My Family Loves This Easy Shepherds Pie Recipe You Only Need Five Ingredients To Make This Delicious Comfort Food Casserole And It Cooks In Under 30 Minutes
Sometimes life gets cray cray and you need a quick dinner recipe, am I right?! This Easy Shepherds Pie Recipe has got your back!
It has only FIVE simple ingredients and is constantly requested by my family of hungry boys. Whenever I make this, my kids literally scream YAY out loud!!
Full disclosure: I usually eat pretty healthy. I mean, this website is called Yummy Healthy Easy for a reason, right? But sometimes you need a good ol comfort food dinner on a cold evening to warm you up.
This Easy Shepherds Pie recipe is one of my absolute favorite go-to comfort food dinners. Ive been making this for years and for some reason, I never thought to share it with you!
When I made it last week, I was like why have I not taken photos of this and put it on the website?! So, here you go!
How To Make Shepherd’s Pie In A Pressure Cooker
When I first came across this recipe, I was puzzled. Maybe I hadn’t had my coffee yet, but I imagined tossing ground beef, veggies, and a few whole potatoes into the Instant Pot and then lifting off the lid to reveal a table-ready Shepherd’s Pie topped with mashed potatoes.
In reality, there are a few more steps involved — though not many!
Coco has you start by prepping the filling using the Sauté function on the Instant Pot. Then you place a tall steamer rack in the pot and place the peeled potatoes on top.
Then the lid goes on and everything pressure cooks together. At the end of cooking, the potatoes are perfectly cooked and ready to be mashed with milk.
For a traditional casserole-style shepherd’s pie, you transfer the filling to an 8×8 pan, top with the mashed potatoes, and broil until the top is golden. You can also serve this in bowls by scooping out some filling and topping it with a generous dollop of mashed potatoes. So easy!
Can I Make This Homemade Shepherds Pie Ahead Of Time
Making a classic shepherds pie is not hard. But, it can be a bit time consuming. So you can make the meat filling or potatoes a head of time. Then, add them to a baking dish when your are ready to make the casserole. I find it is best to finish it within a couple of days of making the other ingredients. When you are ready to eat it. Remove it from the refrigerator and let it warm up at room temperature for about 20 minutes. Then, uncover it and bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
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How This Pie Is Different From Traditional Shepherds Pie
The shepherds pie of my upbringing features a hefty portion of meat, with vegetables playing a supporting role, and a thick topping of buttery mashed potatoes. My updated version bumps up the ratio of vegetables to meat and calls for extra-lean ground beef, which is the leanest option in the butcher case.
For the mashed potatoes, the recipe swaps in olive oil for butter, which means more heart-healthy fats in every bite. The sum total of these swaps is a lighter dish with no shortcuts on flavor.
To Assemble A Shepherds Pie
Pro Tip: Shepherds Pie can be made ahead which is perfect for the holidays or busy weeknights. See the Make-ahead section below for tips on refrigerating or freezing the pie.
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Classic Shepherds Pie Recipe
This shepherds pie recipe is so tasty, hearty, healthy and comforting. It’s truly the perfect, hot meal to warm you up on a chilly evening.
Browned hamburger meat combined with an assortment of veggies and spices in a red wine and beef broth gravy! Cook it all together to create a pie filling and cover with a layer creamy mashed potatoes. You cant beat that!
An overview: Keep scrolling down to find the full recipe and measurements. Well start here with a quick overview!
- Boil potatoes in a large pot of salted water on the stovetop.
- Brown hamburger. Add veggies, red wine, broth & seasonings.
- Mix corn starch with cold water and add to the simmering mixture to thicken.
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Mash potatoes with butter and milk.
- Place filling in the bottom of your baking dish and top with layer of mashed potatoes.
- Bake 20-30 minutes, and then broil for 2-3.
More cold weather recipes:
How Long To Boil Eggs For Deviled Eggs:
- Fill a large pot 3/4 full of water.
- Place the pot over high heat until the water comes to a rolling boil. This can take between 7-12 minutes, depending on the size of your pot and how much water you use. To speed things up, I use hot tap water and keep the lid on the pot until the water is boiling.
