Easy Ground Beef Shepherd's Pie Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is original shepherd's pie made of? ›

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 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.

How do you keep shepherds pie from falling apart? The eggs in the mashed potatoes help keep the pie together. You should also make sure to spread the potatoes and press down a bit.

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.

This traditional shepherd's pie recipe is made with a mixture of lamb and sirloin, lots of veggies, and a creamy, cheesy mashed potato topping ⁠— sure to delight everyone at the table! Nicole McLaughlin produces the educational and entertaining food series from Allrecipes; You Can Cook That.

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. Make sure you steam the potatoes dry before mashing, and season generously; I like Bareham and Hopkinson's nutmeg as well as the usual salt and pepper.

Vegetables: This shepherd's pie includes carrots and onions. Flour: All-purpose flour will thicken the beef gravy. Ketchup: Ketchup will add a little tang to the ground beef mixture. Beef Broth: Beef broth creates a gravy-like consistency in the middle.

shepard's pie

Flour: A little flour is used to thicken up the sauce so it's thick and creamy. Red Wine: Is used to deglaze the pan to remove the brown bits “fond” off of the bottom of the pan. That is where all the flavor is! Tomato Paste: Gives the sauce a deepened tomato flavor.

All-purpose flour is an easy solution, as you're sure to have it in your pantry. Since it's lower in starch, you'll use more of it than you would higher-starch thickeners. Quick-cooking tapioca makes filling bright and clear, but also gives it a stippled and somewhat sticky texture.

Why does my potato sink in shepherds pie? ›

Residual moisture from the potatoes will drip into the beef below as it cooks, and too much of it will cause the potatoes to eventually sink. Aside from ridding your potatoes of excess moisture before you mash them, it also helps to cool the beef down, BBC Good Food shares.

A large oven proof Le Creuset, metal handled frying pan or enamel coated cast iron pan works well. Or you can cook your meat in a frying pan and then transfer it to a ceramic or glass lasagna dish to bake. Alternatively you can make individual pies in ramekins or small ovenproof dishes.

Leftovers or Make Ahead

A Shepherd's Pie is the perfect make-ahead food. In the fridge Cook up to point 11 in the recipe below and you can keep this recipe in the fridge for 2 days. Then bake as normal.

These meaty, mince-filled and mash potato-topped pies are very similar, the difference comes down to the filling. Cottage pie is usually made with beef, whereas shepherd's pie is made with lamb. You can also add vegetables and aromats to the filling, such as onions, garlic, carrot, zucchini and rosemary.

You can use what you have on hand: Flour, cornstarch, or powdered milk are all solid options that are probably already in your pantry. Potato flour and potato starch would work as well. Stir in the thickening agent gradually, about a tablespoon at a time, until the potatoes have reached your desired consistency.

More recently "shepherd's pie" has generally been used for a potato-topped dish of minced lamb. According to the Oxford Companion to Food, "In keeping with the name, the meat should be mutton or lamb; and it is usually cooked meat left over from a roast".

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

Shepherd's Pie first came about late in the 1700s and early 1800s. Accordingly, housewives back then were on the frugal side. Much like we do today, they were looking for ways to incorporate those leftovers that husbands and kids would turn up their noses at.