Easy Shepherds Pie Recipe Ground Beef

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The Best Quick & Easy Shepherds Pie Recipe Made With Ground Beef

Easy Shepherds Pie Recipes Ground Beef | Quick and Easy Dinner Recipes

If youre looking for cheap and easy dinner recipes for the family, this ground beef and potato casserole recipe is always a hit! Even your picky eaters will love this simple meal. Its also loaded with veggies, so consider it healthy enough to serve often.

The idea behind a classic shepherds pie is simply to mix ground beef or lamb with a good hearty tomato based sauce and mixed vegetables, top with mashed potatoes in a casserole dish , and then bake until the potatoes and cheese are well browned.

Ingredients And Substitutions For Shepherds Pie

One of our favorite things about Shepherds Pie is how versatile it is. Tweak the ingredients to match what you have on hand we promise, it will still be delicious!

  • Ground Beef may sub in ground lamb, bison, turkey, or lentils
  • Carrots
  • Green Pepper or you can use any color of bell pepper
  • Onion we recommend yellow onion, but red or white onion will also work
  • Mushrooms may omit, or sub another veggie of your choice, such as chopped zucchini
  • Garlic
  • Seasonings we used chili powder and dried rosemary, but if you dont like either of those, try paprika and dried thyme
  • Tomato Paste you need 3 ounces, or 6 tablespoons
  • Sweet Potatoes may sub regular potatoes. If you use white russet or yellow gold potatoes, be sure to mash the potatoes by hand to maintain texture
  • Butter or sub in ghee, coconut oil, or olive oil

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Can You Make Shepherds Pie With Ground Beef

Many people say you cant, and that the only way to make authentic shepherds pie is with lamb. However, in the United States, ground beef is easier to find and used more in American households than ground lamb.

So then what is cottage pie, and whats the difference?

Cottage pie is typically a mixture of minced beef and vegetables in gravy, baked in a casserole dish with a cap of mashed potatoes.

So basically the same as Shepherds Pie, except that dish is traditionally made with ground lamb since a shepherd raises lambs. However, I personally dont like lamb, and I have always seen it on menus, even in Irish restaurants, with this name.

And the cottage pie name doesnt make sense to me anyway since I dont know any cows who live in a cottage.

Im joking, but the point is, make what you like.

Since this dish and cottage pie are essentially the same thing, just swapping the protein, I think it is totally acceptable to make Shepherds Pie with ground beef instead of lamb.

You can always call this recipe cottage pie or you can use ground lamb and stick with tradition. I have not claimed this recipe is traditional, I just call it easy and it happens to be delicious.

Now Im not sure what shepards pie is, but many people seem to spell it that way.

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How To Make This Easy Shepherds Pie Recipe

  • Preheat Preheat oven to 400 Degrees and coat a 13×9 baking dish with cooking spray. Then set aside.
  • Saute First, you will need to saute the yellow onion in the olive oil until they become golden brown. Then add the ground beef and break it apart.
  • Cook Beef Next, add parsley, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook for 6-8 minutes Stirring occasionally until meat is completely brown.
  • Saute Garlic Then, add the garlic and let it cook for about 1 minute or until it is golden brown. Next, add the Worcestershire sauce and stir until fully incorporated.
  • Thickener Add flour and ketchup to the ground beef mixture. Mix until the flour make a nice creamy roux.
  • Add Veggies The final step of the ground beef filling is to add the beef broth, frozen peas, carrots and corn kernels. Cook until the beef broth comes to a boil. Then, reduce heat and let simmer for 4-5 minutes. Stir occasionally.
  • Add To Baking Dish Last, spread out the ground beef filling in a 13 x 9 baking dish. Make sure to spread it evenly and set aside.

How To Make Shepherds Pie

Easy Shepherd
  • 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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Can I Freeze The Pie

Yes, this pie freezes GREAT! Shepherds pie may be frozen before or after baking and will keep in the freezer up to 2 months.

  • Uncooked Prepare as per instructions and freeze before baking. Cover with foil and tightly wrap with a few layers of plastic wrap.
  • To bake: Completely thaw in the refrigerator before baking. Bake per instruction.
  • Cooked Allow the pie to cool completely. Cover the dish with foil and wrap with a few layers of plastic wrap. Thaw and reheat covered with foil until heated or microwave until warm.
  • Shepherds Pie Vs Cottage Pie

    When Shepherds Pie first originated, it was made with lamb. It has since evolved, especially in America, to include a variety of red meats . Per Wikipedia:

    Shepherds pie, cottage pie, or hachis Parmentier is a ground meat pie with a crust or topping of mashed potato of English origin. The recipe has many variations, but the defining ingredients are ground red meat cooked in a gravy or sauce with onions, and topped with a layer of mashed potato before it is baked

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    More Ground Beef Dinner Ideas

    Spaghetti and Meatballs Make this and youll be known for your spaghetti and meatballs. The meatballs are incredible with a mix of ground beef, Italian sausage, and a special ingredient to make them super tender.

    Meatloaf with the Best Glaze Say goodbye to boring and underwhelming meatloaf. This tender ground beef meatloaf is a winner and everyone raves about the sweet and tangy glaze.

    Perfect Burger Recipe Get all of our tips and tricks for the juiciest burgers on the block and learn which ground beef is best for burgers. We also shared the recipe for our secret sauce!

    I hope you find some new favorite ground beef recipes here to make your busy weeknights even easier.

    What Can I Substitute For Ground Beef

    Homestyle Dinner Collab / Easy Homemade Shepherd’s Pie #ground beef / 15 min. dinner for $5

    If you dont have ground beef on hand, some recipes can be substituted with ground turkey or ground chicken and sometimes ground pork. If you are looking for a creative vegetarian substitute, try finely chopping mushrooms or eggplant in a food processor. P.S. The recipe pictured below is for our Juicy Meatballs.

