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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Meat Pie As One Of Easy Dinner Ideas
What I love about Shepherds pie, it was a lot much easier to prepare, comparing with other comfort dishes like lasagna or moussaka. Mainly because it is tasty even without Bechamel sauce, and you will need to make only two layers! And believe me, it has nothing complicated during the cooking process, if you follow my step-by-step instructions.
So this Shepherds pie will turn amazing every time you make it! Oh, and cheese is the must, dont miss this step!
Read The Labels On Your Worcestershire Sauce
Diving into the meat filling, youll see that Worcestershire is a key ingredient. This is a vinegar based sauce made from fermented onions and garlic, along with molasses, tamarind, anchovies, spices and more. Yep, you can say this sauce has an intense depth of flavor, making it perfect to add to meats.
But if youre gluten-free, youll need to be mindful of the brands you buy. Worcestershire often includes a wheat-based soy sauce to get that deep dark brown color. So, I recommend purchasing one of the below brands that are gluten-free .
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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.
Ingredients You Need For Easy Shepherds Pie Recipe
To sum up, you will need only few ingredients for the Shepherds pie. Potatoes check. Any vegetables in your pantry and freezer like carrots, celery, peas, corn Check. The only thing you will need, if you dont have leftover mince put it on your shopping list.
Moreover, you will need few spices and a Worcestershire sauce . If you dont have Worcestershire sauce, dont panic, you can add soy sauce, lemon juice and garlic to your taste.
Also you may have a stick of butter and few tablespoons of milk in your fridge. Thats it!
Hope that you will enjoy this British meat pie with your family!
Check also our Irish Colcannon recipe to make tasty potato mash and Rigatoni pasta bake with beef. These main dishes can be followed by a rich Irish dessert Baileys cheesecake.
Easy Shepherd’s Pie How To Make Shepherd’s Pie
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Can I Cook A Shepherd’s Pie From Frozen
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Always freeze the pie on the day that you make it. Defrost in the fridge overnight, then cook as per the recipe. Alternatively, to cook from frozen, heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4, cover with foil and cook for 1½ hrs. Increase oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7, uncover and cook for 20 mins more, until golden and bubbling.
can you cook a cooked pie from frozen? Baking un-baked frozen pies:Defrost fully in the refrigerator overnight. Pre-heat oven to 350. For 9-inch pies, bake at 350 approximately 1 hour. For 6-inch pies, bake approximately 30 minutes.
Just so, how do you reheat frozen shepherd’s pie in the oven?
Freezer Instructions: After baking, let pan cool to room temperature, then cover tightly with foil and place in the freezer for up to 2 months. When ready to eat, reheat the shepherd’s pie for 1 hour in a 350ºF oven.
Can you microwave shepherds pie?
Yes, you can reheat shepherd’s pie in the microwave. The only downside of reheating in a microwave is that the shepherd’s pie might end up soggy and lose it’s crispy texture and flavor due to uneven heating. Just be sure to heat and stir with a spoon or fork several times.
To Make Mashed Potatoes:
Start by peeling your potatoes and cutting them in about 1 inch chunks. Cutting the potatoes will make it faster to cook and easier to mash.
Cook potatoes in a pot of water with a bay leaf. Season water with some salt and pepper. Cook potatoes over medium heat until potatoes are tender enough to be pierced with a fork.
Drain potatoes but save some cooking water. Add butter, heavy cream, about 1/4 cup of cooking water, garlic powder and salt. Mash potatoes until all lumps are broken and its smooth. If you need to, add another 1/4 cup or so of cooking water to reach desired consistency. Mashed potatoes should be soft enough to easily spread over the beef.
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What Is Shepards Pie
If youre new to Shepherds Pie , let me be the first to welcome you to your new favourite comfort food. Essentially, its lamb and veggies smothered in a gravy and who doesnt love an excuse for tons and tons of gravy?
All those times you were limited to just a small drizzle on a few slices of roast lamb because there wasnt enough to go around Bah! This is how you get your gravy fix!!
How This Pie Fits Into Your Specialty Diet
Were all about creating recipes that nourish everyone, no matter if theyre following a special diet or just want to eat healthfully. This homemade shepherds pie with sweet potato topping is just that kind of meal.
Made with wholesome, simple ingredients, this recipe is naturally:
- Whole30 since this recipe doesnt have any added sugars or white potatoes, this is a Whole30 friendly Shepherds Pie, and you can swap in ghee, olive oil, or coconut oil for the butter
- Dairy Free this recipe doesnt contain cheese or sour cream, and you can easily sub in olive oil or coconut oil for the butter, making it 100% dairy free
- Egg Free unlike most shepherds pie recipes, this one doesnt use any eggs
- Gluten Free many shepherds pie recipes call for a little flour or seasonings that contain gluten, but not this recipe
- Grain Free nope, theres no corn, processed starches, flours, rice, or other grains here
- Nut Free you wont find any nuts in this recipe
- Paleo there are no beans, dairy, or processed ingredients, making this a paleo shepherds pie
- Vegetarian & Vegan Option make this recipe 100% plant-based and vegan by using cooked lentils instead of the ground beef, and subbing in coconut oil or olive oil for the butter. Cook 1 cup dry lentils in 4 cups simmering water for 30 minutes drain and add to the sauteed vegetables.
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How To Make Gluten Free Shepherds Pie
Shepherds pie is actually a very easy dish to make gluten free because the only part that contains gluten is flour in the gravy. Gravy can just as easily be thickened with cornstarch or gluten free flour.
