Last updated on November 4th, 2018 at 04:08 pm
This Skillet Shepherd’s Pie is loaded with flavorful beef and veggies then topped with fluffy and creamy mashed potatoes, then baked to perfection!
Shepherd’s pie is the epitome of simple and homely comfort food. It’s an easy and quite basic dish to put together, that’s been around for a very long time and there are probably hundreds of variations of it.
Shepherd’s pie is also commonly referred to as cottage pie and there is a difference. Cottage pie is usually made with beef and Shepherd’s pie is usually made with lamb. I know, you’re probably wondering why I’m calling this Shepherd’s pie when it should be called cottage pie. It’s because I’ve always known it as Shepherd’s pie, and whenever I’ve made it that’s what I’ve called it, so I’m going with it.
Another interesting fact to note about Shepherd’s pie is that Scotland usually makes these pies with a pastry instead of mashed potatoes, which actually sounds great and I will definitely have to try this soon.
But let’s talk about my recipe for a bit because the best compliment a cook gets is when the food is gone quickly and that’s what happened when we made this. It was gone within minutes. As mentioned, I used ground beef for the pie and lots of frozen veggies. I decided to go with a mix here of peas, carrots, green beans, and corn. You can actually find this mix in the frozen food section. I then flavored this with Worcestershire sauce, a package of dry onion soup mix and beef broth. The end result was incredibly tasty and flavorful, just make sure you don’t add too much salt as the onion soup mix already has some sodium in it.
After the meat mixture is done, all you have to do is make this easy, creamy and fluffy mashed potatoes, top your pie with the potatoes, then bake this for about 40 minutes. The smell in your home will be incredible and you’ll have a hard time waiting to get this out of the oven and sink your teeth in it. Trust me, it’s good!
If you love one-skillet recipes, try these out!
If you guys love this recipe, and most importantly make it yourselves, please let us know. Take a picture and tag it #jocooks on Instagram so we can see it. I always love to see what you guys come up with!
Skillet Shepherd's Pie
Ingredients
For Meat Mixture
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/4 lb ground beef lean
- 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
- 1/2 tsp pepper or to taste
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1.9 oz onion soup mix I used Knorr, 55g pkg
- 1 cup beef broth
- 2 cups frozen veggies I used mix of peas, carrots, green beans and corn
For Mashed Potatoes
- 6 large potatoes peeled and cut into cubes
- 4 tbsp butter softened
- 2/3 cup milk
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
- 1/2 tsp white pepper or to taste
- 1 tbsp parsley fresh, for garnish
Instructions
- Boil the potatoes: Start by first cooking the potatoes in boiling water for about 15 minutes or until fork tender. While the potatoes are cooking, you can prepare the meat mixture.
- Prepare the meat mixture: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground beef to the skillet, season it with the salt and pepper and cook it for abut 5 minutes or until it's no longer pink, breaking it up as you go along.
- Add the onion and garlic and cook for 3 more minutes until the onion softens and becomes translucent. Add the pepper flakes, Worcestershire sauce, onion soup mix, beef broth and stir. Stir in the frozen veggies and cook for a couple more minutes. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven 350 F degrees.
- Prepare the mashed potatoes: Drain the potatoes then add them to a large bowl. Add in the butter and using a potato masher, mash until smooth. Add the milk, Parmesan cheese, salt pepper and mash a bit a more until smooth.
- Finish assembling the shepherd's pie: Spread the potatoes over the meat and smooth with a spoon. Take a fork and rough up the top a bit and garnish with a bit of parsley.
- Bake: Place the skillet on a baking sheet, then place it in the oven and bake for 40 minutes until golden brown on top.
- Garnish with more parsley and pepper and serve warm.
Video
Notes
- How do I store leftovers: Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours of cooking, cover the pie with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- Can I freeze this: Yes you can! After baking, let the skillet cool to room temperature. Transfer the shepherd's pie to an airtight container and place in the freezer for up to 2 months. You can also cover the skillet tightly with foil, or plastic wrap, just make sure it's tightly covered.
- Can I use store bought mashed potatoes: Yes, you can. Store bought mashed potatoes can be used or leftover mashed potatoes.
- Can I use fresh veggies: Yes, of course. I used frozen veggies to save time, but feel free to use fresh veggies, such as carrots, peas and corn.
