Shepherd’s Pie is the sort of food that brings a smile to everyone’s face! Lamb in a rich gravy sauce with a scattering of peas, a creamy potato topping, and that awesome golden cheese crust, make this once and you’ll make it over and over again! (PS Use beef instead of lamb for Cottage Pie).
Shepherd’s Pie
When I shared my Cottage Pie on Facebook, there was almost an all out cyber-war about whether it was in fact Cottage Pie or Shepherd’s Pie. 😂
So let me just answer the burning question first, to get that out of the way:
What’s the difference between Shepherd’s Pie and Cottage Pie??
Cottage Pie is made with beef and Shepherd’s Pie is made with lamb.
Shepherds herd sheep. Not cows. That’s how I remember it!!
Other than beef vs lamb, they are essentially exactly the same recipe.
So a Shepherd’s Pie made with beef is Cottage Pie, and Cottage Pie made with lamb is Shepherd’s Pie!
What is Shepard’s Pie
If you’re new to Shepherd’s Pie (also spelled Shepard’s Pie), let me be the first to welcome you to your new favourite comfort food. Essentially, it’s lamb and veggies smothered in a gravy – and who doesn’t love an excuse for tons and tons of gravy?
All those times you were limited to just a small drizzle on a few slices of roast lamb because there wasn’t enough to go around… Bah! This is how you get your gravy fix!!
How to make Shepherd’s Pie
A really good Shepherd’s Pie should always start with a soffrito – that is, onion, garlic, carrots and celery sautéed on a lowish heat until sweet. It’s the secret to a great flavour base that’s a technique used widely by many cuisines, such as Italian cooking (for example, this Italian Shredded Beef Ragu).
After this, we cook the ground / mince meat – traditionally lamb but equally delicious made with beef – before adding flour (which thickens the sauce) and gravy flavourings (beef broth, tomato paste, beef bouillon cube, Worcestershire sauce and red wine which is optional).
Simmer until the sauce is thickened, spread in a baking dish then top with creamy mashed potato (the creamier = easier to spread). To make the top beautifully golden and extra crispy, I like to drizzle with a bit of butter and parmesan. You’ll see how amazing it looks when it comes out of the oven in the recipe video!
What to serve with Shepherd’s Pie
When it comes to choosing sides for your Shepherd’s pie, try Glazed Roasted Carrots or perhaps Sautéed Garlic Spinach. The only other thing you need is a glass of red and a crackling fire…
Tips for making Shepherd’s Pie
There are a few stages to making Shepherd’s Pie, but it’s a straightforward recipe. There’s just two little things that you don’t see in most recipes, little things that bugged me:
Cool the filling before topping with potato: It thickens and makes it easier to spread the potato across the top and it stops the potato weeping into the filling;
Creamier mashed potato = easier to spread and just an all round better eating experience. I just don’t like dry, very firm mash. When I break through the mash, I want it to be borderline collapsing, rather than being able to cut cleanly through it like cake.
I stress again – these are little things that bug me, so feel free to by-pass them! – Nagi x
PS One last time – Cottage Pie is made with beef. Shepherd’s Pie is made with lamb! 😂 (Shepherd’s herd SHEEP!)
Watch how to make it
Sometimes it helps to have a visual, so watch me make this Shepherd’s Pie recipe!
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Shepherd’s Pie
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 onion , finely chopped
- 1 carrot , finely chopped
- 1 rib celery , finely chopped
- 3/4 tsp each dried thyme and rosemary (or 2 sprigs fresh thyme + 1 sprig rosemary)
- 750g (1.5 lb) ground lamb (mince) OR beef
- 1/4 cup flour , plain/all purpose
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 2 cups beef stock / broth
- 1/2 cup red wine (or water)
- 1 beef bouillon cube , crumbled (OXO brand crumbles easily)
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 bay leaves , dried or fresh
- 3/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup frozen peas
Mashed Potato
- 1.2kg (2.2 lb) potatoes, peeled and cut into 2.5cm / 1″ cubes
- 2/3 cup milk (whole or low fat)
- 2 tbsp (30g) unsalted butter
Cheesy crust
- 2 – 3 tbsp grated parmesan , optional
- 2 tbsp (30g) unsalted butter , melted
- Fresh thyme leaves, optional garnish
Instructions
- Sauté – Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic, cook for 1 minute. Then add carrots, celery, thyme and rosemary. Cook for 3 minutes or until softened and sweet.
- Cook lamb – Turn heat up to high. Add lamb and cook, breaking it up as you go, until browned.
- Make sauce – Add flour and mix in. Add tomato paste, broth, red wine, bouillon cube, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaves. Stir well.
- Simmer and thicken – Bring to simmer, then turn down heat so it is simmering rapidly – I have it on medium. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it reduces down to a thick gravy consistency (Note 1) (see video).
- Cool – Add salt and pepper, taste, then add more if you like. Transfer Filling to 1.5 litre / 1.5 quart pie baking dish. Stir through peas. Cover, then refrigerate to cool for 1 – 2 hours or overnight (optional, Note 2)
Assemble:
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (both fan and standard).
