Traditional Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

Original Post: https://www.evolvingtable.com/shepherds-pie/

Top ground beef and veggies with mashed potatoes.

5 from 2 votes

Traditional Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

Shepherd's Pie is a traditional recipe packed with comforting ingredients and is surprisingly easy to make. Ground beef is seasoned with herbs and mixed with vegetables and then topped with a thick and filling layer of creamy mashed potatoes.

Prep Time30

Cook Time30

Total Time1

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: English

Servings: servings

Author: London Brazil

Ingredients

Potato Topping:

1 ½ lbs. russet potatoes
½ cup milk full-fat, regular or plant-based
4 Tbsp. butter or oil
¼ cup Parmesan cheese grated
1 tsp. salt to taste
¼ tsp. black pepper
¼ tsp. garlic powder

Ground Meat Filling:

2 Tbsp. oil avocado or olive
1 cup sweet onion finely diced
3 ribs celery finely diced
3 cloves garlic finely minced
1 ½ lbs. ground beef 85/15 or 90/10
3 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 Tbsp. flour or a gluten-free 1-to-1 blend
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 ½ cups beef broth regular sodium
¾ tsp. each of thyme rosemary, parsley, dried
1 tsp. salt to taste
¼ tsp. black pepper
1 ½ cups frozen mixed vegetables thawed

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Rinse and scrub potatoes to remove any visible dirt and then peel using a vegetable peeler. Cut them into roughly 1-inch chunks.
Add the potatoes to a large Dutch oven or pot and then cover the potatoes with at least 1-inch of water. Sprinkle in a pinch or two of salt and bring the water to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and keep a rapid simmer for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender.
Once cooked, drain the potatoes in a colander in the sink and then add them back to the pot along with the milk, butter, Parmesan cheese, ¾-1 teaspoon of salt, to taste, ¼ teaspoon of black pepper, and ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder. Using a potato masher, mash all of this together until it's smooth and creamy with very little chunks remaining. Set this aside until you’re ready to use it.
Add oil to a large skillet or saucepan along with the diced onion and celery. Saute over medium for 3-4 minutes and then add in 3 cloves of finely minced garlic. Continue sauteeing for an additional 30 seconds or until the garlic becomes fragrant.
Push the vegetables to the side of the skillet and add the ground beef. Cook for 7-8 minutes over medium heat, or until there is no pink remaining. Use a potato masher to tenderize the meat and break it apart into finer crumbles.
Add in the tomato paste, flour, Worcestershire sauce, herbs, salt, pepper. Mix this all together until well combined.
Pour in the beef broth, reduce the heat to low, and let the mixture simmer for about 10 minutes or until it has thickened up and is no longer runny.
During the last 2 minutes of cooking, stir in the previously frozen and now thawed mixed vegetables.
Spray a 7 x 10-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and then add in the ground meat filling, spreading it out to cover the bottom of the dish. Then place dollops of the mashed potatoes on top, evenly spaced. Use a spatula to spread this out to completely cover the ground meat layer. Use the side of the spatula to make little peaks in the potatoes if you’d like some of the edges to crisp up in the oven.
Bake the shepherd’s pie in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown slightly. You can also pop it under a broiler for a few minutes at the end to get an extra crispy topping.
Let it rest at room temperature for 10-20 minutes in order for the ground meat filling to thicken back up.
Serve it with a sprinkle of finely chopped fresh parsley and enjoy!

Video

Notes

Meal Prep and Storage

To Prep-Ahead: The day before, you can chop the veggies and make the mashed potatoes, just keep them separate until you're ready to make the Shepherd's pie.
To Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 to 5 days.
To Freeze: You can freeze this dish in individual-sized portions for easy use. First, chill it in the refrigerator, then tightly wrap and seal pieces and freeze for up to 3 months.
To Reheat: Warm this dish back up in a 350°F oven until completely heated through. Or, use the microwave.

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