This shepherd's pie recipe is a hearty, flavorful main dish that your entire family will love! Learn how to make shepherd's pie that's better than any restaurant!
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x9” square pan or a 9-10” round pie dish.
Make the Mashed Potato Layer
Peel and quarter the potatoes and put them in a 5-quart pot.
Add cold water to the pot until the potatoes are covered by 1” water. Bring water to a Once boiling, uncover and boil until the potatoes are cooked and fork-tender (about 25 minutes).
Drain the potatoes, then return to the pot and mash with a potato masher.
Add milk, butter, salt, pepper and garlic powder and continue mashing until smooth. Cover and set aside.
Make the Ground Beef Layer
In a small bowl combine tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, beef broth, honey, salt, pepper and paprika and stir to combine. Set aside.
Add ground beef, onions, garlic, carrots, celery, and green pepper to a large Dutch oven or stockpot and cook over medium-high heat until the meat is cooked through, stirring often.
Add the tomato sauce mixture, peas and corn and stir to combine.
Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally.
Assemble the Shepherd’s Pie
Transfer beef mixture to the prepared pan.
Spread the mashed potatoes in an even layer over the beef mixture.
If desired, sprinkle cheese on top of the potatoes.
Yukon Gold Potatoes. This recipe includes directions on how to make the potato layer from scratch, or you can use 2 cups of leftover mashed potatoes. You can use red potatoes in place of Yukon gold.
Salted butter. Unsalted butter works well, too.
Whole Milk. half and half or heavy cream are great substitutions for whole milk.
Ground Beef. you can use ground turkey, if desired.
Yellow onion. Choose your favorite variety of onion, white and red work well too.
Vegetables (carrots, green pepper, celery, peas, corn). Choose your favorite veggies! I included our favorites, but you can add or subtract any other vegetables to your liking.
Beef Stock. Chicken stock can be used in place of beef stock (especially if substituting turkey).
Honey. granulated sugar can be used in place of honey.
StoreStore leftover shepherd's pie in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can also just cover the pie dish with plastic wrap to keep it fresh. Or you can make it in a baking dish that has a lid!FreezeThis is a great freezer-friendly recipe. You can freeze the entire shepherd's pie after baking then just reheat it in the oven (this is a great way to give a meal to a friend). Or you can freeze individual portions.