In between the meat layer and the potato layer - we put a can of corn (drained). Like my mom says about getting your veggies in.

Can you call it a hit when your two little nieces and nephews are over and wolf it down? Along with your mother who generally only likes to eat out? I think so! Delicious! I added steamed baby carrots into the beef before baking and a can of corn between the beef and potatoes as suggested by Sherry and served with broccoli, peas, and artichoke & herb bread. Thank you for this recipe, it's now on my list of family favorites!

Thank you! This is a simple dish that's always a hit. My 3 teens don't usualy eat thigs that are "mixed together", but they do like this. We added 1/2 Lb. more Ground Beef. 1/2 Cup more Onion. 1 Clove Garlic. 1 Tsp. Worcestershire Sauce. And 1/2 can each of Green Beans, Corn, & Carrots. We've even added Frozen Peas. There are so many ways to very it!

Fantastic - I too added the corn, I also added three slices of American Cheese to the mashed potatoes.... and a dash of mustard, then whipped them and put them on top.... came out golden brown and delicious!!!!! Thanks for the idea...

Cottage pie is made with beef, peas and carrots. Shepard's pie is made with lamb. I add frozen peas and carrots to either kind of meat and add half a cup of Guinness dark beer when I'm browning it.

I made this tonight for my husband, and he cleaned his plate. I'm not sure, but I don't think I really needed the beef broth - I ended up straining the meat anyway because it seemed to have too much liquid in it to put in the baking dish. I added Worchestershire sauce and a clove of garlic, but followed the recipe otherwise. I may try adding more vegetables next time; it would be a great way to sneak them into my husband (he doesn't eat enough vegetables). I used Yukon Gold potatoes because of your Perfect Mashed Potatoes recipe, and boy those were good!

Lovely recipe, perfect for the meat and potatoes type of eaters. I love your recipes!

When my mum cooks it she always thickens the excess stock in the meat just before it's all baked with the Mash so that it's in a moist gravy. That's how most country pubs do it too, here in England. Rather than draining....?

I'm doing this for my hungry housemates tonight!

Gonna try it with ground turkey, follow the recipe, and add some garlic and savory spices (rosemary, thyme, sage, etc.) I like the idea of thickening the juices before baking, too. That sounds like a slammin' idea.

Should be gooood eatin!

Thanks for this great recipe. In these days, all I need is to learn new American style dishes. I added your blog to my favorite links so I can read and catch up the new recipes easily.

Keep going pls,

Banu

Thicken juices? How would one go about doing that?

I was thinking earlier what to cook for dinner today and thank you for the great idea! I live in Norway and here norwegians love to put 'norvigia' cheese on top but I like your idea to rough up with a fork so that there are peaks that will brown nicely .. So I will still put a bit of cheese but on top of the meat and veggies and also will add the tip of extra veggies and thicken the excess stock! I have done it before but with the cheese on top of the mash potatoes and sometimes the cheese gets too 'crispy' so we will see how this change works tonight!
Thank you so much!!!

Any suggestions for a vegetarian version? We don't do that fake meat stuff. We do eat cheese though. My 9 year old son is a vegetarian but still very picky. Thanks!

LOL, I was just going to be pedantic and state that that's actually a cottage pie since it uses beef as opposed to the lamb we use in shepherd's pie. Then I saw Martha's comment .... But it's all delicious so it works out in the end.

Me mum would crush some biccies and add that to the gravy to thicken it as well as some Guinness to give it some "body". Darn, I suddenly have massive cravings for home and good pies.

Try sprinkling some cheese and breadcrumbs on the top for a crispy finish.

I used to make this dish a lot when I was on my own (my wife doesn't like 'soggy veggies,' and hates peas.) I used to the do the 'taters all different ways.

For variety try my two favorites: Instead of using mashed potatoes, use a 'cheesy potatoes au-gratin' recipe. Or, just throw shredded chedder cheese over the top of the mashed.

