Easy Shepherd’s Pie with Mashed Potatoes Recipe

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My husband loves shepherd’s pie- not surprising since it is a classic comfort food! This morning when I was thinking about what to make for dinner I realized that I had all of the ingredients on hand. How often does that happen when you’re a few days behind in grocery shopping? That’s one of the reasons shepherd’s pie is a great last-minute dinner: you probably have everything you need on hand! 

You’ll also love our 10 Comfort Food Recipes for Cool Weather & Cozy Nights roundup!

With St. Patrick’s Day coming up this is a timely recipe, too! While we love corned beef & cabbage, not everyone does and shepherd’s pie is a great alternative. This easy shepherd’s pie recipe is also perfect for potlucks and get togethers with friends because it can be made in advance & popped in the oven when you need to heat it up. I love meals that can be made in advance!

So let’s make some pie! 

This shepherd’s pie is made with ground beef, which technically makes it a cottage pie. Traditional shepherd’s pie is made with lamb. But no one ever knows what “cottage pie” is, so I just call it shepherd’s pie. 90% of the recipes online make it with beef anyway! 

To start, wash & peel (or not) your potatoes and put them in a pot of boiling water so you can make mashed potatoes. 

While the potatoes are boiling, chop the carrots and the onion. Once chopped, sauté the onion and carrots in olive oil in a pan.

Sautéing the carrots & onions helps soften them for eating the finished shepherd’s pie. The pie only bakes for a short time and if the carrots and onions aren’t cooked in advance they tend to be crunchy.

Once the carrots & onions have softened, sprinkle 2-3 tablespoons of flour on top and stir to absorb the excess olive oil.

Next, leaving the carrots & onions in the pan, add the ground beef. Cook the mixture until the beef is cooked through.

Once the beef is cooked, add approximately 1/2 cup of water & 1-2 teaspoons of “Better Than Bouillon” to the pan, stirring to create a light gravy. Once the gravy thickens a bit add worcestershire, salt & pepper to taste. We love worcestershire sauce so I will leave it up to you how much you add.  You can kind of see what it should look like in the photo below, but it was hard to get a picture!

By now your potatoes should be ready for mashing. Make mashed potatoes as you usually do. I just add a little milk or half & half, butter and salt & pepper to taste. For shepherd’s pie I add about 3 tablespoons of shredded cheese to my mashed potatoes. 

Once your potatoes are done you can assemble you shepherd’s pie. 

• The bottom layer is the beef, carrots & onion mixture. 
• Next top the beef with corn.
• Then top the beef & corn with a layer of mashed potatoes.
• Finally, sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the mashed potatoes. 

Bake at 350f until the cheese is melted and the sides are bubbling- usually 15-20 minutes.

Doesn’t that look SO GOOD?! I say it is enough for 6, but my husband *really* likes it. 😉 

You may also enjoy these recipes: 

Wild Rice Soup with Ham & Bacon
Pasta with Palomino Sauce - Take Store Bought Sauce to the Next Level!
Easy Cheesy Garlic Bread- 8 Different Ways!

And be sure to check out out dinner boards on Pinterest! They are loaded with hundreds of ideas from other great bloggers. 
Dinner Quick & Easy!
Dinner is Served! 

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