In A Snap No Bake Shepherd's Pie Recipe

What Is Traditional Shepards Pie?

Shepherd's pie, also known as cottage pie or Irish pie, is a meat pie mixture of chopped vegetables, ground lamb, or ground beef in a rich gravy topped with mashed potatoes. It is baked in a deep pie dish and then topped with cheese when serving. The recipe originated in the late 1700s when money was tight for peasant workers in Irland. The pie was a great way to use every bit of food on hand in one dish. It is the ultimate comfort food!

No Bake Shepards Pie 😋

You will like that this skillet shepherd's pie recipe is budget-friendly, using inexpensive frozen veggies and ground beef for a hearty dish. It's also a great recipe to use up leftovers. Cooked carrots, peas, corn, or mashed potatoes can all be used instead of frozen vegetables. The best part is it's a classic comfort food that the entire family will love.

What You Need To Make Shepherd Pie

Filling

• Lean ground beef: I use 90/100. It would not be good to have a lot of grease in the pie filling. 
• Onion: Yellow or white onion chopped into dime size pieces. My favorite is a Vidella. 
• Garlic: Do not use the already chopped-up jar kind. It really makes a difference in flavor if you mince your own. 
• Herbs: I used dried parsley, thyme, and rosemary. It would be good to double the measurements in the recipe if you have fresh herbs. Be sure to chop them very finely. 
• A-1 steak sauce: Store brand or your other favorite steak sauce is fine. 
• Beef broth: You can also use beef stock or beef bone broth in a box or can. 
• Frozen: I found a bag of frozen peas, carrots, and corn at my grocery. However, you can buy individual bags and measure out a total of 18 ounces. 

Mashed potatoes

• Russet potatoes - peeled and cut into 2-inch cubes. You can also use red potatoes or Yukon gold.
• Dairy: For the richest flavor, use real butter and half & half versus milk. 

⭐️ See the recipe card below for full recipe ingredients and measurements. 

Non-Dairy Mashed Potatoes

If you have a family member that is dairy sensitive, be sure to try my Creamy Non-Dairy Mashed Potatoes. 

Let's Make Shepherd's Pie!

In a large cast iron skillet, add the olive oil. Heat the oil over medium-high. When the oil is hot, toss in your onions and cook unit they are slightly wilted. 

Next, add the fresh minced garlic. Stir and cook for 1 minute. *Note: We didn't add the garlic initially because onions take longer to cook, and the garlic would get to brown.

Add ground beef, and break apart the meat while stirring. Cook until the pink is gone in the ground beef.

One of my favorite kitchen tools is this heat-resistant meat chopper. It helps break up large hamburger clumps, which makes a perfect crumbled meat for this dish.

Add tomato paste and flour. Stir until all the ingredients are combined and create a thick paste.

Add Worcestershire sauce, A-1 sauce, parsley, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper. Stir and allow to cook on medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Be sure to stir a few times during the cooking process, so the meat does not stick. If it does, turn your heat down a bit. 

Stir in beef broth.

 Add frozen peas & carrots and frozen corn. Stir and then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and allow to simmer for 10 - 15 minutes so the veggies can cook.

Then, turn the temperature to warm so the filling will remain warm until you are ready to top with mashed potatoes. 

Making Creamy Mashed Potatoes

1. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat. 
2. While the water comes to a boil, peel and slice potatoes into 1 1/2-inch thick chunks. Place the potatoes in a bowl of cold water for five minutes. This breaks down the starch so the cooked potatoes will not be gummy or gluey. 
3. Place drained potato pieces in a large pot of boiling water. The water should be an inch or so above the potatoes. Bring the pot back to boiling again, then reduce the heat to medium-high and simmer the potatoes until they are fork-tender. (stick a fork easily into a potato) Cooking time should take about 15-20 minutes. Be sure to check tenderness often towards the 15-minute mark.  You don't want your potatoes to break apart. 
4. Drain the potatoes and shake the colander to remove all the liquid. Place your potatoes a stand mixer bowl. Add butter, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and half and half.

🥔Tip: Be sure not to over-mix. Doing so will make your mashed potatoes gummy and thick. 

Finally, mix in 1 cup of shredded yellow cheese. 🧀 You are now ready to assemble your shepherd's pie.

Assembling the no-bake shepherd's pie

1. Remove your cast iron skillet with veggies and beef mixture from the heat. 
2. Top the meat and vegetable mixture with the warm mashed potatoes. 
3. Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheddar cheese over the top. Sprinkle on chopped green onion or fresh chopped parsley. 
4. Serve warm, and enjoy!

Serving Tip

You can assemble the shepherd's pie in your cast iron skillet, casserole dish, baking dish, or these cute cast iron individual serving pans.

Substitutions and Variations Ideas

The beauty of this recipe is that it is versatile to make just how your family will enjoy it most. 

• Ground meat: Use ground turkey, chicken, venison, or lamb instead of beef.  
• Broth: To make this dinner recipe extra healthy, use bone broth. Also, switch to chicken broth or vegetable broth if you use ground poultry.
• Make a low-carb version: On top of the meat mixture, spoon on mashed cauliflower in place of the potatoes.
• Mix-In options: Change up your frozen veggies. Try frozen green beans, lima beans, or peas.
• Topping:
• Mashed potatoes: Use sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes. If you are in a hurry, you could use leftover mashed potatoes, make instant potatoes or buy them already made in your refrigerated grocery section. 
• Toppings: Top with parmesan cheese or hot pepper jack cheese.

Freezing or Making Ahead

After photographing this post, I froze part of this recipe in individual servings in an airtight container. Quick dinner for me and a happy hubby.

1. Place shepherd's pie filling in a freezer-safe container with a snap-on lid.
2. Top the meat mixture with mashed potatoes and shredded cheese.
3. Snap the lid on. Label what is in the container and the date you put it in the freezer.
4. Freeze for up to 3 months.  

Thawing and Reheating Tips

1. For best results, allow the frozen pie to thaw in the refrigerator overnight or defrost in your microwave.
2. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until the internal temperature is 165 degrees.
3. In the last 5 minutes of baking, remove the foil.

Tips for Making The Best Shepards Pie

This is an easy recipe to make, but there are a few tips that will help you serve a great dinner.

Why is my shepherd's pie soupy?

Shepards pie can be soupy if you do not use enough flour to thicken the meat mixtures gravy. It could also be soupy if you do not drain all the fat off of the meat after cooking. 

I don't have tomato paste, what else can I use?

If you don't have tomato paste, you can substitute canned tomato sauce or marinara source. If the meat and vegetable mixture seems thin, add a thickener. Add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to 1/4 cup of beef broth in a jar. Place a lid on and shake for 30 seconds. Turn your meat mixture up to medium-high heat and stir in your thickener. 

Why is my pie falling apart?

The original recipe was not intended to have nicely formed slices. This pie is meant to be scooped out of the dish with a large spoon when serving. Messy, but oh so good!