Homemade Shepherd’s Pie

Sharing my shepherd’s pie recipe today!  My Homemade Shepherd’s Pie is the ultimate comfort food, perfect for Sunday Dinner!

shepherd's pie

Shepherd’s Pie

Shepherd’s Pie is by far my kids’ favorite dinner. My oldest tends to even beg for it for breakfast from time to time! My husband asked, why are you posting this recipe? I said…..it’s just really good! Nothing crazy, just good ol’ fashion comfort food 🙂  Since my boys start school today (woohoo, Mom is cheering!)  I decided to post their most favorite recipe in the whole wide world.  It’s perfect for a weeknight dinner if you have a little extra time on your hands or even better for Sunday dinner. I know there are a zillion takes on Shepherd’s Pie….and it seems that I love them all but take a peek below and see how I like to do it  🙂

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How To Make Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

shepherd's pie

I always start with the potatoes since they take the longest. Peel, dice and boil!

shepherd's pie

Slice and dice those onions to get ready for the beef layer of the pie.

shepherd's pie

Saute the onions and garlic then add the beef and green beans.

shepherd's pie

After those potatoes are fork tender, drain, transfer to a mixing bowl….add a little butter, salt, pepper, garlic salt and milk. There’s no perfect measurement for seasoning…everyone likes it a little different. Mix a little, stop and taste. Add seasoning according to your liking 🙂  Ah, the perfect mashed potatoes! Is there anything better?

shepherd's pie

I made a simple homemade sauce for the meat layer that included a little butter, flour, salt, pepper and chicken broth. Whisk until nice and thick then pour right in the beef 🙂

shepherd's pie

Let the layering begin:  The beef goes in first, then top with mashed potatoes and cheese! Bake until hot.

shepherd's pie

Easy Shepherd’s Pie

Serve this perfect Sunday Dinner Recipe with some roasted vegetables and a side salad.  The whole family loves this one!

 

Homemade Shepherd’s Pie

This Homemade Shepherd's Pie is the ultimate comfort food! It's perfect for Sunday dinner or for bringing to a potluck!
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 436kcal
Author: Jenny
Print Pin

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 lbs peeled diced potatoes
  • 3 Tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon Lawry’s garlic salt
  • 1 Cup milk
  • 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium onion finely chopped
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh minced garlic
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 Cups green beans

Sauce

  • 3 Tablespoons butter
  • 3 Tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 Cup chicken broth
  • 1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

  • Place peeled and diced potatoes into a large pot of water. Bring to boil and boil for 13-15 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender. Drain and transfer to the bowl of a stand or electric mixer. Mix in butter, salt, pepper and garlic salt. Slowly add milk until nice and creamy. Keep tasting potatoes to see if you need more seasonings. When done to your liking, set aside for a few minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees Heat oil into a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onions until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, beef, salt and pepper; cook until browned. Stir in green beans then reduce heat to low.
  • To prepare sauce, melt butter into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour, salt and pepper then slowly add in chicken broth until thick and creamy. Add sauce to meat mixture then transfer to bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish. Pour mashed potatoes over meat mixture then top with shredded cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted through.

Nutrition

Calories: 436kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 701mg | Potassium: 894mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 645IU | Vitamin C: 22.9mg | Calcium: 208mg | Iron: 6.3mg
Keywords: easy shepherd's pie, shepherd's pie recipe, shepherd's pie recipe beef

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76 Responses
  1. Stephanie G

    We had this for dinner tonight…omg! so de-lish!!
    thank you for this quick, easy recipe.
    always,
    Steph

  2. Melissa

    We love Shepherd’s Pie too! Instead of making a white sauce for the meat layer, I usually add some petite decided tomatoes and let it simmer for a while. I’m thinking I might have to make this for dinner tonight!

  3. Tickled Red

    Great post! Shepard’s pie is definitely post worthy, especially since your little monkeys love it so much and it warms not only their bellies but your heart. My boys have a favorite, my youngest has even said “You’re going to teach us how to make that, right?” He nearly made me cry.

  4. Michelle

    I’ve got that same Hot Sauce and it is way too hot for me! But I’m a light weight when it comes to spicy!!

  5. Eliana

    These is nothing my comforting than shepherds pie – this one looks absolutely perfect 🙂

  6. Biz

    I guess I never realized there were green beans in Sheperd’s pie? Looks delicious, but you had me at sriracha! 😀

  7. Jaime-Ann

    Um– I am pretty sure this is on the menu this week! YUM-Oh! And I have a bottle of the same hot sauce in my fridge – oh, it’s on!

  8. Michelle @ Brown Eyed Baker

    Love this, and such perfect timing! Amazingly I had never tried shepherd’s pie before this past Saturday night – my boyfriend and I were in Toronto for the weekend and went to an Irish pub one night and he got shepherd’s pie and I got a taste. SOOOOO good! I can’t wait to make a homemade version!

