Whats In Shepherds Pie
The ingredients for Shepherds pie will change depending on who and where you make it. However, in that regards, it is really easy to make substitutions.
- Meat ground beef, ground lamb, ground turkey, ground sausage, and even ground venison are all viable options.
- Vegetables canned vegetables , frozen, and fresh are all delicious. Try one or a mixture of these vegetables: corn, peas, carrots, celery, onions, and even mushrooms.
- Starch mashed potatoes are always a hit and are most common. However, we have personally used rice and stuffing when we needed to.
Classic Shepherd’s Pie Recipe
Classic shepherd’s pie is kind of an ironic dish. It is inspired by the simple, hearty meals a shepherd might bring along out to the fields to keep himself full and nourished during a long day, yet today, many people view the dish as anything but simple and are intimidated by it, preferring to leave the meal as a restaurant-only affair. Once you see how easy it is to make a great shepherd’s pie, though, you’ll add the dish to the regular family menu. It’s a crowd pleasing favorite that even picky eaters will enjoy and that packs in protein, veggies, starch, and of course, plenty of flavor.
Shepherd’s pie is also a great dish because it can be made with such easy-to-find ingredients. Chef and recipe developer Nathaniel Lee of Beginner Food says: “I prefer lamb in my shepherd’s pie for the flavor, but it is not always easily obtained,” thus the common use of ground beef we’re showcasing here. But don’t think those are your only choices, either. You can use a vegan-friendly ground meat alternative, black beans, cooked and minced seitan, or a number of other substitutes as well.
Whether you’re cooking up a special dinner for St. Patrick’s Day or Christmas or you just want to make a meal you know the kids will eat, you’ll be doing it right with this meal.
How Long Can I Keep A Cooked Shepherds Pie In The Fridge
Freshly baked shepherd s pie will keep for about 3 to 5 days in the fridge refrigerate covered with aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Can you freeze shepherd s pie? Yes, to freeze: wrap shepherd s pie tightly with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap, or place in heavy-duty freezer bag.
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Can You Reheat Cottage Pie Twice
Reheat food until piping hot throughout. If you re using a microwave, be aware they do not heat evenly throughout, so take your food out halfway through cooking time and give it a stir. Dont reheat leftovers more than once. This is because the more times you cool and reheat food, the higher the risk of food poisoning.
How To Freeze Healthy Shepherds Pie
Once the shepherds pie is baked, cool completely and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Place it in the freezer until fairly firm, about two hours. Then, cover tightly with plastic wrap, followed by aluminum foil. Mark the date on the outside and store in the freezer for up to two months.
When ready to serve, remove the foil and plastic wrap. Use the foil you just removed to loosely cover the pie. Make sure that your casserole dish can go straight from freezer to oven if not, set the casserole in the oven while the oven preheats so that the dish warms slowly.
Bake the casserole for an hour, or until the pie is hot all the way through. Remove the foil for the last 15 minutes to allow the top to brown.
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Shepherds Pie Including Directions For Freezing
Higher starch potatoes like Russets or Yukon golds make for the fluffiest mashed potatoes. Start potatoes in cold water or theyll cook unevenly with the outside starting to fall apartwhile the inside remains uncooked. Drain well after cooking you might even heat the potatoes gently on low heat on the stove top for about a minute. Avoid mashing potatoes in a food processor as it can turn them into glue. By the way, did you know one medium-size potato has only 110 calories?
Serves 6Ingredients
- 4 oz. Neufchatel or cream cheese, cubed and softened at room temperature.
- 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
- 1 to 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 4 cups frozen mixed vegetables , thawed
- 1 cup savory beef gravy, purchased or homemade
Directions
TO BAKE NOW:
Can You Reheat Shepherds Pie In The Oven
Option 1: Prepare the recipe as written including the baking time. Let the shepherds pie cool completely and then refrigerate. Reheat the whole thing in the oven, or microwave individual servings. Refrigerate the shepherds pie until you re ready to serve, then preheat the oven and bake for 35 minutes.
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Boil Water Prep Veggies And Pre
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and toss in a pinch of salt. Then wash and cut the potatoes into quarters you dont have to peel them, youll do that later. Once the water is boiling, place the potatoes into the pot.
Now, wash and peel the carrots, then chop them roughly. Then, dice the onions and, if need be, mince the thyme and rosemary. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Shepherds Pie Or Shepards Pie
A shepherd is a sheep-herder. Shepherds Pie originated in Ireland during the 1700s and 1800s where sheep herding was the primary focus of farmers. Those farmers wives were looking for a way to transform leftovers into a hearty meal. Hence why you find a ground meat or mince meat and an array of vegetables used in each casserole. And while many spell it Shepards Pie, the correct spelling is Shepherds Pie. Though again, traditionally speaking it is made with lamb while Cottage Pie is made with ground beef.
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What Is Shepherds Pie
It is a classic meat and potatoes dish literally, in this case, as it is essentially a meat filling covered by a layer of mashed potatoes. The dish is popular because it is simple to make, is fulfilling, and if prepared correctly can be reasonably healthy. The biggest question is what the perfect time and temp for shepherds pie should be for the meal. While this can vary a little, in general, the best serving temp is around 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
At its simplest, the casserole is some sort of meat sauce covered with mashed potatoes. While there are not that many variations on the mashed potatoes part, although you could add some spices and cheese to them, the meat sauce allows for a wide variety of options. At the very least, you can add almost any vegetable into the mix and it usually works. You can also use a tomato-based sauce or use standard meat gravy. The basic recipe is very forgiving of variants and it is even encouraged.
