food recipe that's hearty, filling, and perfect for the winter season or St. Patrick's Day. Watch the video below to see how I make the recipe!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: British, Irish
Keyword: shepherd's pie, shepherd's pie recipe
Servings: 6 servings
Author: Lisa Bryan

Equipment

Ingredients

Potato Topping

  • 2 pounds russet potatoes peeled and quartered
  • ½ cup milk
  • ¼ cup butter
  • kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Meat Filling

  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil
  • 1 large onion diced
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 large carrots peeled and diced
  • 2 celery stalk diced
  • 1½ pounds ground lamb or ground beef
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 cup chicken broth or if using ground beef use beef broth
  • 1½ tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce see notes above
  • 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme finely chopped
  • 1 cup frozen peas
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Place the potatoes in a pot on the stove and cover with cold water. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Cook for 13 to 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft when pierced with a fork.
  • Drain the potatoes in a colander, then return to the pot. Add the milk, butter, salt and pepper and mash until creamy.
    Mashing potatoes in a bowl.
  • Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). In a large oven-safe saute pan, heat the oil on medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute for a minute. Then add the diced carrots, diced celery, and lamb. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until the meat is browned. Use your spatula to break up the meat while cooking.
    Sauteing onions, carrots, celery and lamb on the stove in a pan.
  • Drain the fat from the pan and add the broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper. Simmer for about 5 minutes, until the sauce is slightly thickened.
  • Add the frozen peas and stir together. Turn off the stove and use the back of your spatula to flatten the meat mixture into a single layer.
    Mixing spices into the Shepherd's pie filling on the stove.
  • Dollop the mashed potatoes on top of the meat and use a spoon or spatula to spread it flat to the edges. If desired, create texture in the potato topping with a spoon or fork.
    Dolloped mashed potatoes on top of the Shepherd's pie filling ingredients.
  • Bake the shepherd's pie until slightly golden, about 25 to 30 minutes. You can broil the top for 1 to 2 minutes as well.
    Finished Shepherd's pie fresh out of the oven.

Video

Notes

  • If you'd like to make this recipe vegetarian or vegan, you can substitute the ground lamb for veggies such as mushrooms and lentils.
  • You can use ghee instead of butter and non-dairy milk for the milk as well. 

Nutrition

Calories: 606kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 105mg | Sodium: 758mg | Potassium: 1160mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 3928IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 88mg | Iron: 4mg