  9. marla {family fresh cooking}

    I have to tell you that Shepherd’s Pie is one of my favorite all time meals. I love it so much, it was my very first blog post. Glad to hear everyone is off to a great year of school. Enjoy more time in the kitchen 🙂 xo

  10. Dana

    Thank you. You have just help me decide what to make for dinner! I have all the ingredients! YEA~

  11. Patty Ann

    We make this too, the recipe is slightly different and it is one of our favorites. I might just have to try yours too! Thank you for all the recipes that you keep posting! We love them.

  12. Brian

    Sorry to be a picky Englishman!

    Shepherds pie uses ground lamb, ground beef is cottage pie.

    Both delicious.

    1. Jenny

      Hey Mr. Englishman,
      Picky people are welcome around here. Us Americans love to change things don’t we? 🙂

  13. the country cook @ Delightful Country Cookin'

    This is definitely one of those meals that is perfect on a cool night when you need something warm and hearty. Your version looks great!

  14. Jessica@tastyandtrim

    That meal looks so warming and delicious! I wonder if it would taste good with sweet potatoes? I may have to give it a try 🙂

  15. justcooknyc

    i guess this goes on my list of yummy-looking things that i haven’t tried making myself yet

  16. Carleen

    This looks to yummy. I’ve been looking for a recipe and this is simple an too the point. Can’t wait to try. Thank you for sharing.

  17. Avril

    Delicious!!! I love the fact that not only do you include green beans in your SP but also HOMEMADE gravy!!!! So yummmy looking and I look forward to making this recipe myself soon. THANK YOU for sharing! 🙂

  18. merium

    We make a Curried Shepherds Pie that is out of this world! It’s one of our favorite meals!

  19. Ella

    This looks amazing! A really posh version, thanks for sharing. Just a note, and ignore this please if you think I am being picky: Shepherd’s Pie is made with lamb (shepherd-sheep), and the version made with beef is Cottage Pie.

  20. Amy (Super Healthy Kids)

    I love it when I have all the ingreients for one of your recipes! Thanks for this one, it’s going to be dinner tonight 🙂

  21. Christy Denney

    I haven’t had this in years and this looks like the version I like just with green beans and meat. I will add this to my list to make for my family…

  22. teresa

    Oh!
    Looks so good!
    I’m thinking this could totally be created vegetarian!
    xo
    Reminds me of being in England!

    1. Jenny

      My husband said the same thing. I think it would be great with a bunch of roasted veggi’s for the bottom layer 🙂

    2. Martine

      My favorite way to make vegetarian shepherd’s pie is this:

      Put 1 heaping cup of (rinsed and sorted) lentils into 2 1/3 cups boiling water, bring to a simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes or so, until softened but still holding their shape somewhat.

      Drain what’s left of the water and mash slightly. Then, saute the lentils in a pan with a little bit of olive oil. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and worcestershire sauce (use a vegetarian brand, most are not, or make your own). I use this as “ground beef” in tons of recipes, where it calls for crumbled cooked ground beef. Think tacos, in pasta sauce, etc. (When it calls for raw beef, I boil a little longer and mash more. Then it can be used to form patties, balls, and loaves.)

      Then I make it pretty much as above, only I use a LOT more veggies (mirepoix of course, but then corn, mushrooms, peas, radishes, kale — whatever I have in my fridge or freezer I usually throw in there and I have yet to be disappointed). Also, to make the gravy, I use a “chicken” broth made of nutritional yeast flakes and salt dissolved in water, along with some thyme, sage, and black pepper. I’ve fooled omnivores with that one, it tastes just like chicken gravy.

      Anyway, with the substitution of lentils for ground beef you still get an incredibly hearty, comforting meal. An added benefit (besides being vegetarian) is that you also swap out a lot of nasty animal fats without losing all your protein, and you get added fiber. I recommend it for everyone at least once, not just vegetarians. Some omnivores have never have eaten a meatless meal that was really “stick to your ribs.” This is the one.

  23. Heidi

    Yours is really close to the way my Mom made it when we were growing up (and the way I make it for my family). We use seasoned tomato sauce instead. I’ve also had it with tomato soup and brown gravy. I’ll have to try your sauce and see what we think. Thanks for another idea.

  24. Jamie Kubeczka

    Thanks for sharing!! My aunt gave me a recipe a while back and I loved it, but this looks a bit more easy for me. It was a hit in my house too!

  25. Courtney Murrell

    Mmmm… This looks good! I love Shepherd’s Pie. I recently had a post about making it too. We make ours a little different though. I cook some ground beef with seasonings, layer that in a pan. Top with corn then mashed potatoes. I usually put cheese between each layer too and top with a GENEROUS portion 🙂

  26. Esther

    I have made this for years…my kids are all grown and married now but today I am going to watch my grandaughter so I think I will make it for her….sounds great!!! I do make it different than yours I will give it a try your way 😉 thanks

  27. Jessica @ How Sweet It Is

    I have never made shepherds pie! It is something my husband would love though.

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