- Carefully and gently add the desired amount of large eggs to the boiling water. A mesh strainer works well for gently lowering more than one egg at a time into the hot water.
- Boil the eggs for 13-14 minutes. Adjust the heat as necessary so that the water doesnt boil over.
- Remove the pot from the heat. Drain the hot water from the pot while keeping the eggs in the pot. You could use the lid of the pot or a strainer to help keep the eggs in the pot as you drain the hot water.
- Add cold water to the pot until the eggs are covered in cold water. Pour that water out. Repeat with more cold water.
- Add 2 cups of ice to the pot. Gently stir the eggs. If the ice melts, add more until the water stays ice cold.
- Let the eggs rest in the ice cold water for 5 minutes.
- Remove the eggs from the cold water. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week until you are ready to use them.
- Gently crack the egg shells and peel the eggs.
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Main Dish Recipe Index
Browse main dish recipes that are tried and tested. From meatloaf to chili to chicken recipes. These are great options for the busy family any day of the week!
Check out these great entree recipes.
Hi, Im Amanda Finks
Im a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist living in Zionsville, IN. Im an avid cook, travel nerd, & lover of good food! Im trained in Food Science & recipe development. Its my mission to bring you the BEST recipes your whole family will love! See More.
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Tips From The Pillsbury Kitchens
- tip 1 Part of what makes this Shepherd’s Pie recipe easy is the fact that the ingredients are fully cooked before your layer them together in the baking dish, so youre just heating them up until hot and aromatic.
- tip 2 Sprinkle 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese onto mashed potatoes before baking for a cheesy topped Shepherd’s Pie.
- tip 3 A main-dish pie is a great way to use that extra pound of ground beef. Try a few varieties of frozen vegetables you have stashed in the freezer for a different twist on this Shepherd’s Pie recipe.
- tip 4 If you arent sure about the volume of your casserole dish, pour in measured amounts of water to be sure you wont overflow it with the pie filling.
- tip 5 Ground beef is the usual, budget-friendly go-to for weeknight meals, but stock up on other ground meats when theyre on sale. Ground turkey, chicken, or pork would be great in this easy Shepherd’s Pie recipe. Cook the ground meat with the onion until thoroughly cooked continue with recipe.
- tip 6 Refrigerated mashed potatoes are easy and nice to have on hand. Try any flavored refrigerated mashed potatoes to top this main-dish pie.
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Prep Ahead And Tips For Shepherds Pie
You will love how easy and convenient this dish is. It can be made a day in advance, which makes dinner prep easier.
- Layering After prepping the meat mixture, let it cool and then chill it in the fridge for 20 minutes. This will help keep the mashed potato layer separated.
- Prep Ahead Prep and assemble up to one day in advance and refrigerate. Let it come to room temperature 30 minutes before baking it.
- Quick Clean Up If your baking dish is very full, place it on a parchment lined baking sheet to avoid any juices spilling in your oven.
- To Freeze Before Baking
- Cool completely. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and then in foil. Freeze.
- Thaw overnight in the fridge. Bake for 45 minutes covered and 15 minutes uncovered
New Cookbook: The Ultimate Instant Pot Cookbook
This is absolutely my new favorite way to make Shepherd’s Pie, but there are plenty more recipes in this book that I’m excited to try.
I’ve actually already made the Sweet Potatoes Stuffed With Black Beans and Quinoa. Verdict: phenomenal. I love having this easy, meat-free meal in my back pocket.
A few that are next on my list:
- French Toast Casserole
- Hoisin-Glazed Spareribs
- Caramelized Onion Dip
Coco sprinkles her recipes with useful tips and suggestions for substitutions, which are all very useful for cooks like me who employ a mix of roughly 80% “follow the recipe” and 20% “wing it.”
Reading through the book, I also appreciate how straightforward and approachable all the recipes feel — though of course, this shouldn’t come as a surprise since this is why I love featuring her recipes here on Simply Recipes as well! With its mix of basic recipes and recipes to make for dinner, I think this book would be a good one for new Instant Pot users and die-hard fans alike.