- I don't have onion soup mix, what can I use instead: You can make your own onion soup mix by combining: 3 tbsp minced onion flakes, 2 tbsp beef bouillon powder, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp parsley flakes, 1/8 tsp ground celery seeds, 1/2 tsp sweet paprika, salt and pepper to taste.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
Nutrition
We have been making this routinely and it is amazing! The only thing we sub is using Better Than Bouillion Beef base and make extra for gravy. This is a family favorite ❤️
Can I substitute garlic powder for the minced garlic? Would there be enogh flavor without any garlic at all?
Yeah you can, for sure.
Can I put into a glass dish and bake instead?
Absolutely, as long as the dish is oven safe.
Great recipe. Have made several times and love it every time!!
This was AMAZING!!! I used ground turkey… so it couldn’t be called a Shepherd’s pie or even a Cottage pie… maybe a Pilgrim’s pie?
At any rate, the flavors were spectacular. I added a little red wine to the mix, and it was a total crowd pleaser! Thank you so much for sharing!!
So happy you enjoyed this recipe, Lauri!
By far the BEST Shepherd’s Pie I have ever eaten! My family LOVE’S and I mean LOVE’S when I make Shepherd’s Pie. First time I made Shepherd’s Pie I did use ground beef and it was delicious. The second time I made Shepherd’s Pie I had leftover chuck roast, so I decided to use the roast meat instead of the ground beef. I shredded the meat and followed the rest of the recipe and now my family WILL NOT let me use ground beef ever again! When I make Shepherd’s Pie I now substitute the ground beef for leftover shredded chuck roast! It comes ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS!!! So happy I found your recipe. Now that cooler weather is coming upon us this will be a regular dish in our household for the next 6 months!
That’s so wonderful to hear! It really is the perfect winter comfort meal 🙂
Have tried numerous varieties of sheperd’s (cottage) pie recipe, this bar far is the best. However, instead of a cup of beef broth, I put in cup of Guiness
Love the Guinness idea, I bet the flavors are deeper. 🙂
I made this for dinner last night and it was so delicious. It is definitely a recipe that I’ll be making during the cold winter months.
I cannot get this recipe to copy. What am I doing wrong.
Are you trying to highlight the ingredients/ instructions and copy+paste them? You can highlight everything and click “control+c” on a PC, or “command+c” on a Mac. Otherwise, click here to print the recipe.
What size skillet should I use?
A 10 inch or 12 inch skillet should be fine.
I love this recipe. I have made it many times 🙂
I love this recipe, and have made it quite a few times! The ingredients really all shine, the onion soup, Worcestershire sauce, etc. just make this so incredible. I do cheat though on the potatoes, and get the garlic mashed potatoes that can be warmed up in the microwave, instead of making my own, but that’s just to save time. Thanks for this great recipe, it’s a staple now in my home!
This is a lovely recipe but have found that for us it works better with 2 tablespoons of tomato paste for our family, it’s gobbled down super quick. Thanks for the base recipe.
I’d add a few spoonfuls of sour cream to the potatoes…so good! But I don’t like those frozen veggies (my mom is upset about that😂)any suggestions on an alternative?
You can use fresh veggies if that’s what you prefer
I’ve made this recipe several times…using either ground round or ground lamb, and I also use the Bob Evans sour cream and chives mashed potatoes…….it turns out FANTASTIC every single time!!! Thank you for such a great recipe!!!😃
Would this work with a pack of instant potatoes? This is all i have on hand… would cook time remain same?
I’ve never used instant potatoes before, so I’m afraid I’m not sure how that would work.
I use Idahoan instant mashed potatoes that come in a pouch. They are very good and work well. I have made this skillet many times. We love it.
This is my favorite. I have also used it as a base for using chicken, but with chicken stock, and it was also amazing.
I have oven roasted leftover lamb on hand and thought of using it (not ground). Have no idea how it might come out but will try it because it looks so good! What do you think?
That would be fantastic. Let us know how it turns out!
This is my 3rd time making this recipe. I found that it’s best not to salt the ground beef until after you’ve added the onion mix and the broth otherwise could be too salty. Adjust tow salt at the end of cooking as opposed to seasoning the ground beef. Also, I found cooking for 40 minutes really deflate the fresh potato. I simply baked for 15 minutes then broiled to get a nice brown potato for a few seconds. I topped with parm and chives. Delish!