- Boil potatoes – Place the potatoes in a large pot. Add water so it’s 10cm / 4” above potatoes. Bring to a boil then cook for 15 minutes or until soft. Drain then return potatoes into the pot on the turned off stove. Allow to steam dry for 30 seconds or so (Note 3).
- Mash – Add butter and mash until melted, then add milk, salt and pepper. Mash until it's soft and smooth (ie spreadable, but not sloppy), adjusting with a touch more milk if required.
- Spread mash onto pie, use a fork to draw squiggles over the surface. Sprinkle with parmesan, drizzle with butter.
- Bake for 30 – 40 minutes or until deep golden on top and bubbling on the edges. Stick a knife into the middle to ensure it is piping hot.
- Stand for 5 minutes before serving, garnished with fresh thyme leaves if desired.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
More cosy pies!
Life of Dozer
Flashback to when Dozer destroyed his ACL (rear knee) back when I first shared this recipe in June 2018. He underwent surgery and was 2 weeks into a 4 month recovery period, and under strict instructions to remain confined to a small space.
It was very challenging for this highly active dog. But his patience was rewarded, he is back to his wild antics at the beach!
Nagi you are the only resource I use on the entire internet for recipes because I’ve learned that yours are simply the best. As a chef, I often need recipes for this or that, Thanks for always being there for me😋. To think that your website is just available, for free, to everyone😂
Making this again!
Unbelievably good and so simple, loved by all!
Absolute winner! My teenage son loved it (so it must be amazing). We always have all these ingredients in our pantry, fridge and freezer so it’s a brilliant go-to option if we haven’t been shopping. So full of flavour and very filling. Thank you!
My family loved this. Although I didn’t put the meat mixture in the fridge. I just filled the baking dish and let it cool for about 15-20 minutes while I washed up and made the mask. Then I only had to bake it for about 15-20 minutes with the grill.
One of my kids ate it again for breakfast!
That’s great Nicole! Enjoy!! N x
10/10 your recipes never let me down!
Thank you so much 🥰
That’s lovely Jorja! Thank you for letting me know!! N x
Absolutely Fantastic 🥰 Cheers Nagi x
Woo hoo!! I am glad that you enjoyed it Rob!! N x
Delicious, thank you for another fab recipe
I am happy that you liked it Kerrie! N x
Thankyou for emphasising that Shepard’s pie=sheep. I always feel so disappointed when food blogs and the general public think that cottage pie (beef) is the same as Shepard’s pie (lamb) and call their cottage pie Shepard’s pie. So thankyou again for emphasising that the type of meat makes all the difference in naming
It makes sense though doesn’t it?? Shepherd’s = sheep (lamb!)!! N x
Total sense 🙂
I make shepherds pie using left over slow roasted lamb adding in leftover gravy with the usual carrots onions celery
Yumm
It’s even better with slow roasted meat!! N x
Made with beef mince, absolutely delicious. The family devoured it with lots of compliments. I’ll be making this again!
I accidently bought lamb mince one week, actually, I bought two, thinking they were beef. We dont usually eat lamb so checked your recipes, found this one and made it up. My family absolutely loved it and my husband couldnt even tell it was lamb. Cooking it again…. and probably again
It is a classic! N x
Made it tonight. Was a very wet and cold weekend in Hong Kong so needed some comfort food.
My daughter loved the parmesan cheese topping, Was not sure why I needed to refrigerate the mixture but I did. And took out the bay leaves – am I meant to keep them in?
A cooking club member suggested that I leave a comment.
I made shepherd’s pies using your recipes. I cut out circles from puff pastry sheets and used my muffin tray to make pie cups. The shepherd’s pies were delicious!
another foolproof recipe! My family love this one.
I love this recipe so much and use it at least once a month! I always add a tablespoon of mint sauce to the base once it’s reduced down and ready to cool, it really compliments the lamb mince while not overpowering the dish (I only use 500g of mince when I make it so would add more if strictly following the recipe).
Also if I don’t have beef stock, I add some beef gravy granules to the stock cube mix. Amazing dish, thank you Nagi!
I used mashed sweet potatoes and its so good!
Thanks Nagi!
Sweet potato and lamb are amazing together! N x
This is my go to Shepard’s pie I’ve made it 2x & loved it. Making it tomorrow for my parents!
I made this recipe the other night at the request of my fiancée. It was delicious!! I had extra ingredients on hand so I ended up doubling the recipe, thinking that we could freeze some for another night. It was so good though that we ended up eating all the leftovers :). Can’t wait to make it again.
I’ve made this twice so far, love it! Next time I’ll cook the mixture for less than 30 mins, just so that the gravy runs a little bit more 🙂
I made this pie last night and it was delicious. My husband loved it and said it was better than any restaurant. However I made a couple of changes: I didn’t have celery so put in some small, sliced mushrooms and sauteed them lightly after sauteeing the onion, garlic, carrot, and herbs, and before adding the lamb mince. I added a bit too much salt when doing the final seasoning, so I added a tablespoon (approx) of balsamic vinegar and a tablespoon (approx) of red wine vinegar which toned the saltiness down nicely. I also encased the mix in puff pastry top and bottom, and served the mashed potato on the side (hey, I like puff pastry). I served it with your ‘Sauteed Garlic Spinach’ as suggested. Yum!