Love Shepherd’s Pie? This easy recipe combines classic flavors with a few cheeky shortcuts for a dish that’s perfect for family dinners or meal prep.

There’s one dish I always look forward to every Christmas: my friend’s mom’s Shepherd’s Pie. It’s legendary. Shepherd’s Pie is the ultimate comfort food that just reminds me of Christmas—a hearty, savoury dish made with flavourful ground lamb (or beef) and a creamy mashed potato topping.

I thought to recreate this dish my way! It’s easy, takes a few shortcuts, and with a couple cheeky ingredient swaps. Shepherd’s Pie can be a little bit tedious to make, but I detail steps you can take to be more efficient in the kitchen. Plus, this is one of those meals that is perfect to make ahead! This Shepherd’s Pie recipe stays true to its comforting roots but of course I include my own Asian spin on it with a few ingredient swaps to make this easier but still incredibly tasty.

What is Shepherd’s Pie?

Traditionally made with ground lamb, Shepherd’s Pie is a classic British dish featuring a base of seasoned meat and vegetables, topped with a layer of creamy mashed potatoes. When made with beef instead of lamb, it’s often called Cottage Pie. Regardless of the name, it’s a simple yet satisfying recipe that’s easy to customize with what you have on hand!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Comforting and Filling: Perfect for weeknight dinners or gatherings.
Simple Ingredients: Made with pantry staples like ground meat, potatoes, frozen vegetables.
Great for Meal Prep: The components can be made ahead of time, AND the final dish reheats beautifully for easy leftovers!
Golden Potato Topping: Irresistibly crispy edges and creamy insides!

Key Ingredients for Shepherd’s Pie

Meat Filling

Ground Lamb or Beef: Lamb is traditionally used for the savoury filling, but you can easily replace with beef. I use ground beef most of the time, since I always have a frozen pack in the fridge at all times!

Vegetables: Carrots, corn, onion, peas add a touch of sweetness, texture and bulk. Use frozen mixed vegetables for convenience!

Onions and Garlic: I used my convenient onion and garlic paste, but you can use finely chopped onions and garlic.

Dried Thyme: I like to keep it simple and use one dried herb. The herb of choice for me is thyme. You can also use dried rosemary. In a pinch, Italian herb seasoning work as well.

Tomato Paste and Worcestershire Sauce: Adds depth and a hint of tanginess.

Beef Bouillon and Water: My little cheat secret! This is a convenient alternative to beef broth. Chicken bouillon works too. Of course, if you have homemade stock, feel free to replace the stock cube and water with it. Note: If using homemade unsalted broth, be sure to adjust seasonings accordingly.

Mashed Potato Topping

Potatoes: Russet and yukon potatoes are good potatoes to use, but honestly? I just use whatever potatoes I can find on the day! Boil for long until its fork-tender smooth!

Evaporated Milk/Mik/Heavy Cream: Milk or heavy cream is usually used, but here’s my little Southeast Asian secret – I use evaporated milk instead for that ultra-creamy finish! Feel free to replace with milk or heavy cream, whichever you have on hand. Note: Do not confuse evaporated milk with condensed milk which is sweet!

Butter (Optional): For richness.

Cheese: Cheddar is used for that golden crust, I also like to use grated parmesan for flavour.

Key Equipment

Large Pot, Skillet or Braiser: For cooking the meat filling and incorporating the flavors.

Medium Pot: For boiling the potatoes for the mashed topping.

Masher or Fork: To mash the potatoes smoothly and evenly

Baking Dish (Casserole Dish): This recipe is good a medium-sized dish of up to 20x20cm or around 8×8 inches. I used a 16x20cm baking dish.

Oven or Toaster Oven: To bake and achieve the golden crust on the mashed potato topping. If you are using a smaller baking dish, you can even use an air fryer – I’ve done this plenty of time, especially when making single servings!

Key Steps to Making Shepherd’s Pie

1. Prepare the Mashed Potatoes

Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with salted water.

Bring to a boil and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender.

Drain the potatoes and mash them until smooth.

Stir in butter, evaporated milk, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

TIP! For efficiency, prepare the potatoes alongside the meat filling. You can let the meat filling bubble away, while you work on the potatoes. By the time the mashed potatoes are all done, your meat filling is done as well!

2. Brown the Filling

Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat.

Add the ground lamb or beef and cook until browned, breaking it into small pieces. Drain excess fat if needed.

3. Add Seasonings

Add the onion and garlic to the and stir to combine.

Stir fry for about 2-3 minutes, and add flour. Stir in with the meat until the flour disappears.

Mix in the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce and sambal (if using), thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes.

