Easy Shepherd’s Pie Recipe
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
With a scrumptious cheesy mashed potato topping, this easy shepherds pie recipe is a hearty and tasty one-dish meal the whole family is going to love.
I’ve spent the last two weeks perfecting this easy shepherd’s pie recipe. I had a few ideas for it and the first one I tried out, only a fourth of it got eaten. I made some tweaks and tried again the very next night. My son said “shepherd’s pie again?” and looked a little leary. Two helpings later he was smiling and telling me how good it was. The dish was practically licked clean with not a crumb left.
That is when I knew I had a winner! I mean, how could it not be when it includes a flavorful ground beef and vegetable pie, covered with a deliciously cheesy and creamy mashed potato topping? This easy shepherd’s pie recipe is quick to prep and then all you have to do is wait for it to bake in the oven. In less than an hour, this pure comfort food will be ready to serve to your hungry family for dinner!
I’ll get to the recipe in a minute but first I wanted to share something with you.
I know this is more of a cottage pie since it has ground beef and traditional shepherd’s pie has lamb, but where I live lamb doesn’t make an appearance too often and we always call this shepherd’s pie. Just call it whatever cranks your tractor and we’ll both be happy farmers.
Now let’s make shepherd’s pie!
Recipe Ingredients
- Cooked ground beef
- French onion soup
- Sour cream
- Dry Italian seasoning
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Leftover mashed potatoes
- Frozen mixed vegetables (I’m using the , , , and corn mix)
- Brown gravy mix
How To Make My Easy Shepherd’s Pie Recipe
Place frozen vegetables in a medium saucepot and cover with water.
Put over medium-high heat. Bring just to a boil.
Remove from heat and drain. Place veggies in a bowl to the side.
In that same saucepot, because there is no reason to dirty up another one, place the French onion soup, gravy mix, and dry Italian seasoning.
Stir that together well and cook over medium-high heat until well blended and heated through, about 5 minutes or so.
Or until you get tired of fooling with it 🙂
A lot of things in my kitchen are done on that kind of timescale “Until I get tired of fooling with it…”
Stir in your veggies and beef.
Mix this together well.
In a large bowl, place the leftover mashed potatoes, cheese, and sour cream.
Stir well to combine.
Spread the ground beef mixture into the bottom of an 8×8 baking dish and top with mashed potatoes.
Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the mashed potato.
Bake, uncovered, at 350 for thirty minutes until the top is .
I told you this was an easy shepherd’s pie recipe. Enjoy!
Storage
Store pie leftovers, covered, in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Simply reheat in the microwave.
Recipe Notes
- An instant potato packet will technically work in this easy shepherd’s pie recipe. Personally, I don’t ever use instant mashed potatoes to make actual potatoes. I use them as soup thickeners and crusts in casseroles, but that is because my mother always made homemade mashed potatoes so instant potatoes taste off to me. HOWEVER, if you like ’em, go for it and I’ll stand on the sidelines and cheer you all the way. Your kitchen = your rules, and don’t let anyone else tell you different! Another option for this, if you don’t want to do mashed potatoes, is to get a box of stovetop stuffing mix. Mix that up according to the package directions and just use it as a topping. I’d leave out the cheese but you can certainly include that if you like.
- Don’t try to substitute the packet of dry brown gravy mix for canned gravy or actual gravy. This mix is actually going to act as a thickener for us and also lend a lot of great flavors to boot!
- When it comes to the veggies for shepherd’s pie, get the mixed veggies with itty bitty cubed carrots. Some of them have big sliced carrots and these take ten forevers to cook so we want to avoid those.
- If you don’t eat meat, substitute the ground meat for more vegetables or lentils.
- On the other hand, feel free to substitute the or lamb for .
Recipe FAQs
Can I make this shepherd’s pie ahead of time?
Shepherd’s pie is a great make-ahead dinner. Assemble all of the ingredients but don’t place the dish in the oven. Once cooled, either cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days or place it in the freezer. If refrigerating, just make sure you take it out of the fridge about 20 minutes before baking.
You may also enjoy these other recipes:
Sweet Potato Dumplings; Heaven on a plate!
Candied Sweet Potatoes Recipe Sooo Easy
Loaded Twice Baked Potatoes Recipe Freezer Friendly!
Ingredients
- 1 pound cooked ground beef can use more if you like
- 1 tablespoon dry Italian seasoning
- 2-3 cups leftover mashed potatoes
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 bag bag frozen vegetable mix 12 ounces and small carrots
- 1 can French onion soup 10 ounces
- 1 packet beef gravy mix .87 ounces
Instructions
- In a large saucepot, place the frozen vegetables. Cover with water and place over medium-high heat until they just come to a boil. Drain veggies and set aside.1 bag bag frozen vegetable mix
- In the same saucepot, combine the French onion soup, dry gravy mix, and Italian seasoning. Stir well and place over medium-high heat, stirring often, until just heated through. Remove from the heat and stir in the cooked ground beef and drained vegetables.1 pound cooked ground beef, 1 tablespoon dry Italian seasoning, 1 bag bag frozen vegetable mix, 1 can French onion soup, 1 packet beef gravy mix
- In a large bowl, combine the mashed potatoes, sour cream, and 1 cup of cheese. Stir well to combine.2-3 cups leftover mashed potatoes, 1 1/2 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup sour cream
- Pour the ground beef filling into the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish. Top with mashed potatoes and spread to cover. Top with remaining cheddar cheese.1 1/2 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese
- Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 30 minutes.
Nutrition
“The happiest people don’t worry too much about whether life is fair or not,
they just get on with it.”
Since the changeover, I’m a little confused! How can we read the original post with Christy’s story? I tried but seem to keep circling back to here. Thanks!
I really can’t wait to try this recipe. I make it with breakfast sausage, tomato sauce and green beans. This sounds more like the Shepherds Pie we had while we lived in England !
Going to try your Shepard’s Pie recipe this coming week. Sounds so easy to prepare…easier than mine. Thanks for sharing!!!
I made this for my family tonight, and it was wonderful! My husband even commented he likes it better than roast! Thanks for a great, easy, and quick recipe!
Thank you so much Emily, I am so glad to hear it was a hit!!!
Hi! I was wondering where you find beef gravy mix. We live in Muscle Shoals, AL and have Walmart, Publix, Foodland, and Aldi.
HEY! I’m a UNA grad! You can get packets of it at any of those places, even Aldi. I’ve bought it at all of them. 🙂 I usually shop at Walmart the most. They have it in a few different brands.
Ok. Thanks! I went to UNA as well. It’s a great college! By the way, I love your cookbook, “Come Home to Supper”. The public library here has a copy of that one and your first cookbook. I’ll have to put in a request for your dessert cookbook. We have made lots of your recipes. We also follow Southern Bite. It’s so cool finding out that excellent food bloggers live in the same state as us!
Christy, made your shepherd’s pie for dinner last night (just left out the Italian spice blend) and it was outstanding! The French onion soup w/the beef gravy mix was an excellent addition. Thank you for this great recipe which will be the only one I will use from now on! 🙂
Thank you so much Jane, I am so glad to hear that you liked it!! It is a favorite around here!
When I make a meatloaf dinner, I make double mashed potatoes, vegies, gravy and an extra large meatloaf. We eat our fill and then I clean up leftovers right into a casserole dish to create a shepherds pie. Crumble meatloaf in bottom of dish and stir in the vegies and most of the white gravy. Add a little of white gravy to the mashed potatoes to make them creamy and keep from drying out. Cover with plastic wrap and put in fridge for next day dinner. Reheat in 350 degree oven, uncovered, until hot (approx. 30-45 min). This also freezes well.