Easy Shepherd’s Pie
This Midwest classic Easy Shepherd’s Pie combines a saucy ground beef filling that simmers beneath a blanket of Bob Evans Original Mashed Potatoes until the cheese is golden brown on top. It is savory and hearty, all rolled up into one big pan of oven goodness!
Looking for other easy, hearty meals made with ground beef? Try our Mexican Beef and Rice Skillet or our Fiesta Ground Beef and Noodle Skillet.
A Quick Look at the Recipe
- ✅ Recipe Name: Shepherd’s Pie
- ⏲️ Ready In: 50 minutes
- 👨👨👦👦 Serves: 8 people
- 🍽️ Calories: 360 kcal
- 💪 Protein: 19 grams
- 🥣 Main Ingredients: Ground beef, minced mushrooms, tomato paste, spices, mashed potatoes and cheddar cheese
- 📋 Dietary Info: This hearty pie is very nutrient-dense, providing a good balance of protein, complex carbs, and fiber.
- 💯 Why You’ll Love It: This is not your average, boring Shepherd’s Pie. The meat layer is saucy and rich, and the mashed potatoes on top are fluffy and light!
This dinner is the supreme comfort food and very popular here in the Midwest. And actually, how can anybody not like an all-in-one-pan meat and potato pie? It reminds me of my Hamburger Steaks with Gravy and Onions.
To make it even better, everything bakes in this one, single pan! And when you pull this Shepherd’s Pie out of the oven, all you gotta do is set it in the middle of the table and let everybody serve themselves. They love it, and you’ll love it!
If you are looking for another beef and mashed potatoes recipe, try my Beef Stew Over Mashed Potatoes.
Ingredients and Substitutions
For a complete list of ingredients, see the detailed recipe card below.
- Ground beef: I use 90% lean for this recipe so that I don’t have to drain any fat from the pan. You can use any type of ground meat that you prefer in this recipe, such as ground bison, ground turkey, ground venison, etc.
- Bob Evans Original Mashed Potatoes: I have looked at these potatoes in the grocery case for years, but had never tried them. Big mistake. I wish I had incorporated them into my cooking long ago – they are delicious and so easy to utilize. Huge time saver.
- Carrots
- Baby bella or button mushrooms: I typically purchase whole mushrooms for this recipe because I think they keep better in the fridge than sliced mushrooms. Remove your mushrooms from the plastic-wrapped packaging as soon as you get home and store them in a brown paper bag instead. This keeps mushrooms from becoming slimy because moisture is wicked away into the brown sack.
- Worcestershire sauce
- Tomato paste
- Beef broth: I love keeping Better Than Bouillon in my fridge so I can make any amount of broth at any time and to whatever strength I prefer – so easy! No more opening an entire carton of broth when I only need 1 cup.
- Shredded sharp cheddar: We prefer the intensity of sharp cheddar, but if it’s too strong for your family’s taste, use your favorite shredded cheese. I’ve used provolone in this recipe before, and it’s very good!
- Parsley: If you’ve got fresh parsley to garnish with, it’s really pretty on top, but I rarely have that. A light sprinkle of dried parsley still makes this meat pie look finished.
- Spices: Dehydrated onion flakes, garlic powder, seasoned salt, dried parsley flakes
Step by Step Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Step 1: In a 12-inch oven-safe skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, sauté the carrots for 2-3 minutes, then cover the pan and cook for an additional 3 minutes. If the carrots seem a little dry, you can stir in a bit of broth or water to the pan at this point.
Step 2: Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, combine the ground beef with the Worcestershire sauce, onion flakes, garlic powder, seasoned salt, parsley, and diced mushrooms.
Make short work of dicing the mushrooms by throwing them into your food processor. Use the pulse button until they are all finely diced, approximately 15-20 seconds.
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Step 3: Add the ground beef mixture to the carrots in the skillet, spreading it out in a thick layer. Let the beef mixture cook without disturbing it, over medium-high heat, to let the bottom get very nicely browned, 2-3 minutes.
Using a beef crumbler or a wooden spoon, crumble the beef mixture with the carrots, reduce the heat to medium, and continue cooking for an additional 5-6 minutes, until the meat is nearly cooked through. If there appears to be excess fat in the skillet at this point, remove it from the pan.
Step 4: Stir the tomato paste into the ground beef mixture in the skillet, cooking for 1-2 minutes to allow the paste to caramelize and darken slightly. (It will turn from bright red in color to a very dark, almost brown color.)
Step 5: Add the beef broth to deglaze the skillet, stirring to release any golden bits of tomato paste and beef mixture stuck to the bottom. Remove from the heat.
Step 6: Sprinkle 1 cup of the cheddar cheese evenly over the ground beef mixture.
Step 7: Top the ground beef mixture with big dollops of the warmed mashed potatoes. Use a spatula or spoonula to spread the potatoes evenly over the top.
