In this article, we'll dive into the delicious world of Shepherd's Pie, a classic dish that combines the hearty flavors of minced meat, vegetables, and a creamy mashed potato topping. We'll provide you with a comprehensive guide to crafting the ultimate Shepherd's Pie, taking you through the essential steps of choosing the right ingredients, preparing the filling, and perfecting the mashed potato layer. Whether you're a seasoned cook looking to elevate your recipe or a beginner seeking a foolproof method, we have everything you need to create a truly remarkable Shepherd's Pie that will satisfy your taste buds and leave you craving more.
Here are our top 9 tried and tested recipes!
BEST SHEPHERD'S PIE
This is the best shepherds pie recipe I've ever had, and it comes from a friend who was a whiz at pinching pennies without sacrificing hearty flavor.-Valerie Merrill, Topeka, Kansas
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Dinner
Time 50m
Yield 10 servings.
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, mash potatoes with sour cream. Add salt and pepper; set aside. In a large skillet, cook beef with onion and red pepper until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are tender; drain. Stir garlic salt into meat mixture. Stir in the soup, corn and milk. , Spread meat mixture into a 13x9-in. baking dish. Top with mashed potatoes; drizzle with butter. , Bake, uncovered, until heated through, 30-35 minutes. For additional browning, place under broiler for a few minutes. Sprinkle with parsley if desired.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 378 calories, Fat 17g fat (9g saturated fat), Cholesterol 69mg cholesterol, Sodium 626mg sodium, Carbohydrate 33g carbohydrate (5g sugars, Fiber 3g fiber), Protein 21g protein.
SHEPHERD'S PIE
When you're in the mood for a meaty, savory comfort-food classic, serve Alton Brown's Shepherd's Pie from Good Eats on Food Network.
Provided by Alton Brown
Categories main-dish
Time 1h30m
Yield 8 servings
Number Of Ingredients 21
Steps:
- Peel the potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch dice. Place in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Set over high heat, cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, uncover, decrease the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until tender and easily crushed with tongs, approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Place the half-and-half and butter into a microwave-safe container and heat in the microwave until warmed through, about 35 seconds. Drain the potatoes in a colander and then return to the saucepan. Mash the potatoes and then add the half and half, butter, salt and pepper and continue to mash until smooth. Stir in the yolk until well combined.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the filling. Place the canola oil into a 12-inch saute pan and set over medium high heat. Once the oil shimmers, add the onion and carrots and saute just until they begin to take on color, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and stir to combine. Add the lamb, salt and pepper and cook until browned and cooked through, approximately 3 minutes. Sprinkle the meat with the flour and toss to coat, continuing to cook for another minute. Add the tomato paste, chicken broth, Worcestershire, rosemary, thyme, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer slowly 10 to 12 minutes or until the sauce is thickened slightly.
- Add the corn and peas to the lamb mixture and spread evenly into an 11 by 7-inch glass baking dish. Top with the mashed potatoes, starting around the edges to create a seal to prevent the mixture from bubbling up and smooth with a rubber spatula. Place on a parchment lined half sheet pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 25 minutes or just until the potatoes begin to brown. Remove to a cooling rack for at least 15 minutes before serving.
BEST CLASSIC SHEPHERD'S PIE RECIPE
The Best Classic Shepherd's Pie - AKA Shepards Pie or Cottage Pie. Ground Beef (or lamb) with vegetables in a rich gravy, topped with cheesy mashed potatoes and baked.
Provided by Amanda Finks
Categories Dinner Entree Main Course
Time 1h10m
Number Of Ingredients 22
Steps:
- Add the oil to a large skillet and place it over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Add the onions. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the ground beef (or ground lamb) to the skillet and break it apart with a wooden spoon. Add the parsley, rosemary, thyme, salt, and and pepper. Stir well. Cook for 6-8 minutes, until the meat is browned, stirring occasionally.
- Add the Worcestershire sauce and garlic. Stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add the flour and tomato paste. Stir until well incorporated and no clumps of tomato paste remain.
