Easy Shepherd’s Pie Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Easy Shepherd’s Pie Recipe? ›

It's traditionally made with minced meat (usually ground lamb), gravy, vegetables, and mashed potatoes. You may also hear it called "cottage pie." The two terms are used interchangeably, but technically traditional shepherd's pie is made with ground lamb and traditional cottage pie is made with ground beef.

It's traditionally made with minced meat (usually ground lamb), gravy, vegetables, and mashed potatoes. You may also hear it called "cottage pie." The two terms are used interchangeably, but technically traditional shepherd's pie is made with ground lamb and traditional cottage pie is made with ground beef.

The easiest way to thicken shepherd's pie filling is by sprinkling a few tablespoons of flour into the ground beef mixture as it cooks before adding it to the baking dish. The starch in the flour will absorb the extra liquid and create a thick gravy.

The only significant and steady difference between shepherd's pie and cottage pie is the type of meat used. Shepherd's pie traditionally features ground lamb; cottage pie recipes call for ground beef.

This Easy Shepherd's Pie recipe is made with ground beef, brown gravy, and frozen vegetables in less than 30 minutes on the stove top. Broil in the oven for just 5 minutes and dinner is served! Make it with my homemade mashed potato recipe, or use up leftover mashed potatoes!

A good shepherd's – or indeed cottage – pie, needs a solid, but fluffy top: too much milk or butter, and you'll end up with a sloppy puree instead.

The two English terms have been used interchangeably since they came into use in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, although some writers insist that a shepherd's pie should contain lamb or mutton, and a cottage pie, beef.

Flour: Used to thicken the filling, creating a sauce to coat the ingredients. Stock: Beef stock or broth enhances the meaty taste of the filling.

To stop the mash sinking into the filling, allow the meat to cool before topping with the mashed potato. Freeze in individual ovenproof dishes for an easy meal for one.

Thickening Gravy, Sauces, or Pie Fillings

Cornstarch works remarkably well as a thickener in sauces, gravy, and pie fillings, and some prefer it to flour.

What can I use instead of Worcestershire in shepherd's pie? ›

An equal part of red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar, mixed together with tamarind paste or concentrate, can be used as a replacement for Worcestershire.

Dominic Chapman's shepherd's pie recipe offers a few secrets on how to get it perfect. Adding egg yolks to the mash, which will give the top layer a golden crust, is just one of them.

The traditional meat for a Shepherd's Pie is ground lamb (hence the “shepherd” part of the title) but I usually use ground beef or, depending on what I have on hand, a combination of ground beef or ground pork. Both ways are delicious. And feel free to use whatever vegetables you have or like.

shepherd's pie, dish of British Isles origin that makes use of vegetables and chopped meat cooked in a casserole topped with or surrounded by mashed potatoes.

Many people believe that the peasant housewives invented the pie as an easy way to repackage leftovers from their Sunday roast. The Shepherd Pie is thought to originate from Ireland and the northern parts of England.

Shepherd's pie comes to us from England, and is traditionally made with lamb or mutton. Here in the states we are more of a beef eating culture than a lamb eating one, and when one is served "shepherd's pie" here, it is most often made with ground beef.

The dish originates from the British Isles, but some might argue that it is an Irish dish by origin. The name "Shepherd's Pie" was first recorded in an 1877 cookbook. In this same cookbook, it was noted that the dish was of Scottish origin. During the period between the 18th and 19th centuries, money was very tight.