Easy Classic Shepherds Pie Recipe with Variations

Being beef ranchers we have a lot of beef in the freezer. Especially ground beef… which is why a classic shepherds pie was important to get into my meal plan.

As a home cook, I am always looking for recipes that use up ground beef. If not we will end up with so many pounds of ground beef at the bottom of our freezer. 

This classic shepherds pie recipe is one of our favorites, because it is so versatile. You can add in any vegetables that you like, we use green beans and corn, and the spices that your family likes. I would think of this recipe as a base recipe.

Take it and get creative, tweaking and adjusting to you and your families liking!

Can I use different ground meats in this recipe?

Just like you can switch up the spices and vegetables in this recipe, you can also switch up the meat you use. 

I typically only make this classic shepherds pie with ground beef, but you could also make it with ground lamb, ground venison, ground turkey, or any other ground meat of choice! You could also do a meat mixture of half ground beef and half venison or half pork and half lamb. Always use what you have in all my recipes and adapt as necessary.

It really doesn’t matter what kind of meat you use, however remember that each choice of meat will bring their own flavor to the dish. I love changing things up so you get a slightly different flavor but still use the same recipe.

No need to re-invent the wheel!

Ingredients:

1lbs ground beef
1 TBSP avocado oil or olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 (8oz) can tomato paste
1 cup frozen or fresh green beans

1 cup frozen or canned corn
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
5 medium russet potatoes, skinned and thickly chopped
1/2 stick butter
1/2 cup milk (may need more or less)
salt and black pepper to taste

How to make classic shepherds pie:

1. Skin and chop your potatoes into large chunks. Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Boil potatoes on the stove on medium high heat until they are completely soft. 
2. Once potatoes are soft, drain them and add butter, milk, along with salt and pepper to taste. Use a hand mixer or a potato masher to mash potatoes up. Add more salt, pepper, or milk as needed to get creamy mashed potatoes.
3. In a cast iron pan, add avocado oil, ground beef, onion, and garlic. Cook until the meat is cooked all the way through and the onions are translucent. 
4. Next, add in the spices, vegetables, and tomato paste to the ground beef mixture. Stir thoroughly. Cook on medium heat until the vegetable are soft.
5. Spread out your mixture to cover the bottom of the pan in an even layer. 
6. Add your prepared mashed potatoes on top of the meat mixture. Spread the potatoes out over the meat using the back of a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to cover the whole pan. You should not see any of the meat mixture now. 
7. Sprinkle the top of the mashed potatoes with shredded cheese evenly. 
8. Bake this traditional shepherd’s pie at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until it is golden brown on top and bubbly. 
9. Let the shepherd’s pie sit for a minute after taking out of the oven before slicing. This will help the slices to stay in their pie slice shape.

Can I do this in a casserole dish and not cast iron?

I love to cook with cast iron and I love to use minimal dishes. So doing my classic shepherd’s pie recipe in a cast iron pan is a no brainer for me!

But rest assured you don’t have to. If you don’t have a cast iron pan you can do this in any baking dish or casserole dish you have. 

You will want to cook your meat mixture in a large skillet or pan, than add it to the bottom of a lightly greased dish. Spread it out evenly. 

Next, you will make your potatoes in a pot and pour over the meat mixture to spread out. 

The extra dishes you use will be an extra pan to cook the meat mixture in. 

However you want to make this comfort food is up to you, but you will want to get it on your weekly menu lineup. 

I love to make this as a lunch too. It’s a simple recipe to use because I can make it ahead of time and just pop it in the oven about 30 minutes before we are ready to eat lunch. It makes for a hearty meal in the middle of the day, especially when we have a busy afternoon and need a heavier lunch. 

I find the more complete I make a meal, with all the components of a balanced meal, the less snacks everyone is wanting in between. This is a great recipe as an example of a complete meal, and it’s easy to make!

How do I store leftovers?

I will admit here, we rarely have leftovers. This meal is a family favorite, which means that it is usually all gone on the first sitting.

But if you don’t have big eaters, like my family, than you may have left overs.

The best way to store all your leftovers is in an airtight container in the fridge for about a week. 

The easiest way to heat it back up is if you can keep the slices in their shape, than you can place them back into a pan and pop them in the oven. This is good when you have a lot of leftovers and want to use it again for another meal. 

This classic shepherds pie makes the perfect dinner on those busy weeknights. You can make it ahead of time and pop it in the fridge until you are ready to bake it, to make this meal even faster. I like to pair it with a batch of my homemade cornbread slathered in butter or some homemade gluten free sourdough dinner rolls. 

The next time you are wondering what to make for supper, give this recipe a try. You are now prepared to feed your family well with this delicious hearty shepherd’s pie!