For a veggie version, I make a 'shepherds pie' with lentils. I saute onions and garlic in butter, add flour to make a roux, and then vegetable broth. When the broth thickens a bit, I add cooked lentils, corn, and whatever other veggies are around which need using--putting in salt, pepper and a lot of thyme to taste. From there it's the same as with the meat version--put in a baking dish, top with cheese and mashed potatos, bake till bubbly.

If anyone had read the recipe, you would have seen that the author states the difference between shepherd and cottage. Maybe a little less nit-picking, and a bit more reading...

I agree with Randy, make sure you read the entire post before you nit pick. It only makes you look like a shepherd's ***.

But this recipe looks so good and easy and I love some of the variations that were suggested. I am going to try this one and probably work it in to rotation.

Also could this be made ahead, like the day before and do the baking of it before being serving? And would it freeze well?

I showed this recipe to a flexitarian friend and she made Nicole's veggie version with the lentils and it was so so good. I haven't had a chance to make the carnivore's version but I am sure it will be great also.

To thicken the juices, mix 1/4 cup cold water (or cold milk) with 1-2 Tablespoons of corn starch or flour (more or less) and slowly add to the juices and bring to a simmer for 1 minute. You'll have a gravy then.

I've always made this from left-overs from the refrigerator. Everything's been cooked already, just layer in a pan and top with left-over mashed potatoes. It was a way to use up "must-go's" before they had to be thrown out. It's a good penny-saver recipe this way. Easter ham and mashed potatoes always wound up as this by Wednesday and it tasted even better than it did on Sunday.

Great recipe!
I've tried it with ground turkey and it is fantastic as well. I found that I needed to add quite a bit more Worcestershire and beef broth to liven up the flavor of the turkey.
This is a great meal if you're on a budget, too.

This stuff was amazing. My boyfriend and I are starving students as most people know young college students by. He is the typical big boy lol and doesnt like to eat veggies. This was a QUICK, CHEAP, and DELICIOUS way to make him eat his veggies. Also, I go to school during the day while he works and then i work at night while he goes to school. I was able to make this in between my break from school and work, put it the frig and heat up later that night for just the same taste as when it first came out of the oven. Amazing! cant wait to see what else i can make frm this website. I also have a home made cook book for my children that i type the recipe up and put it in a binder. This will be added to my collection!

I made this last night, it was really good. I had never had Shepherds Pie before, so it was the first time I tried it (and made it). I made it for my parents and my sister, they seemed to enjoy it because only a small portion was left. And I'm only 15, so "yay me" haha. Well, I love this site and I'm going to keep coming back. In fact, I'm looking for a recipe for dinner tomorrow and I'm sure I'll find another delicious one. THANKS!

I made this tonight and it was absolutely wonderful. It was easy, quick, and very tasty. I used two pounds of ground beef, though, so I had to tinker with the seasonings. I also added a few tablespoons of flour before adding a cup of beef broth because I was afraid the beef mixture might be too liquid-y. Then, my mashed potatoes came out kind of. . . wonky, so I sprinkled some paprika over-top to make it look prettier. Next time I'll use a different sort of potato.

Anyway, I spent quite a bit of my afternoon reading through the main dish recipes and I'm going to look at the desserts tonight. Your website is wonderful and the recipes are tantalizing and seem very simple. I really appreciate all the work you've put into this. Thanks!

My boyfriend taught me how to make shepherds pie and he always used cream corn in the middle. It tastes so good and my children always loved this dish

As a Brit and something of a perfectionist when it comes to shepherd's pie, it is traditional and, I think, essential to add a good two tablespoons of tomato concentrate paste and two sticks of chopped celery. Not traditional but adding wonderful flavour, I add the following: at the saute onion stage, for the quantities above, some mushrooms, whole if small. Usually with the onions, I chop part of them and puree the rest - the pureed onions thicken the sauce well, though I usually stir in some flour with the meat when browning it. I also add sweet pepper paste, at least 2 teaspoons of ground cumin, anchovy paste, mushroom ketchup. Quantities are not precise - it's not that sort of dish, just taste as you go along. Finally, the mash is very nice with a mixture of swede (can't remember what that's called stateside), parsnip and carrot, though it's best to cook them separately, otherwise you end up with disintegrating potatoes and swede that's insufficiently cooked to make a smooth mash.