4. Let the filling stew

Pour in water, and crush in the beef bouillon cube (or broth).

Stir to combine and lower the heat. Let simmer for 10 minutes, allowing the filling to thicken.

NOTE: if using fresh vegetables, add it now so it can cook adequately.

5. Add Vegetables

Stir in the frozen mixed vegetables and let cook for another 2-3 minutes. No need to thaw them; they’ll cook quickly.

Turn off the heat.

Optional: Let the filling cool completely before assembly, so that it’s easier to spread. Otherwise the mash potatoes will sink into the meat filling – which is perfectly fine taste-wise, but I like seeing the clear definition between potato and meat!

6. Assemble the Shepherd’s Pie

Preheat your oven to 200°C (400°F).

Spread the meat filling evenly into a baking dish (approximately 16 cm x 20 cm).

Spoon the mashed potatoes over the filling, smoothing the surface with a spatula.

Optional: Use a fork to create ridges for texture.

Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top.

NOTE: Traditionally you do not need to add a lot of cheese for Shepherd’s Pie – just a sprinkling of cheddar to create that that golden crust. If you’re a cheese person like I am, I like to add MORE cheese, so creating the ridges with the fork are not as important here since they’ll be covered!

7. Bake

Bake the Shepherd’s Pie in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the top is golden and slightly crisp.

For a deeper golden crust, broil for 2-3 minutes at the end.

8. Serve

Let the dish cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Cut into the Shepherd’s Pie to equal portions, and use a large spoon to scoop it out into plates. Alternatively, simply go in straight with large spoon and scoop it out!

How to Serve

Shepherd’s Pie is a complete meal in itself, but feel free to pair it with:

Roasted vegetables: My fave way of serving, as you can roast it in the oven as you’re baking the Shepherd’s Pie. Efficiency!

Crusty bread for an even heartier spread – you need bread to soak up all that leftover gravy!

Simple side salad

Tips and Tricks To Level Up Your Shepherd’s Pie

Make it Addictive with some Heat: My twist on it is to add a dollop of sambal of a rich spice. If you love spice, you HAVE to include it in! No sambal? Finely mince chillies, or use gochujang!
For Extra Creamy Potatoes: Mash potatoes while they’re still warm! Not only does it mash easier when steaming hot, it’s a smoother mash too. No more potato chunks!
Golden Crust: Sprinkle grated cheddar on top or broil for the last 2-3 minutes of baking.
ULTIMATE Cheesy Goodness: I’ve made Shepherd’s Pie with all sorts of cheeses, and my personal favourites are cheddar and parmesan! The parmesan adds such a good umami flavour to the potatoes, albeit not as good a colour as the cheddar. Want even top level flavours? Stir in the parmesan with the mash potatoes and sprinkle the cheddar over the top!

Storing and Reheating Instructions

This is one of the best dishes to meal prep, make ahead AND freeze!

Storing

Refrigerate: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Reheat: Reheat in the oven at 175°C (350°F) until warmed through, or microwave individual portions for 2-3 minutes.

Freezing

Freeze: Freeze in portions for up to 3 months. Allow to cool completely before freezing.

Reheat: There is no need to defrost this before reheating; cook it straight out of the freezer! Reheat in the oven at 200°C (400°F) for 15-20 minutes until warmed through, or microwave individual portions for 3-5 minutes, or until warmed through.

How to Make-Ahead

This make-ahead method is perfect for busy weeknights, dinner parties, or meal prepping for the week!

1. Prepare the Components in Advance

Meat Filling:

Cook the meat filling as per the recipe, allow it to cool completely, and then transfer it to an airtight container.

Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Mashed Potatoes:

Make the mashed potato topping and let it cool to room temperature. Store in a separate airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Before using, run a spoon through. If the mashed potatoes are too dry or crumbly, add about 1-2 tablespoons of milk and stir through until smooth. You can also blitz in the microwave for about 1 minute to introduce a bit of steam for easier mixing with the milk.

The mashed potatoes can be frozen for longer storage, though they may need some re-mixing with extra butter or milk after thawing to restore their creamy texture.

2. On the Day of Serving

ASSEMBLE

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Spread the chilled meat filling into a baking dish and gently top it with the mashed potatoes. Smooth the surface and create texture with a fork if desired.

If the components are cold from the fridge, allow the assembled dish to sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before baking, or add an extra 10-15 minutes to the baking time to ensure it heats through evenly.

Bake as Directed

Bake the assembled Shepherd’s Pie until the top is golden and bubbling, about 25-30 minutes.

If desired, broil briefly for a crispier potato topping.

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