To thicken the gravy in beef with gluten free flour, follow the recipe steps exactly and simply substitute regular all purpose flour for gluten free all purpose flour.
If you would rather use cornstarch, it would need to be mixed with some cold broth fist, before adding it to the beef. Set aside about 1/4 cup of cold beef broth and mix it with 1 1/2 tbsp of cornstarch. Mix in the cornstarch mixture into the beef mixture after warm beef broth had been added. Gently stir and let it heat through and thicken.
Can I 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 youre ready to serve, then preheat the oven and bake for 35 minutes.
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What To Serve With Shepherds Pie:
Youre welcome to serve this shepherds pie with extra gravy on the side, if you would like. Otherwise, we enjoyed ours with:
- A simple side salad: Such as my Everyday Salad recipe.
- A loaf of crusty bread: If youre interested in more carbs. )
- Corn on the cob: A simple and colorful side dish.
- A nice cold Guinness: Cheers!
Happy early St. Patricks Day, everyone! Hope you enjoy!
- 1/2 cup whole milk, or more as needed
- 2 ounces cream cheese
- sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
How To Freeze Shepherds Pie
In order to make sure that you get a good result when freezing your Shepherds Pie, you have to follow a few steps:
- Make sure to freeze it as soon as possible after cooking to avoid having the liquid separate from the meat.
- Prepare your Shepherds pie according to your preferred recipe but do not put it in the oven to bake.
- If your recipe calls for shredded cheese to be added, add that after thawing.
- Allow the pie to cool to the point where there is no longer any steam coming off the pie.
- Cover the pie in a layer of plastic wrap, and then wrap the entire container in aluminum foil.
- Securing the foil with an elastic will help protect the Shepherds pie from freezer burn.
- Place the Shepherds pie in the freezer until completely frozen before placing any items on top of it to avoid squishing the Shepherds pie.
If youre feeling like trying something different, you should give our lentil Shepherds pie recipe a try.
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Make Ahead Monday: Shepherds Pie
December 1, 2014 by Keri
Shepherds pie is a comfort food classic that is full of rich, meaty flavors and topped with fluffy mashed potatoes. This meal is sure to warm you up on a cold winter evening!
Happy December! I hope you all had a fantastic weekend! My parents, sister, and niece came to visit for the day and we had a blast. My mom and I decorated the tree while a gluten-free version of my chocolate chip cookies baked in the oven. They came out awesome by the way! Ill be adding instructions to that recipe on how to make them gluten-free if you need.
We also enjoyed repurposed Thanksgiving leftovers, including my mashed potato cakes. They were a huge hit and will probably be the only way I use up leftover mashed potatoes from now on!
Im so excited for Christmas that I already have my menu planned and next week Ill be cooking and shooting it all for you. Stay tuned for the recipes!
In the meantime, I have a few great make-ahead recipes up my sleeve. This time of year is always so busy that I like to cook a few make-ahead meals to have in my fridge throughout the week. Youll always have something to eat even if you dont have time to cook!
Ive really been into comfort food lately. Cold weather and the holiday season can do that to a person! Todays recipe is my take on the classic shepherds pie meaty, flavorful, and a decadent mashed potato topping. Its mouthwatering good! Plus, its a one-pot wonder!
Youre kitchen is going to smell amazing at this point!
Tips For Making Shepherds Pie
There are a few stages to making Shepherds Pie, but its a straightforward recipe. Theres just two little things that you dont see in most recipes, little things that bugged me:
Cool the filling before topping with potato: It thickens and makes it easier to spread the potato across the top and it stops the potato weeping into the filling
Creamier mashed potato = easier to spread and just an all round better eating experience. I just dont like dry, very firm mash. When I break through the mash, I want it to be borderline collapsing, rather than being able to cut cleanly through it like cake.
I stress again these are little things that bug me, so feel free to by-pass them! Nagi x
PS One last time Cottage Pie is made with beef. Shepherds Pie is made with lamb!
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Easy Shepherds Pie How To Make Shepherds Pie
Easy Shepherds pie is a classic British dish that any one should try at least once in a lifetime! This Shepherds pie has layers of beef and lamb, vegetables, covered with potato mash. Wonder what to cook for dinner? Want to know how to make Shepherds Pie?
Try this simple and filling meat pie. Turn meat and potatoes into one of your dinners!
To Assemble Shepherds Pie:
Preheat oven to 375° and lightly grease a 9×13 casserole dish.
Spread beef mixture evenly over the bottom of the casserole dish. Spoon mashed potatoes over the beef mixture and gently spread it over the top.
Bake it for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown on the top.
TIP: Shepherds Pie can be made ahead of time. Prepare it up to the step of baking and instead of baking it, cover it air-tight with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Put away into the refrigerator. When ready to bake, take of the cover and bake for 35-40 minutes.
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Tips & Tricks For Best Shepherds Pie
- Peel potatoes first for best consistency. If you dont mind a little peel in your mashed potatoes, you can cook them unpeeled too.
- Serve hot. Shepherds pie taste bests when its fresh from the oven.
- Top with cheese. You can make this without cheese if you like, but I cant resist a layer of melty cheesy goodness over the potatoes. The cheese also helps the potatoes brown nicely in the oven.
- Serve with chives. The pop of fresh flavor makes eating shepherds pie even better.