- Add the broth, frozen peas and carrots, and frozen corn. Bring the liquid to a boil then reduce to simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Set the meat mixture aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Place the potatoes in a large pot. Cover the potatoes with water. Bring the water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are fork tender, 10-15 minutes.
- Drain the potatoes in a colander. Return the potatoes to the hot pot. Let the potatoes rest in the hot pot for 1 minute to evaporate any remaining liquid.
- Add butter, half & half, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mash the potatoes and stir until all the ingredients are mixed together.
- Add the parmesan cheese to the potatoes. Stir until well combined.
- Pour the meat mixture into a 9x9 (or 7x11) inch baking dish. Spread it out into an even layer. Spoon the mashed potatoes on top of the meat. Carefully spread into an even layer.
- If the baking dish looks very full, place it on a rimmed baking sheet so that the filling doesn't bubble over into your oven. Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes.** Cool for 15 minutes before serving.
Nutrition Facts : ServingSize 1 /6th of the recipe, Calories 400 kcal, Carbohydrate 13 g, Protein 19 g, Fat 30 g, SaturatedFat 15 g, Cholesterol 97 mg, Sodium 751 mg, Fiber 2 g, Sugar 2 g
THE BEST SHEPHERD'S PIE
We stuck with tradition and made our shepherd's pie with lamb, but you could easily swap in ground beef. The saucy filling is packed with tender vegetables and the creamy topping is inspired by the Irish potato dish, colcannon, and is filled with cabbage, leeks and cheese.
Provided by Food Network Kitchen
Categories main-dish
Time 1h30m
Yield 6 to 8 servings
Number Of Ingredients 22
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- For the topping: Put the potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Season with 2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and reserve the saucepan.
- Meanwhile, make the filling: Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the carrots, onion, celery, garlic, thyme and 2 teaspoons salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft and tender, about 15 minutes.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook until it turns brick red, about 8 minutes. Add the lamb, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until the meat is no longer pink, about 7 minutes.
- Stir in the peas. Stir in the flour until incorporated, about 1 minute. Add the broth and Worcestershire and cook until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes.
- To finish the topping, melt the butter in the large saucepan over medium heat. Add the cabbage and leeks and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add the heavy cream, 1 tablespoon salt, and a few grinds of black pepper, and cook until warm, about 1 minute. Return the potatoes to the pan with the cabbage and add the cheese. Mash with a potato masher or wooden spoon. Remove from the heat and stir in the egg yolks.
- Transfer the filling to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Add the topping, swirling to create texture. Make sure that the sides are sufficiently covered so the filling doesn't leak through. Bake until the filling is bubbly and the top is lightly golden, about 35 minutes. Let rest 15 minutes before serving.
WORLD'S BEST SHEPHERD'S PIE
Baked in an oven-to-table casserole, this dish will be very hot when it comes out of the oven, so be sure to let it cool for several minutes before serving. From Family Fun Magazine.
Provided by looneytunesfan
Categories One Dish Meal
Time 50m
Yield 5-6 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 20
Steps:
- Cook the corn according to the package instructions. Drain and set aside.
- Start the potatoes for the topping. Put them in a large pot with enough water to cover them by a couple of inches. Add about 2 teaspoons of salt to the water. Bring the potatoes to a boil, uncovered, over high heat. Cook them for 10 to 13 minutes. Meanwhile, make the meat filling.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onion and celery in the butter, stirring often, for about 5 to 6 minutes.
- Add the ground beef to the pan and break it up with a wooden spoon as it browns. Remove the skillet from the stove and, resting it on a heatproof surface so it won't feel so heavy, tilt the pan so that the excess fat runs to the side. Carefully spoon out the fat and discard it (this will make the dish leaner and healthier, as well as lighter tasting).
- Put the skillet back on the burner and set the heat to medium low. Stir the garlic and flour into the beef mixture. Stir in the beef broth, then the canned tomatoes, then the herbs, reserved corn, and Worcestershire sauce.