There are even some more exotic variations. While the default is ground beef, you can substitute any ground meat, from turkey to lamb, as desired. You can use a chili mixture in place of the standard meat sauce. While the most basic recipe calls for corn and green beans, you can use virtually any vegetables with the meat sauce. There is even an option for the top you can use a more doughy top instead of the potatoes. In short, it is something with which you can have some serious fun and can be used as the basis of a wide variety of options.
Everything You Love About Shepherds Pie But Way Easier
Shepherds pie and its brethren really got their start as a way to use up stewed or roasted meat and leftover vegetables, but it has since come to represent a comforting Sunday night dinner. Its a shame, really, that we dont eat Shepherds pie more regularly, because a chilly Tuesday night is actually when we need this cozy dish the most.
Here, weve figured out how to simplify the recipe without sacrificing the deliciousness of everyones favorite part: the potatoes.
Shepherds Pie Versus Cottage Pie
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Get Ahead Of The Game With These 11 Incredible Casseroles They Are Freezer
When it comes to cooking in the kitchen, my motto is Eat all the things. Just kidding. Its really Work smarter, not harder.
I cook for a small army every day, and I have found that I am most productive when working in batches. What this means is that if Im already exerting the energy to get food out and cook it and am already getting dishes dirty, then I might as well roll up my sleeves and really get to work by making extra food for later.
Think of it as your own little BOGO meal. Except maybe its MOGO MAKE ONE, GET ONE. Ha!
Since youre already making a casserole for your family, you might as well spend a few extra minutes making another one to freeze for later. That way, when life gets crazy and youre desperate for an easy meal, youve already got one in the freezer ready to cook at a moments notice. High-fives for everyone!
These casseroles can all be frozen as one whole casserole or as individual portions. Simply bake them, cool them completely, and wrap them tightly in foil. They will keep for up to 3 months.
To reheat the casseroles cover them loosely with foil in a 350°F oven. Its best to reheat individual portions in the microwave.
Want more meals to double and freeze? Try these!
Cook Veggies And The Meat Then Add Herbs To Your Classic Shepherds Pie
In a large sauté pan cook, heat the olive oil over a medium to high heat, then cook the onions and carrots, tossing in a pinch of salt. Stir and cook until the onions start to brown and caramelize, which will take about ten minutes.
Now, add the ground beef for your classic shepherds pie and cook, stirring often, until it browns, which takes about five minutes. Next, toss in your minced herbs and stir well, cooking everything for about another five minutes. Finally, add the peas, stir, and then turn off stove.
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How Do You Make Shepherds Pie From Scratch
To make this recipe for Shepherds pie with ground beef, you start out by making the meat filling. Combine all the ingredients for that and simmer together. Once its ready, you can get the oven pre-heated. Then youll make your mashed potatoes. After you have them ready, you can assemble this casserole in a baking dish with the meat mixture on the bottom and the mashed potatoes on top. Bake it uncovered for 30 minutes, let it cool for about 15 minutes, and then serve.
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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Gather Your Ingredients For This Classic Shepherd’s Pie
Provided you have a large enough baking dish or you want to break the classic shepherd’s pie into a couple different dishes, you can easily scale up this recipe to serve a large party of diners. As measured here, you’ll have adequate servings for four to six people, depending on their appetites.
You’ll need two medium russet potatoes, a pound of ground beef or ground lamb, one yellow onion, diced, one cup of peas, one cup of carrots, diced, one cup of cheddar cheese, shredded, a pinch of rosemary and a pinch of thyme, a half cup of breadcrumbs, two tablespoons of olive oil, and two heavy pinches of salt.
How Long To Bake Shepherds Pie
This dish is made in two parts on the stovetop. The baking aspect is really just to give you a great texture on top as well as heating the entire casserole through. Because of that, you really only need about 15 minutes in the oven at 350F if serving immediately. See the tips below for preparing ahead.
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Whats The Difference Between Shepherds Pie And Cottage Pie
Its all in the meat. Shepherds pie contains minced lamb .
Whereas Cottage Pie contains mince beef .
Whilst we are getting our pie names sorted out Cumberland Pie refers to any type of meat pie topped with mashed potatoes and then a layer of bread crumbs. Whilst not strictly traditional a sprinkling of grated cheese over your mashed potato on both a Shepherds and Cottage Pie is delicious.
Ingredients For Shepherds Pie
- Ground Beef we used lean beef, or you can substitute with ground lamb.
- Salt and Pepper after several tests, we found this simple seasoning is all that is needed. Thyme and rosemary are commonly added but we found it overpowering in any quantity.
- Onion we used yellow onion, but you can substitute any variety
- Garlic aromatic that enhances the sauce
- All-purpose flour thickens the sauce
- Red Wine use a dry red wine to add rich flavor. Use any dry red wine such as Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet, or Sauvignon
- Beef Broth you can use Chicken broth if that is what you have on hand.
- Tomato paste rounds out the flavor of the sauce
- Worcestershire sauce adds the umami
- Frozen vegetables we use a combination of carrots, peas and corn
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