Beef Shepherd’s Pie Recipe (Cottage Pie)

This loaded Beef Shepherd’s Pie (also known as Cottage Pie) recipe is comfort food at its finest. Our twist is adding cheesy bacon potatoes on top of the ground beef mixture. This different take on a homestyle meal is tried and true recipe. It can be made in only an hour and is sure to be a real crowdpleaser.

This is my delicious, cheesy, loaded twist on a Beef Shepherd’s Pie recipe! When it comes to classic shepherd’s pie, it’s usually made with lamb, which we do find delicious. But in this recipe we are using beef. It’s also known as cottage pie and it happens to be one of my family’s favorite recipes. 

When we developed this recipe, we wanted to keep it simple and short on time, so we made sure it could be on the table in under an hour. We don’t have all night to cook dinner, especially with our busy family schedule. So instead of regular mashed potatoes, we took a shortcut to save on time with the taters by using the refrigerated pre-mashed kind (we find them extra delicious). Then we load them up with all the good stuff, like bacon, cheese, and sour cream for some extra flavor. 

Comfort food is my favorite, and often my website includes typical meals such as Cheesesteaks. However, as you can tell by my Mississippi Pot Roast Tacos, I also love to give interesting adjustments to classic dinner recipes. Give this version a try, I’m certain your taste buds will be pleased!

This was so good!!! one of my favorite meals I’ve ever made for myself. – Mikaela

Nice work ! Love the attention to detail and all the amazing and quick recipes! – Will

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• One hour dinner recipe. No all-day preparation needed.
• Easy comfort food. Perfect for a nice warm dinner.
• Great to customize to anyone’s liking. Easily enjoyable for every member of your family.

Ingredients:

• Browsey Acres American Wagyu Ground Beef: A lean beef full of rich flavor.
• Celery, onion, peas and carrots: The vegetables as well as the base aromatic ingredients for the shepherd’s pie.
• Minced garlic: Adds that garlic flavor we all love.
• Worcestershire sauce: Gives a punch of umami-like flavor.
• Beef broth: Adds a richness and keeps the filling moist.
• Tomato paste: A super concentrated tomato flavor that infuses into every bite perfectly.
• Dried thyme and rosemary: The herbs that pair so nicely with all of the other flavors.
• Mashed potatoes: For topping, you can use store-bought or make your own! We buy the tub of them in the refrigerated section, they’re delicious.
• Bacon crumbles: We love stirring these into the mashed potato mixture for texture and a slightly smoky taste.
• Sour cream: Gives creaminess to our mashed potatoes.
• Kerrygold garlic herb butter: The herby butter that adds so much delicious comforting flavor to the potatoes. Spend the extra money on this butter, it’s so worth it.
• Shredded white cheddar cheese: Can’t forget the cheese, it pairs perfectly with this dish.

How To Make Beef Shepherd’s Pie

• In a pot or dutch oven begin by softening celery and onion in a little bacon grease for about 5-6 min on med heat, then add minced garlic and cook another minute.

• Add ground beef and mash in with onions/celery.
• Add a little salt.

• Add Worcestershire sauce, seasonings, and tomato paste
• Stir everything together.

• Pour in beef broth and bring to a simmer.
• Allow to simmer about 12-15 minutes which will also help thicken.
• Add drained peas/carrots and cook about 5 more minutes.

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees and microwave potatoes according to package instructions.
• Add potatoes to a bowl and combine with butter, cheese, bacon crumbles, and sour cream, seasoning with some SPG (salt, pepper, garlic powder)

• In an 7 x 11 casserole dish, add meat layer and smooth out topping with mashed potatoes doing the same.
• Bake uncovered at 400 for about 25 min. Let cool for a couple minutes and enjoy.

Expert Tips:

• You do not have to load the mashed potatoes, but it definitely adds extra flavor! You can make them anyway you please. We buy the microwavable pre-mashed potatoes in the refrigerated section to make them easily from scratch right at home.
• Swap out the meat. Browsey Acres American Wagyu ground beef is not required, but it is our favorite and go-to for a delicious recipe! Ground lamb is another delicious alternative too.
• Add some more veggies. You can add additional vegetables to your liking, such as sweet peppers or corn.
• Be sure to cook the tomato paste a bit before adding in the beef broth. This allows the flavor to distribute evenly in the pan.
• Add a pinch of flour to the beef mixture if it has a lot of liquid. Just sprinkling over a tablespoon of flour will solve this problem before you top with the mashed potatoes.

Storage and Make-Ahead Instructions:

This delicious, cheesy beef shepherd’s pie tastes best when it is freshly cooked, however it can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days when kept in a sealed, airtight container.

Shepherd’s pie is also great for freezing. Store in an airtight container and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and then reheat according to instructions below.

Reheat in the microwave or the oven for a few minutes until warmed through.

Frequently Asked Questions:

• What’s the difference between a shepherd’s pie and a cottage pie? The meat! Traditionally, shepherd’s pie recipe’s call for ground lamb, and a cottage pie features ground beef. Shepherd’s pie is a much more known name however, so we use it for our recipe!
• What can I use to thicken my shepherd’s pie? Adding a little bit of all-purpose flour into your Dutch oven mixture as it cooks can help thicken your pie filling.
• Why is my shepherd’s pie watery? This can be due to the moisture in your ingredients, like the ground beef or the vegetables. Adding flour to your filling as it cooks can help thicken the dish and eliminate the watery consistency

More Comfort Food Recipes To Try:

• Tortellini Bake
• Ranch Beef Stroganoff
• Marry Me Chicken Soup
• Brisket Grilled Cheese

Loaded Shepherd's Pie

This is my twist on Shepherd's Pie! Instead of regular mashed potatoes I opted to load them up with all the good stuff for some extra flavor. Give this version a try, I'M certain your taste buds will be pleased!

5 from 4 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 8

Equipment

• Browsey Acres American Wagyu Ground Beef
• bacon up bacon grease
• The W Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 lb Browsey Acres American Wagyu Ground Beef
• 1 rib celery
• 1 small sweet yellow onion
• 1 can peas/carrots 15oz, drained
• minced garlic
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup beef broth
• 6 oz tomato paste
• 1.5 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
• salt to taste
• 2 lbs mashed potatoes
• 1 cup bacon crumbles
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 3 tbsp kerry gold garlic herb butter
• 6 oz shredded white cheddar cheese

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Instructions

• In a pot or dutch oven begin by softening celery and onion in a little bacon grease for about 5-6 min on med heat, then add minced garlic and cook another minute.
• Add ground beef and mash in with onions/celery. adding a little salt.
• Add W sauce, seasonings, and tomato paste stirring everything together.
• Now you can pour in beef broth and bring to a simmer. Allow to simmer about 12-15 minutes which will also help thicken.
• Now add drained peas/carrots and cook about 5 more minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees and microwave potatoes according to package instructions.
• Add potatoes to a bowl and combine with butter, cheese, bacon crumbles, and sour cream, seasoning with some SPG(salt, pepper, garlic powder)
• In an 8 x 11 casserole dish add meat layer and smooth out topping with mashed potatoes doing the same.
• Bake uncovered at 400 for about 25 min. Allow to cool for a couple min and enjoy.

Notes

You certainly don't have to load the mashed potatoes but it def adds extra flavor.