Shepherd's Pie

This recipe was a big hit in my household! It's easy, too. And it makes a lot. I made a few substitutions based on other comments below: I used both ketchup and worcestershire sauce (and was liberal with both); I used 2 lbs of ground turkey instead of 1 lb of ground beef (I like it to last longer); I used instant mashed potatoes (super easy); and I added cheddar cheese to the potatoes on the top. Definitely going to make again.

This recipe was a big hit in my household! It's easy, too. And it makes a lot. I made a few substitutions based on other comments below: I used both ketchup and worcestershire sauce (and was liberal with both); I used 2 lbs of ground turkey instead of 1 lb of ground beef (I like it to last longer); I used instant mashed potatoes (super easy); and I added cheddar cheese to the potatoes on the top. Definitely going to make again.

Instead of mashed potatoes I use mashed yam or mashed sweet potato Into which i have mixed powdered ginger and lite becel. Gives it a wonderful flavour.

To answer your question, Sarah, I do dice my onions but I leave the root end intact so the onion doesn't slip and move around so much cause I always think I will end up cutting my fingers! :)

Very good

Shepherds Pie is made using lamb, preferably cut into 1-2 lnch cubes. This is a recipe for Cottage Pie. Shepherds Pie is made using 1-2 inch chunks of lamb. This is a recipe for Cottage Pie. Thank you, Dale

I made it exactly as written. It is delicious. I’ve made it for company and always get rave reviews. They also ask for the recipe. I watched Martha make this on her show in the 90’s and it been a favorite since then.

I read the reviews. And a lot of the time, they are a little bland for my taste. I have made this type of thing many times over the years. Pretty much, never the same twice on seasoning. The thing is, this recipe can be what you want. I went with the original base, half the onion, increased the garlic a bit. I prefer a little gravy, so I added Worcestershire, beef broth, corn starch with a tablespoon or so of A-1. I forgot the ketchup and thyme. After browning meat and onions, I added in all this along with the mixed veggies. I tasted and it still needed something, (probably the ketchup and thyme), so I threw in some dry fajita seawsoning and paprika. Re -tasted and it was perfect. For the potatoes, I used Yukon golds with cheddar cheese mixed in. This was really good, and husband said best yet....so I will make again. One of the commenters said, cooking should be fun. You don't have to have a bland dish if you can taste it before it's finished and this is one of those recipes that allows that. So go with what you like....it's a great recipe.

Since several people mentioned that this recipe was bland, I made adjustments as I was making it. I happened to have some leftover caramelized onions, so I put those in the mashed potatoes. I also used more than three cups of mashed potatoes. I figured...how could it hurt? For the liquid, I used beef broth and some red wine...which I just happened to have in the refrigerator...along with a few tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce. I think I had more than a half a cup of liquid, so I added a little extra flour, and I used a 16 ounce bag of mixed vegetables--instead of the listed 10 ounce box. Besides the thyme I added some Italian Seasoning, garlic powder,and smoked paprika. It was delicious. I think it would have been delicious and flavorable even if I would have followed the recipe. I will definitely make this again! :)

This is my "go to" Shepherd's Pie recipe. So very easy and every person I have made it for, loves it. It's perfect with a small salad.

I have a recipe For Martha's Shephard's pie from the 90's. It's more chopping but still not difficult. I recently made it for a friend recovering from surgery. She raved about it and asked for the recipe. It's quite tasty.

I also added sliced mushrooms and 1 can of cream of mushroom soup to this recipe. If the top of the potatoes do not brown to your liking, you can also pop the dish under the broiler until the tops are browned to your liking. Great easy, basic recipe. Sarah makes the video and cooking this recipe very enjoyable. I love her personality and look forward to more videos from her :)

Could everyone please get over what it's called and focus on the recipe? The "traditional" Shepherds Pie was made with minced lamb because that was abundantly available, England didn't have lots of cows but there were plenty of sheep. My mom was British, I was born and lived in England, but when we moved to America even my mom made it with beef and still called it Shepherds pie. Lamb was not familiar to most Americans and has only recently grown in popularity. However, lamb is far more expensive than beef which prohibits many families from using lamb. Use what you like and can afford!! Most recipes for any Shepherd's Pie say use beef or lamb. That said, I made this version because it was fast and easy and I didn't have time for a more complicated recipe. It turned out very good, but I added a little Worcestershire sauce, about a 1/2 cup of beef stock, and a can of cream of celery soup to give it a creamy sauce. It's not like my mom's more traditional recipe but both are good. Cooking is about fun, experimenting, and making something tasty. This is a good recipe for a quick meal when you don't have lots of time, and you can tweak it to your own taste.

This isn't shepherd's pie? This is a cottage pie hun. If it's made with beef it's cottage if it's made with lamb, it's a shepard pie. Alot of people get them confused or don't know the difference!