- Gently simmer the mixture for several minutes, partially covered, then add salt (1/4 teaspoon, give or take a little) and pepper to taste. Transfer the mixture to a large buttered casserole. Set the oven to 400°, and while it heats, check to see if your boiling potatoes are done.
- To test the potatoes, use a slotted spoon to transfer a cube from the water to a cutting board and allow it to cool for 30 seconds or so. If you can slice through the chunk easily with a butter knife, the potatoes are done.
- Set a large colander in the sink and drain the potatoes in it (this job can generate a lot of steam, so it is best done by an adult or under adult supervision). Transfer the drained potatoes to a large mixing bowl and scatter the butter pieces over them. Spoon the sour cream here and there over the hot potatoes as well. Wait several minutes for the butter to melt and the sour cream to warm so the ingredients will be easier to blend, then partially mash the potatoes with a hand masher.
- Switch to an electric mixer set at medium speed and continue to mash, adding enough milk to make medium-soft mashed potatoes. Don't make them too soft, however; you want them to have some body.
- Salt the potatoes to taste and spoon them evenly over the filling. Sprinkle the cheese over the top, then sprinkle on some paprika (be sure to wash your hands right afterward so you don't accidentally rub any of the spice in your eyes). Bake the pie on the center oven rack for about 20 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Cool for several minutes before serving.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 795.8, Fat 45.7, SaturatedFat 24.2, Cholesterol 155.1, Sodium 1601.6, Carbohydrate 63.3, Fiber 7.4, Sugar 5.1, Protein 37.1
CLASSIC SHEPHERD'S PIE
A savory base of ground beef and vegetables in tangy tomato gravy and topped with a layer of buttery mashed potatoes. It's the perfect comfort food for your hungry family.
Provided by Heinz
Categories Trusted Brands: Recipes and Tips Heinzitup.com
Time 1h
Yield 6
Number Of Ingredients 18
Steps:
- Heat oil in a skillet set over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, thyme, rosemary, and half of the salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, for 5 to 7 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C).
- Crumble meat into pan and cook until brown all over. Sprinkle with flour. Stir in ketchup, tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce and mustard. Simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in mixed vegetables. Transfer to a 9-inch (23-cm) baking dish.
- Whip the potatoes with the warm milk, remaining salt and pepper, butter and garlic until very fluffy. Spread potatoes evenly over meat mixture. Bake for 35 minutes or until potatoes are golden.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 375.3 calories, Carbohydrate 44 g, Cholesterol 56.5 mg, Fat 17.4 g, Fiber 4 g, Protein 18.2 g, SaturatedFat 7.3 g, Sodium 1602.7 mg, Sugar 3.5 g
TOP RATED SHEPHERD'S PIE
There are a number of shepherd's pie recipes out there and this recipe takes the best elements and creates, what I believe to be the World's Best...
Provided by MarkG
Categories Meat
Time 1h30m
Yield 6-8 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 20
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Peel potatoes and slice into 1" cubes and add to medium sauce pan and cover with water. Bring to boil and simmer until soft.
- In large skillet, add onions, garlic and 3 tbsp butter and saute until translucent.
- Drain water from potatoes and add 3 tbsp butter, heavy cream, cheddar cheese and salt. Whip until smooth and creamy.
- Add ground beef to onions and garlic and brown thoroughly.
- Add flour and onion soup mix. Mix well and cook for 2 -3 minutes. Add broth, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, thyme and cayenne pepper and combine thoroughly.
- Add vegetables and bring to a simmer for 5 minutes.
- Pour meat and vegetable mixture into casserole dish and top with mashed potato mixture. Place in oven. Cook for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
GORDON RAMSAY'S SHEPHERD'S PIE WITH CHEESE CHAMP TOPPING
If I had to choose my all-time favourite family recipe, it would be this.
