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!
Hi Nagi,
I love all your recipes! Just wondering if you could make this with the cauliflower mashed potato on top? 🙂
Thank you!!
I made this recipe tonight but, thd carrots and peas were not cooked properly. I will have left over meal tomorrow night and cook it a lot longer in oven. Guess I didn’t cook the vegetables longer initially.
Hi Kat! Unfortunately I think it will leech too much water 🙂 N x
Made this for my family and friends. It is delicious! I love how easy this is.
Really enjoyed this meal, nice simple flavours, easy to make ahead. Will be a regular in the weeknight repertoire.
Hands down Thebes most delicious Shepherd’s pie we have ever eaten.
Made individual pies using your serving size converter.
Fabulous 🤗😋
Perfect Katrina! N x
Sorry forgot the 5 stars!!
Tastiest cottage pie, I made it with minced beef, that I have ever had! Thanks Nagi
Truly superb flavour Nagi. Essential to make with lamb mince in my opinion.
Thanks so much Simone – yes definitely one for lamb 🙂 N x
Looks good!
My aunt Sybil from Wales was the queen of shepherd’s pie and hot pots! She always served pickled beets and/or pickled red cabbage! DELICIOUS!
Greetings from the UK. A brilliant recipe. I don’t usually mess about with recipes when I make them for the first time bit made a few changes to suit us…. I reduced the recipe servings. I used lamb mince but wanted to reduce both fat and meat content. I dry fried the lamb and then set it over a sieve to drain excess fat off the meat. I used half The amount. of the lamb mince and substituted with half a tin of French lentils and dry fried 100g baby chestnut mushrooms finely chopped. I added some shredded Cavelo Nero, sliced leek and spring onion to the mash…only because I was had a fridge clear out hahaha. Totally unnecessary…better than wasting food… I only recently discovered your fabulous blog… everything I have made has worked perfectly. Thank you for your inspiration and I love reading and looking at photos of Dozer… x
Hi Nagi, could you recommend substitutions for the beef stock and bouillon we don’t eat beef products at home?
Thanks!
Hi Yoganya, you really need stock here so I’d recommend substituting with chicken and then adding 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce. N x
I made this for dinner tonight because I could use up some small amounts of minced meats hanging around my freezer (lamb, chicken, and beef). It was very good. Thank you for another great recipe.
Sounds perfect Kristina! N x
Amazing recipe. I tried it 20 minutes ago. To be honest, i feel so regret that i didnt try it before. So delicious. Thank you for the recipe !!!
can I use a packet of instant gravy instead of beef stock
Hi Irene, sorry it wont work here as it contains thickening agents – N x
I tried this last night! My family was in total heaven. I am so happy i found a website with recipes that actually work!
Thank you!
Thanks so so SO much Chandre ❤️
lovely!
My friend cooked this for us (it is one of her go-to’s) and we LOVED it. Will be making it for my family many times over.
I have a question about the calorie content – how did you calculate the calories? Almost 17,000 seems a bit excessive :-/ I’m hoping it’s a mistake so I can eat it more often :-p
Thanks!
Thanks for picking that up 😩 I’ll fix now! N x
OMG! I love it! First of all, it’s so flavorful, but it’s also easy to put together. I made the meat base in the morning and the potatoes so that it would all come together for supper. Love, love, love.
Thank you, Nagi! You are my go-to source whenever I want to try something new.
Dorothy A.
A Canadian in Mexico
Whenever I make a lovely slow cooked lamb shoulder I always buy the biggest I can so I can use leftovers for a shepherds pie (my mum used to do this) and its just delicious. Adding this to your recipe makes it even better…as always Nagi 😉
I love this idea Kelly!! N x
Made this tonight, it is so tasty, it will definitely be added to my list of favourites from your web site!
Thanks so much Barbara! N x
Every day I use of your recipes I love them! I stumbled upon your website but it is my cooking bible now! Thankyou.
You’re so welcome Joanne 🙂 N x