    Here is a simple tutorial on how to cook ground beef which you can use for quick meals like nachos, burritos, tacos, salad, and more.

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    Can I Prepare Shepherds Pie In Advance

    Yes, this is a great make ahead dish! You cook it, assemble and leave it ready to bake, or freeze it to make another night.

    To Make Ahead: This is a great dish to prep and make ahead a few days in advance. Assemble and cover with foil. Refrigerate up to 2 days ahead, then bake in a preheated oven 400F about 30 minutes, or until heated through.

    Leftovers: Store cooled leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To freeze, transfer to a freezer safe containers for up to 1 month.

    Shepherds Pie With Ground Beef

    This is a very flavorful and easy to make recipe. Fresh and delicious flavor make this recipe simply gorgeous. Shepherds pie recipe comes out like so many other recipes because of all the ingredients that need to use leftover meat, Potatoes and vegetables were easy to find in your home, it was not uncommon to end up combining them. The truth is that it made us enjoy a lot and you will repeat it.

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    Why Sweet Potatoes Are Good For You

    Sweet potatoes are one of the healthiest foods you could eat because theyre a great source of fiber, loads of vitamins, and disease-fighting antioxidants. Here are some of the ways that sweet potatoes are helping to keep you healthy:

    • Nutritious sweet potatoes are a great source of two types of fiber: soluble and insoluble. The soluble fiber helps keep the healthy bacteria in your intestines healthy, while the insoluble fiber improves your digestion
    • Sweet potatoes can reduce your risk of heart disease by reducing homocysteine in the blood, which has been linked to artery damage
    • Because sweet potatoes are an excellent source of Vitamin C, they can improve your immunity and digestion, and also boost the production of your collagen levels for healthier skin, hair, and nails
    • The deep orange color of sweet potatoes indicated that they are high in carotenoids like beta carotene, a precursor to Vitamin A which improves your eye health and enhances your immunity against illness
    • Delicious sweet potatoes can help keep you looking and feeling young, due to their high levels of carotenoids, a type of anti-aging antioxidant
    • Sweet potatoes can even make you happier since they are a good source of Vitamin D, a nutrient important for keeping your energy and mood levels high

    How To Store And Freeze Borscht

    Easy Shepherd

    Borscht can be stored in the refrigerator for a couple of days. If you plan on freezing it, portion it out into freezer-safe containers, leaving about an inch of headspace for expansion. Borscht will keep in the freezer for about 2 months. Just be sure to defrost it in the fridge at least a day before you plan to serve it again.

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    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.

    How To Freeze And Reheat Beef Stew

    This stew freezes very well. If youre freezing leftovers of the completed dish, just keep in mind that the potatoes will get softer in the process of freezing and thawing. If you plan to freeze the stew right away, do so before the step of adding the carrots and the potatoes. When youre ready to enjoy the soup, thaw it and resume the cooking process at step 5.

  • Kalisa Marie Martin
  • Thicken the stew:

    To thicken the stew, you can remove the lid and reduce the cooking liquid until you reach your desired consistency or take a few of the tender potatoes and use a fork to smash against the side of the pot. This will give the stew body.

  • Adjust seasoning and serve:

    Taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt and pepper. Garnish with additional chopped scallions and serve alone or over rice. This stew tastes even better the next day!

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    Simple Comfort Food The Entire Family Will Love

    The only issue with a traditional shepherds pie is that they usually require 10+ ingredients and a lot of prep. No, thank you! Because my family enjoys this dinner recipe so much, I came up with a way to make it super quick and easy with just 6 simple ingredients.

    • ground beef
    • cheddar cheese
    • mashed potatoes

    In a large pan, simply brown the ground beef and and drain the excess grease. Add the tomato soup, frozen veggies, seasoning and about half a cup of water to the pan simmer for 5-10 minutes.

    Evenly spread the beef mixture onto the bottom of a greased 9×13 baking dish.

    Spread your mashed potatoes over the top and then sprinkle with 1-2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese.

    Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until the cheese starts to brown.

    Even though this shepherds pie is incredibly easy to make, its not missing any flavor! I was pleasantly surprised at how good this simple recipe was, in fact, my husband thought it was better than the complicated recipes Ive made in the past.

    • 1-2cupsshredded cheddar cheese
  • Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

  • Prepare the mashed potatoes according to the package directions .

  • Meanwhile, brown the ground beef on medium heat in a large skillet drain any excess grease.

  • Add the can of tomato soup, frozen mixed veggies, beef stew seasoning mix and 1/2 cup of water to the browned beef stir and simmer for 5-10 minutes on low heat.

  • Bake uncovered in the center rack for about 30 minutes, or until the cheese starts to brown.

  • The Special Topping: Cauliflower And Potato Mash

    Shepherd’s Pie Recipe || ground beef recipes||casserole

    One other change from traditional shepherds pie is the topping: Its a blend of cauliflower and potatoes! This means fewer carbs and calories , but more importantly, the added health benefits of cauliflower.

    The recipe calls for sharp or extra-sharp cheddar cheese, which plays off of the cauliflower and adds a pleasing crust when baked.

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    Prep This Ahead Of Time

    If you plan to make this ahead of time, I suggest keeping the mashed potatoes and filing separate at first. Store them away in the fridge in sealed containers. When youre ready to bake, let the potatoes and filling sit at room temperature to soften before assembling. Then, pop it right into the oven for baking.

    When it comes time to freeze leftovers, just place them in freezer safe containers for up to 3 months. This could be a great option if you also plan to meal prep this on a Sunday night. Just bake it, divide it into 6 sections, and freeze it!

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