Do try some or all of my suggestions - they have been arrived at by experimenting trying to improve the basic version given above.

I make this often but I do a couple of things different. I use cream of mushroom soup in my meat mixture and I put the potatoes on bottom and then a layer of mixed shredded cheese then the meat mix and top with more cheese. This dish goes extremely quick in my house.

I'm making this dish for Christmas, that it'd be appropriate because of the name. Also it's delicious. I first tried it from my cafeteria in college, I think they made the dish every Wednesday and I absolutely fell in love with it. I'm using a kernal corn layering on top of the beef and shredded cheddar cheese on top of the potatoes. I'm sure my family will fall in love with it too and want to make it a tradition.

I just made this tonight. What a nice filling meal. My father devoured it, and came back for seconds. I think he would have eaten my portion if he wasn't such a nice guy. ;)

Very delicious, very simple and very easy to make. My kind of dish! lol It was a hit with the whole family. Will definitely make this again.

I made this tonight, wow what a hit! It's also great to get the kids involved with cooking. I added a little catsup in the ground beef as well. My 6yr. granddaughter went to her poppa and said gramma and me are making some guys pie!!

I always add a cup or two of sour cream and a brick of cracker barrel sharp cheese to the mashed potatoes.Save some of the cheese for a sprinkle over the top.Also Au jou gravy is perfect for this because the meal is so hearty I think a lighter gravy is perfect.

I tired this yesterday for dinner for my fiance and me and it was WONDERFUL Next time over I'm going to put alot more corn. Some of you talk about putting a layer of corn under the potatoes. I just might try that. But by it self, it blew us away. I'm addicted to this site, going to try EVERYTHING!
Thanks guys!

Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. You always make your recipes so easy to follow. I adapted your recipe and made a vegetarian shepherd's pie using Yves Veggie Ground Round. It tasted great!

I tried this with ground turkey. It was wonderful. My husband hates casseroles, so my daughter and I enjoy them while he is out of town. As there were only the 2 of us, I halved the recipe and baked it in a bread pan. It worked wonderfully. The only drawback was no leftovers. Thanks for the wonderful recipe.

I stumbled across this blog looking for a recipe for Sheperds pie. I had never made it before so I wanted to check ingredients and method etc. I cooked it up and it looked beautiful. Having recently emmigrated to Sweden and having a Swedish husband he eyed it very dubiously (having seen the amount of veg I had added) But he loved it, we ate it THREE times that week. Nice to have some English comfort food away from home. Ill be using this site more often, Thanks!

This was delicious and pretty easy to make! I'm a teenager and I don't have a lot of experience cooking big dinners, but I wanted to try making dinner for the family. It was a huge hit. The only thing I did differently was I added an additional half cup of beef broth, and I added some milk and garlic salt to the potatoes.

This is an excellent recipe. Thanks!

My family usually makes this dish withouth the veggies and with american cheese on top. My MIL says its " not shepherds pie" but I'm convinced it is. =) Thanks for the recipe. Cant wait to try our family recipe the traditional way.

I do this another way, and everyone loves it.

Chop 4-5 slices of bacon up into small bits, and render the fat out. Take out the bacon and set aside, leaving the fat in the pan.

Chop up an onion (yellow or white) and saute for 10 minutes in the bacon fat. Add the ground beef and cook until brown.

Strain to remove excess fat, but reserve 3-4 tablespoons (for flavor). Now add equal parts flour (so 3-4 tablespoons depending on what you left in) to make a roux. Cook on medium-low for a couple minutes and add beef broth, whisking the entire time until it comes together.

Stir until it comes to a boil and add add the beef, onion, and bacon back in.