Provided by Gordon Ramsay
Categories Dinner Winter Potato Lamb Cheese Onion Wheat/Gluten-Free Peanut Free
Yield Serves 6
Number Of Ingredients 18
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 350° F/ 180° C/Gas 4. Place a large, wide frying pan or hob-proof casserole dish over a medium-high heat. Add a dash of oil and fry the mince in batches, seasoning each lot, until well browned. Add the garlic for the last 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
- Put a little more oil in the same pan and cook the onion and leeks over a medium heat for 5-7 minutes, until completely softened. Add Worcestershire sauce to taste, then stir in the tomato purée.
- Return the mince to the pan and stir well. Pour in the wine, scraping up any bits from the bottom. Bubble for a couple of minutes to burn off the alcohol, then add the stock and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer, then add the rosemary and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Cook gently for 10-15 minutes, until the sauce has reduced slightly and the flavours are well-combined. Set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, prepare the topping. Boil the potatoes until tender, then drain and mash until smooth. Mix in the butter and seasoning, then add the spring onions and three-quarters of the cheese and mix again. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary. If the mash is too dry add a splash of milk to loosen.
- Put the lamb mixture into a 28 x 22cm baking dish and top with the mashed potato. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and little salt and pepper. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the potato is golden brown and the meat is bubbling underneath, and serve.
THE ULTIMATE MAKEOVER: SHEPHERD'S PIE
Angela Nilsen works her magic on a classic and gives Shepherd's pie a superhealthy face-lift
Provided by Angela Nilsen
Categories Dinner, Main course
Time 1h50m
Number Of Ingredients 15
Steps:
- Heat the oil in a large, deep sauté pan or saucepan. Tip in the onion and thyme sprigs and fry for 2-3 mins. Then add the carrots and fry together for 5-8 mins, stirring occasionally until the vegetables start to brown. Stir in the mince to break it down. Fry for 1-2 mins until no longer pink. Stir in the flour, scraping the bottom of the pan in case the meat sticks, then cook for another 1-2 mins. Pour in the stock and stir until thickened. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato purée, lentils and Worcestershire sauce and season with pepper. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 45 mins, stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, prepare the topping. Drop all the potatoes into a large pan of boiling water. Bring back to the boil, then simmer for 12-15 mins or until the potatoes are tender. Drain well in a colander then tip back into the pan. Mash with a masher or, briefly, with an electric hand mixer until smooth. Beat in the crème fraîche and milk with a wooden spoon until light and fluffy. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
- Spoon the meat into a 1.5 litre pie dish and remove the thyme sprigs. Top with the mash and smooth over with a knife. Use a fork to create a ridged pattern on top. Place the dish on a baking sheet and bake for about 20-25 mins until piping hot and the filling starts to bubble around the edges. If the top is not brown enough, pop it under the grill for 5 mins or so until the mash is crisp and golden. Let it sit for 5 mins then serve.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 444 calories, Fat 12 grams fat, SaturatedFat 5 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 57 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 14 grams sugar, Fiber 10 grams fiber, Protein 22 grams protein, Sodium 0.51 milligram of sodium
Tips for Making the Best Shepherd’s Pie:
- Use high-quality ground lamb: Look for lamb that is fresh and has a good fat content (around 20%). This will help to keep the shepherd's pie moist and flavorful.
- Cook the lamb slowly: Don't rush the process of cooking the lamb. This will allow it to develop a rich flavor and become tender.
- Use a variety of vegetables: Feel free to experiment with different types of vegetables in your shepherd's pie. Carrots, peas, and celery are classic choices, but you can also add things like mushrooms, zucchini, or spinach.
- Make a flavorful sauce: The sauce is what really brings a shepherd's pie together. Make sure to use a good-quality stock and add plenty of herbs and spices.
- Don't overcook the mashed potatoes: The mashed potatoes should be smooth and creamy, but not gluey. Overcooking them will make them dry and lumpy.
- Brown the mashed potatoes before baking: This will give them a nice golden crust and help to keep them from becoming watery.
Conclusion:
Shepherd's pie is a classic comfort food that is easy to make and always a crowd-pleaser. By following these tips, you can make the best shepherd's pie that your family and friends will love. So what are you waiting for? Get cooking!
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