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Customize Your Shepherds Pie
This easy shepherds pie is the ultimate comfort food. Meat, cheese, potatoes? Whats not to love with that combo! It is also is easily customizable to your familys preferences. You can add different vegetables: corn, carrots, peas, green beans, etc. I personally prefer corn and green beans in mine, but when Im in a rush, Ill just use a bag of frozen mixed vegetables.
You can use instant mashed potatoes or real mashed potatoes with Yukon, Russet, or Sweet Potatoes. The gravy can be made from scratch or made with a gravy packet. The choice is up to you. You can even switch up the cheeses. Some good substitutes are Colby jack, mild cheddar, or a mix of different cheeses .The possibilities are endless!
How To Make Shepherds Pie
- Sauté some chopped onions in olive oil.
- Add ground beef or ground lamb.
- Add dried parsley, dried thyme, dried rosemary, salt, and pepper.
- Stir and cook the meat mixture until the meat is browned.
- Add minced garlic and Worcestershire sauce.
- Cook the garlic for a minute.
- Add flour and tomato paste.
- Add beef broth, frozen mixed peas and carrots, and frozen corn kernels.
- Simmer the meat gravy until it is thick.
- Boil some peeled and chopped potatoes until they are soft.
- Drain the potatoes
- Add butter, half & half, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Mash the potatoes until smooth.
- Pour the meat mixture into a casserole dish.
- Top it with the cheesy mashed potatoes.
- Bake until the meat is bubbling and the potatoes are golden.
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Easy 5 Ingredient Shepherds Pie
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This easy Shepherds pie is made with ground beef in a savory gravy, layered with tender vegetables, creamy mashed potatoes and topped off with cheddar cheese.
This is my twist on the traditional Shepherds pie recipe. It does not use ground lamb or the traditional sauce. Instead, the ground beef is mixed with gravy and topped with sharp cheddar cheese. Interesting fact: its actually called cottage pie when its made with ground beef. However, in America, people commonly refer to it as Shepherds pie anyway.
This 5 ingredient shepherds pie is one of my favorite go-to ground beef recipes because its budget-friendly and flavorful. I have it at least once a month. It only requires 5 ingredients and takes less than 30 minutes to make so its perfect for a quick and easy dinner recipe.
The Best Mashed Potatoes For Cottage Pie
You can easily use leftover Creamy Mashed Potatoes or even Garlic Mashed Potatoes if you have some on hand, but be sure to add parmesan and egg. Heres what youll need to cook mashed potatoes for Shephards Pie:
- Russet Potatoes whip up super creamy and smooth
- Heavy Whipping Cream makes potatoes luxuriously creamy
- Salt add to taste after mashing
- Parmesan cheese gives the potatoes the best taste
- Egg creates that lovely golden hue in the oven
- Butter helps with color and keeps the potatoes moist
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How To Make The Filling
Tips From The Betty Crocker Kitchens
- tip 1 Traditionally, shepherds pie is made with lamb . However, as the dish gained wider popularity outside of its native English homeland , beef became a common substitute, especially in America where its more widely available than ground lamb.
- tip 2 Refrigerated mashed potatoes cut a ton of prep time off of this recipe and are good to keep on hand. Try any flavored, refrigerated mashed potatoes to top this main-dish pie.
- tip 3 Looking for a few more ways to turn a pound of ground beef into dinner? Check out the rest of Bettys kitchen-tested ground beef recipes.
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The Best Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies
The Best Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe An easy chocolate chip cookie recipe made in minutes. These are the best homemade chocolate chip cookies ever!
Theres nothing better than chocolate chip cookies from scratch! A warm, fresh chocolate chip cookie with a big glass of milk is comfort food at its finest.
Ive tried a lot of chocolate chip cookie recipes over the years. I keep finding that many of the recipes have at least one long wait time. They require you to either wait a couple of hours to bring the butter and eggs to room temperature, or wait for the dough to chill in the refrigerator for an hour. Sometimes both.
Im too impatient! I want to be able to relax on my couch and suddenly decide I need some homemade, soft, and chewy chocolate chip cookies. Then, have them baking in the oven in just a few minutes!