I like to buy the mixed frozen peas and carrots from the store, and the already made mashed potatoes from the grocery store (not the stuff in a container, but the mashed potoates the grocery store makes that day in their prepared foods section, it's usually by the deli and whole cooked chickens). This saves some time if you're in a bit of a hurry too.

I'll warm up the mash potatoes (though they should be warm anyway from the store) and in a small saucepan add heavy cream and a clove of garlic. Some butter, salt, and pepper.

Pour this on top of the mashed potatoes and mix in some cheese (Monterey Jack and Cheddar). Not too much of the cream mixture though, the mashed potatoes should still have a firm texture, just enough to add the garlic flavor and richness of the cream.

I also like to put some chives or scallions (green onions) in here too.

Then in a 2-quart casserole dish, add the beef layer, then the carrots and peas layer, and finally top with the mashed potatoes.

Sprinkle some more of the Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheese on top and put it in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and golden brown.

Take it out and let it sit for 5-10 minutes to cool off, serve and sprinkle with chives, scallions, more cheese, or some sour cream.

Great site! I remember making something similar when I was a child. We called it "hamburger pie".
Brown ground beef, drain.
Add one can of tomato soup, one can of corn and one can of peas (or frozen if you prefer).
Heat through.
Pour in casserole dish.
Spread mashed potatoes on top and sprinkle with shredded cheddar.
Bake til cheese melts and pie is heated through.
This was something quick and easy to make for a pre-teen.

I've been looking for a good Shepherd's Pie recipe for a long time. I had it for the first time in France when we were on holiday last year. I just made it, and it was super easy and delicious!
The best part is that my children loved it too. This is definitely going to be a family favorite.
I added a bit of celery and French thyme. Otherwise, I followed the recipe as directed.

Thanks again.

My husband, son & contractor love this. I add garlic, cayenne, tumeric and beer.

Holy Hockey!! I just tried this recipe........ and quite honestly was skeptical becuse no one in my home likes the same things ( there are 6 of us! ) that is until now! It was fantastic! everyone scarfed it down, there was literally nothing left in the dish. Thanks so much for the great recipe. Can't wait to find more good eats!

This is one of my families favorite dishes and I'm always looking for variations! I can't wait to try out some of the suggestions left in the comments! Thanks for a wonderful resource!

HI:

This is a very tasty recipe, but I would like to know if you can freeze it...Does anyone know if you can?

We are painting our fence this week and are feeding everyone this dish, and I thought I could make it ahead of time before they all come over...

what say you??

Regards,
June

The topping is also tasty as a mix of potato and sweet potato mash.
Sprinkle grated cheese over the potato for a Thatched Cottage Pie.
Lizzie

I used this recipe for a school project and everyone loved it. Thank you.

Lovely recipie. I'm only 12 and I can cook and your recipie worked. My teacher loved it. Grubalisious.

I use two tablespoons flour and four of water, add some of the beef drippings, and pour over the meat in the dish prior to layering...it thickens upon baking...also, I like Mazola spray olive oil to add a low-fat "crunch" to the top without having to warm up the broiler to 'brown" the top. Great dollar-stretching recipe!

Excellent and very easy dish. My kids are very picky eaters and hate veggies and loved this! My mother-in-law even had nice things to say about it. hehehehehe ;p

This dish is so easy and delicious! My husband and I especially like it topped with cheddar cheese. It's also a great meal for when we have company over.

I make another version of this recipe (which I obtained from a friend years ago), and when I make it, there are NEVER any leftovers. After browning ground beef and onion, layer the beef/onion mix in a baking dish, add 2 cans cream style corn for next layer, then top with a layer of mashed potatoes. (I add 1 egg to my potatoes, which makes it hold together better when serving). Sprinkle with paprika or chili powder and bake. A very easy version of shepherd's pie.(and very delicious)

I make a cottage pie that is similar, but I use leftover roast and the liquid from the roast or a package of brown gravy mix. I also use ground turkey when I don't have a roast. I also add a little ketchup to the mix of meat, carrots, peas and gravy. My crew doesn't like onions so I leave those out. I plan to make it soon without meat - what would you call it then? I'm cooking a big meal for vegetarians and meat eaters, so I figured I could use a vegetarian brown gravy mix and leave out the Worcestershire sauce - (anchovies). Yum!