Step 8: Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheddar over the potatoes. Garnish with a generous sprinkle of parsley flakes, as desired.
Step 9: Bake the Shepherd’s Pie, uncovered, on the center oven rack for 25-30 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the center reaches 160-165 degrees F, hot and bubbly. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
My Recipe Tips
- Whatever you do, don’t skip the mushrooms in this Shepherd’s Pie! This is the secret ingredient that makes this meat pie so much better than almost any other. Nobody ever notices them since they look just like cooked ground beef by the time the pie is ready for the potato topping.
- Because this Shepherd’s Pie is saucy beneath the top layer of mashed potatoes, the leftovers reheat exceptionally well. My guys love it as a filling lunch the next day when they come in from doing chores. It totally hits the spot!
“Recipe Name” FAQs
Yes! It freezes well and can be baked from frozen. I like to double the recipe. Make one batch in a skillet for serving the same day, and the second pie in a large aluminum pan (9×13-inch or a deep pie plate) so I can freeze it. Wrap well using lots of extra foil and store in the fridge for up to 6 months.
Bake from frozen, covered with foil, in a preheated 350 degree F. oven for 45-55 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for an additional 25-30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly throughout (160-165 degrees F. at the center) and golden brown on top. Let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
We usually reheat Shepherd’s Pie in single servings in the microwave, cooking each one covered, on full power for 40-45 seconds.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge.
More Recipes
My boys love big beefy recipes, and they can’t get enough. These Beef Sanchiladas always hit the spot, too, when they are craving something hearty. Or you can always make a Midwest favorite, Hillbilly Chili with Cinnamon Rolls. Or make Beef Stroganoff, a classic beef dish.
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Easy Shepherd’s Pie
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive or avocado oil
- 2 large carrots diced
- 1 pound ground beef I use 90% lean for this recipe
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon dehydrated onion flakes
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
- 8 ounces baby bella or button mushrooms finely diced
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup strong beef broth
- 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar
- 32 ounce package Bob Evans Original Mashed Potatoes, refrigerated warmed in the microwave for 1-2 minutes
- parsley for garnishing, if desired we
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a 12-inch oven-safe skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, sauté the carrots for 2-3 minutes, then cover the pan, continuing to cook the carrots an additional 3 minutes. **If the carrots seem a little dry, you can stir in a bit of broth or water to the pan at this point.1 tablespoon olive or avocado oil, 2 large carrots
- Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef with the Worcestershire sauce, onion flakes, garlic powder, seasoned salt, parsley, and diced mushrooms.1 pound ground beef, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon dehydrated onion flakes, 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt, 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes, 8 ounces baby bella or button mushrooms
- Add the ground beef mixture to the carrots in the skillet, spreading it out in a thick layer. Let the beef mixture cook without disturbing it, over medium high heat, to let the bottom get very nicely browned, 2-3 minutes.
- Using a beef crumbler or a wooden spoon, crumble the beef mixture with the carrots, reducing the heat to medium, continuing to cook for an additional 5-6 minutes until the meat is nearly cooked throughout. **If there appears to be excess fats in the skillet at this point, remove them from the pan.
- Stir the tomato paste into the ground beef mixture in the skillet, cooking for 1-2 minutes to allow the tomato paste to caramelize and darken a bit. (It will turn from bright red in color to a very dark, almost brown color.)3 tablespoons tomato paste
- Add the beef broth to deglaze the skillet, stirring up any golden bits and beef mixture that may be attached to the bottom of the skillet. Remove from the heat.1 cup strong beef broth
- Sprinkle 1 cup of the cheddar cheese evenly over the ground beef mixture.1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar
- Top the ground beef mixture with big dollops of the warmed mashed potatoes. Use a spatula or spoonula to spread the potatoes evenly over the top.32 ounce package Bob Evans Original Mashed Potatoes, refrigerated
- Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheddar over the potatoes. Garnish with a generous sprinkle of parsley flakes, as desired.
- Bake the Shepherd’s Pie, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes on the center oven rack until golden brown on top and hot and bubbly at the center. (160-165 degrees F.) Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Whatever you do, don’t skip the mushrooms in this Shepherd’s Pie! This is the secret ingredient that makes this meat pie so much better than almost any other. Nobody ever notices them since they look just like cooked ground beef by the time the pie is ready for the potato topping.
- I typically purchase whole mushrooms for this recipe because I think they keep better in the fridge than sliced mushrooms. Take your mushrooms out of the plastic-wrapped packaging as soon as you get home and store them in a brown paper sack, instead. This really keeps mushrooms from getting slimy because the moisture is wicked away and into the brown sack.
- Make short work of dicing the mushrooms by throwing them into your food processor. Use the pulse button until they are all finely diced, approximately 15-20 seconds.