The BEST Quick & Easy Shepherd's Pie (Simple Family Dinner Recipe!) (2024)

FAQs

What is traditional shepherd's pie made of? ›

Classic Shepherd's Pie is a comforting casserole that consists of ground lamb, carrots, and peas simmered with Guinness, Worcestershire sauce, and herbs and topped with a cheesy mashed potato layer that's baked until golden and crisp.

You can swap the beef broth for chicken broth if you prefer. For an Irish shepherd's pie, swap the beef broth for Guinness. Worcestershire Sauce. Adds wonderful umami flavor.

To stop the mash sinking into the filling, allow the meat to cool before topping with the mashed potato. Freeze in individual ovenproof dishes for an easy meal for one.

This Easy Shepherd's Pie recipe is made with ground beef, brown gravy, and frozen vegetables in less than 30 minutes on the stove top. Broil in the oven for just 5 minutes and dinner is served! Make it with my homemade mashed potato recipe, or use up leftover mashed potatoes!

The dish originates from the British Isles, but some might argue that it is an Irish dish by origin. The name "Shepherd's Pie" was first recorded in an 1877 cookbook. In this same cookbook, it was noted that the dish was of Scottish origin. During the period between the 18th and 19th centuries, money was very tight.

The easiest way to thicken shepherd's pie filling is by sprinkling a few tablespoons of flour into the ground beef mixture as it cooks before adding it to the baking dish. The starch in the flour will absorb the extra liquid and create a thick gravy.

If you don't have beef broth, you can use chicken broth as the substitute. Chicken broth adds a mild flavor and light color to dishes. Both broths have nearly identical compositions: The chicken broth calls for chicken instead of beef meat — causing less flavor but retaining a meaty taste as much as it is savory.

An equal part of red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar, mixed together with tamarind paste or concentrate, can be used as a replacement for Worcestershire.

Make It Ahead

The beef mixture can be made up to 2 days ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Or make the whole casserole ahead, cover the dish with plastic wrap, and store in the fridge for up to a day.

A good shepherd's – or indeed cottage – pie, needs a solid, but fluffy top: too much milk or butter, and you'll end up with a sloppy puree instead.

Should I put shepherds pie in the fridge? ›

Freshly baked shepherd's pie will keep for about 3 to 5 days in the fridge; refrigerate covered with aluminum foil or plastic wrap.

Residual moisture from the potatoes will drip into the beef below as it cooks, and too much of it will cause the potatoes to eventually sink. Aside from ridding your potatoes of excess moisture before you mash them, it also helps to cool the beef down, BBC Good Food shares.

Succulent beef mince combined with carrot, leek, onion, and peas in a thick, richly flavoured gravy. Topped with smooth, creamy mashed potato for a delicious midweek meal.

You can use milk, cream, half-and-half, tangy buttermilk, or chicken or vegetable stock to rehydrate your mashed potatoes. Start with ½ cup of liquid for 4 cups of mashed potatoes, and add it gradually so you don't end up with potato soup. Adding extra butter is a good idea, too.

More recently "shepherd's pie" has generally been used for a potato-topped dish of minced lamb. According to the Oxford Companion to Food, "In keeping with the name, the meat should be mutton or lamb; and it is usually cooked meat left over from a roast".

Many people believe that the peasant housewives invented the pie as an easy way to repackage leftovers from their Sunday roast. The Shepherd Pie is thought to originate from Ireland and the northern parts of England.

Pie and mash is a traditional working-class food, originating in the Docks of London. Often accompanied with jellied eels, the dish has been popularised as "a co*ckney classic". It typically consists of a minced beef pie, mashed potato and a parsley sauce known as liquor.

Shepherd's Pie first came about late in the 1700s and early 1800s. Accordingly, housewives back then were on the frugal side. Much like we do today, they were looking for ways to incorporate those leftovers that husbands and kids would turn up their noses at. The struggle was real back then just like today.