My husband and I tried this last week and really enjoyed it. It is a great make ahead dish if you like to prep some of your meals for the week during the weekend. We went with the can of cream corn under the layer of potatoes and loved it!

There's not even a pinch of any herbs in this recipe and there should be loads and loads of of green herbs in this dish.

Note from Elise: Why don't you suggest some herbs to add that have worked well for you in this dish?

I cooked the meat separate from the peas & carrots, drained off all the fat, added 1 cup broth, brought it up to a boil, then lower the heat to med, cook for about 5-7 mins, add about 1/2 cup broth, then make a flour paste (1 tsp flour & 1/4 cup cold water), make a well in the middle and stir it into the broth, mix well.
Comes out nice & creamy

I also make this dish often for the penny pinching aspect of it, not to mention it's popularity in my house. I can't get over all the fattening versions up there (adding cheese, cream, etc...ugh) but I suppose that's why so much of our country (the US) is fat.

To make this a bit more flavorful, I add about a tablespoon of Fins Herbs to the meat/veggie mix while it's cooking. I remove the corn from the recipe (my stepmother is English and said adding corn to Cottage pie - and yes, I did read the intro with the difference - is blasphemy). I also add some tomato paste for color and texture. I also nix the butter and use olive oil.

For the potatoes, I don't peel them and add about 5 cloves of garlic to the water while they boil. Once they're fork tender I drain the water and mash in the pot with 1/2 - 3/4 cup of broth for moisture and that's it. Bake like normal and serve with (high fructose corn syrup free) Ketchup. Yum yum!

This can be a healthy recipe that tastes wonderful without about all the fat. Enjoy!

Made this today with some modifications. I drained most of the fat from the pan as it seemed like it would cause the final dish to be too greasy. I added some ground cumin (1/8 tsp??) and a sprinkle of ground nutmeg, 2 Tblsp. of tomato paste to the meat mixture. Also spooned some cream-style corn on top of the meat mixture. Excellent flavors! Thanks!

My first time ever making shepards pie, the instructions were easy to follow. I'm using the shepards pie as a Christmas dinner for me, my partner and friends..Merry Christmas

I made shepherds pie for the first time and my boyfriend and all his friends thought it was the most amazing dish ever, they were practically licking their plates! Being from England and having had many shepherds pies in my time, this was by far the best shepherds pie I have ever tasted...thanks to you!

My wife just made this very quickly. It was so good!

Made a vegan version of this last night based on your recipe and it was fantastic - used boca grounds for the meat, earth balance for the butter and soy milk in the potatoes. Oh, and added spinach with the veggies. Thanks!

I like to use frozen peas and carrots, along with a cup of corn (usually leftover)along with a small can of tomatoe sauce.
I also add a couple of TBS of flour to the mixture before I put it in the pan. I helps it all 'stick' together.
Garlic salt, worchestershire sauce and some celery flakes to spice it up a bit too.
My teenaged daughter, who I just can't seem to get to eat meat, will eat this up until the pan is empty.
Now a family favorite!

Wow, excellent recipe, everyone loved it. I also put grated cheese on top, was fabulous!

An excellent recipe, also great for leftovers! Absolutely lovely, thank you!

I have always loved this recipe!I was just told recently that adding a small can of cream corn in between the meat and potatoes give a tasty gravy .I usually use a large can.Worth trying!!!

Hi! I made this first the other night with what I had available in my cabinets...beef stew starter mix(add your own beef) of which I didn't have any...jiffy corn muffin mix, and instant mashed potatoes flavored with butter. I made this without the beef and layered first the jiffy corn bread mixture on the bottom, then the flavored beef stew, and finally the mashed potatoes...all baked for 30 minutes @ 350 degrees.It came out GREAT! and my 7 year old ate up! If you are looking for something fast and with little preparation...then this is an alternative to the chopping, dicing, and browning of the beef and veggies. *Plus is it a vegetarian combo with all the taste of the beef!