This recipe was very bland. Warming the veggies through and cooking for 10 minutes in the oven really isn't enough to give them any of the flavors in the rest of the pie. I'd recommend just saving this recipe for a weekend or whenever you have extra time, and cooking fresh veggies separately and adding them to the pie. Will definitely take more time, but my husband had been begging me to make shepherd's pie, yet tried hard to hide his disappointment at this one.

I found this recipe to be really bland and tasteless. Perhaps small children would like it. I added some Worcestershire sauce and a few sprinkles from a package of dry au juice gravy mix, and more water, and it helped a lot. I will not use this recipe again.

When I was living with the French Nun's and they made their Shepard's pie for all the children at the orphanage. They used chopped beef and they made a white sauce for the gravy!!! I loved it this way too! I actually found I liked peas because of the white sauce and the Nuns were EXCELLENT cooks who NEVER over cooked the veggies!!!

Like so many casserole recipes from Ireland or the UK these dishes origins came from leftovers. My Gram made Shepard's pie from left over leg of lamb. She did not use ground lamb it was lamb that was chopped up after it was removed from the Roast leg of lamb. She also would make a casserole called Rectors hash. It wasn't a hash it was Chunks of Lamb, potatoes and carrots all mixed together with cheese and tomato sauce. Both casseroles were made of left overs normally served on Monday night!

I made this recipe and my family is still raving. I added a cup of grated white cheddar cheese to the mashed potatoes. Mmmm mmmm good.

In response to Calvin Curry: Someone always has to make the lamb comment don't they. GET OVER IT! If you look in most cookbooks and from most chefs it is made with beef and still called shepheards pie, not "cottage pie". GET OVER IT!

Surely a sheperd's pie is made with lamb, the name should tell you this.

i use a can of tomato soup in this instead of ketchup...also add diced carrots and peas for color and sweetness instead of mixed veggies. and ground lamb is an excellent substitute for the beef!

I drained the ground beef before I added the veggies (I thought it was a little to greasy otherwise). I also added Worcestershire sauce and substituted Guinness for the water (1/4 cup) for a richer taste. The great thing about this dish is that you can use left over mashed potates and veggies and cook on a night when you don't really want to put too much effort into cooking!

does anyone know if the ketchup is a must? i am not so sure how well it would turn out with the whole pie!

does anyone know if the ketchup is a must? i am not so sure how well it would turn out with the whole pie!

One of my favorite dishes! If you add a 1/2 cup of beef stock instead of water you get a lovely gravy like taste to the sauce. I've added sausage to mine for a new twist. You can also do a ground turkey or chicken version, omit the ketchup and use a little Worchester sauce or soy sauce. You can also use up any left over gravy to make your sauce. A splash of wine is always a good flavor boost. Any left over veg you have goes well in here. Have fun trying your own version.

So delicious! Slight correction though for those who enjoy working from their EF mags... it's from Everyday Food, November 2006.

Deeeeelish%21

Very good recipe! I used both Worchester sauce and tomato ketchup, and mushrooms instead of frozen vegies. Kids loved it.

I generally use either shaved carrots or corn instead of mixed veggies. Then, when I have about ten minutes left, I sprinkle the top of the potatoes with some shredded Cheddar cheese. It is truly scrumptious!!

could i use a creamed corn with the vegies?

Sooo Good! I used HP sauce (brown sauce- UK version of catsup) instead of catsup and worchester. I also added mushrooms for more of a meaty flavor. Easy to make and tasted awesome.

I doubled the recipe and used instant potatoes. I really liked it. It's great for a cold night and is really fulfilling. My father in law actually liked it so that's saying something!

This is actually a "Cottage Pie" as it is made with 'Beef' - A Shepherd's Pie is made with Lamb - Shepherd = Lambs/Sheep.

I use instant mashed potatoes with cheddar cheese to add appeal for the kids.

I use instant mashed potatoes with cheddar cheese to add appeal for the kids.

This was really good - my husband loved it! I was out of garlic, so I used garlic salt instead and it was great.

Since my daughter is learning to cook, this would be a good meal for her to make for our family. It reminds me of suppers when I was a child.

While this is one of my favorites, I add a little worchester sauce for stronger flavor and cream cheese or sour cream to the mashed potatoes for heavier substance.

I used groung lamb in the tradition of the UK. Can't stand what passes for ground beef here. I did use fresh rather than frozen vegies. It was very good that way. Served with fresh tropical fruit and Artichokes.

I added one small can of tomato paste to give it more flavor instead of ketchup and also added peas and corn. I also doubled it so that it would feed 6 people and found that I needed to add 1 cup of water, which I took out of the potato water, which helped to thicken the mixture too. Delicious!