I use a very similar recipe, I add 1 teaspoon allspice and 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar along with onions, garlic, 1 1/2 pounds ground meat browned, tablespoon of flour to thicken, 1/2 cup beef broth, salt, pepper, 2 teaspoons Worchestershire sauce, then a can of peas and carrots. Put in a baking dish. Put the mashed potatoes on top, brush some melted butter on top, add some shredded cheese if you like and bake in a 400 degree oven for about 25 minutes. Just had some tonite for supper...a little HP sauce and a Guinness and you're all set! Some crusty bread would be nice too!

An excellent recipe I used Turkey instead of beef and my family loved it.My son likes BBQ with it and my daughter likes ketchup.

I started out with your recipe, and ended up with something totally different, but really yummy. (I bought what was on sale, and got rid of stuff I already had on hand)

Instead of beef, I used 1 lb ground turkey.
I used 1 tbsp soy sauce instead of Worcestershire sauce.
For spices, I added oregano, Spike, celery seed, a pinch of chili powder, and salt & pepper.
Instead of beef broth, I used chicken broth. Instead of regular mashed potatoes, I used brocolli and potatoes mashed together.
I added a layer of shredded farmer's cheese in between the meat mixture and the potato mixture.

After making Shepherd's Pie a few times (hubby once added a small can of Heinz tomato sauce...but I like more of a beef gravy) I started using a Pillsbury Pie crust for the bottom of a pie dish(like a Pyrex 9" glass pie dish...1 lb of ground beef or a pound and a half is good enough)

I make the mashed normally (butter and splash of milk and use the paddle first, then switch to the whisk to whip it using my KitchenAid Stand mixer) using Yukon Gold potato's...gives a wonderful buttery flavor. I used to used a sm. box of mixed veg, but now just add peas or peas and carrots.(frozen)

I've also found a wonderful Shepherd's Pie spice packet available at my local grocery. Makes the gravy for you...you may need to adjust the spices, but the packet has enough(I found it in my international section in the British area)...you mix it with water and add to the meat and onion and peas til thickened...then put it in the pie dish (with the pillsbury pie crust unbaked) top off with the mashed for about 30-40 min or until nicely browned on top..sometimes I put a few pats of butter on top of the mashed before I cook it and sometimes sprinkle some Mrs. Dash...or Paprika...whatever you fancy!

The pie crust also browns nicely.

Love Shepherd's Pie! Last time I made it, hubby said "now THIS is real food!"

To those who would prefer a vegetarian alternative, which would appeal to me as well, how about using a mixture of canned beans as the bottom layer? I am thinking if you used perhaps some kidneys, navies, and maybe cannellini beans (white kidneys) warmed and stirred up with the sauteed onion, some garlic and perhaps a little tomato sauce, with maybe some couscous or rice, that would give you the balance of protein you'd need to make this a main course. You'd forego the beef broth and Worchestershire, of course, perhaps replacing them with low salt soy sauce. Your veggie layer would go next, and then the potatoes on top.

Tonight I am going to try this using ground turkey, and my daughter suggested using sweet potatoes for the mash on the top. I think I will go for a swirl of both sweet and white potatoes. Thanks so much for all the other ideas on variations with the veggies and spices, all!

So, that version I made last night? Liked it better than the original! I used ground turkey, lots of sauteed onions, celery and mushrooms, half a can of cream of celery soup after draining the meat, a little garlic powder, dill and parsley, frozen mixed veggies (and lots of 'em) as well as a quarter bag of fresh spinach mixed in with the cooked turkey, and half mashed red potatoes with skins, half mashed sweet potatoes with a little evaporated skim milk, swirled together on the top. After baking it for about 35 minutes at 400, I grated about three ounces of asiago cheese on the top, then baked it for about five more minutes. Marvelous!