This Easy Shepherd’s Pie With Ground Beef is a perfect dinner for two or three people. The ground beef filling, made completely from scratch, is rich and a little tangy, with a hint of sweetness from the carrots and the onions. It’s so good that you’ll want to eat it with a spoon before it even goes into the oven. And the potato topping is buttery and creamy and glorious.
One of the perks of running a food blog is that my job makes it super easy to score bonus points with friends and family since I am constantly feeding them the food I make to the site. People love good food, and they love you a little more if you’re the one giving it to them. 😉
And I hit the mother lode of bonus points with my dad for today’s recipe, Easy Shepherd’s Pie With Ground Beef.
My dad loves Shepherd’s Pie so leftovers from my test version went straight to him, and that single 7×5-inch dish of food immediately catapulted me to #1-favorite-daughter status.
And I feel like I totally earned that position because this is some really excellent Shepherd’s Pie I’m sharing with you today. The ground beef filling, which is made completely from scratch, is rich and a little tangy, with a hint of sweetness from the carrots and the onions. It’s so good that you’ll want to eat it with a spoon before it even goes into the oven. And the potato topping is buttery and creamy and glorious.
My dad has already requested this for Father’s Day (replacing his traditional feast of Chicken Curry), and I don’t know what better recommendation there is for this dish than that.
And before I get a million messages about this, I want to pause and say, I know that this pie is technically a Cottage Pie.
Shepherds Pie vs Cottage Pie
For those who don’t know the difference, both Shepherd’s and Cottage Pies are made with meat, gravy, and usually vegetables, and covered with potatoes. Generally, Shepherd’s Pie is made with lamb, Cottage Pie with beef. Though the term “Cottage Pie” was used as a blanket term for all meat/potato pies for about 100 years before people started calling the version with lamb “Shepherd’s Pie.”
That said, I don’t think most people make that distinction here in America. Every Shepherd’s Pie I’ve ever been served, except those I’ve had in the UK, have been made with beef, and when I was doing research for this post, no one I asked had any idea what Cottage Pie was.
And since I’d like the people in the US who enjoy Shepherd’s Pie to be able to find this “Shepherd’s Pie,” that’s what I’m going with. (Sorry, fellow pedants. It hurts my heart too.)
How to Make Shepherd’s Pie
Shepherd’s Pie is actually an incredibly easy dinner to make, and if you cook your potatoes and filling simultaneously, the active cooking time is only about 20 minutes before the whole thing goes into the oven. The potato topping is just your standard easy mashed potatoes with an egg yolk whisked in at the end (the yolk helps with browning and gives the topping a little extra richness).
And the filling comes together quickly. While your potatoes are cooking, you brown a bit of hamburger and then cook some onions, carrots, and garlic in the same pan. Stir in some ketchup or tomato paste, which adds a great depth of flavor, and flour to thicken the mixture, along with broth and Worcestershire sauce. That simmers for a couple minutes to thicken, and then you just stir together your meat and gravy and peas, layer your pie and bake.
Dinner’s done when the top is a lovely golden brown, which will take about 25 minutes, just enough time to clean up and pour yourself a glass of wine.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission if you make a purchase using them. There is absolutely no additional cost to you.
Recipe Notes
- This recipe makes two huge servings or three more reasonable ones. If you’d like to double the recipe, it doubles with no preparation changes and can be made in an 8×8-inch baking dish.
- You can omit the peas completely if you don’t like them or replace them with corn. You can also add corn to the peas if you just really like corn.
- To make a true Shepherd’s Pie, ground lamb can be substituted for the ground beef.
- Looking for more comfort food for two? Try my Pesto Chicken Pasta, Homemade Spaghettios, and Deluxe Mac and Cheese.
Easy Shepherd's Pie With Ground Beef (Dinner for Two)
Ingredients
Special Equipment
Potato Topping
- 1 large russet potato* chopped
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons (1oz) butter
- 1 tablespoon milk or cream
- 1 large egg yolk
Ground Beef Filling
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion diced (about 1/2 cup)
- 1 medium carrot diced
- 1 garlic clove pressed or minced
- 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon (8g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ketchup or tomato paste
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup frozen peas
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F and lightly grease a 7x5-inch baking dish. Set aside.
Start Your Potatoes
- Place chopped potatoes in a medium pot and cover with cold water. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bring potatoes to a simmer and cook until fork-tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain, cover, and set aside.
Make the Filling
- While your potatoes cook, in a medium skillet over medium heat, cook ground beef until well-browned, breaking up the meat as you go. Drain fat and transfer hamburger to a plate.
- Return the pan to the stove and heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and carrot and cook until the onions begin to soften and turn translucent around the edges, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and thyme and cook for 30 seconds.
- Stir in flour and ketchup/tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a simmer and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until thickened. Remove from heat and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in hamburger and peas. Transfer the mixture into your prepared baking dish, smooth into an even layer, and set aside.
Finish Potatoes
- Use a fork or potato masher to mash potatoes until smooth. Add butter and stir until butter is completely incorporated. Repeat with the milk/cream. Salt and pepper to taste. Finally, add the egg yolk and stir until well-combined. Spoon potatoes over your meat mixture and spread evenly over the top. If your dish is very full, place it on a baking sheet to catch any drips while it cooks.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the potatoes are lightly golden. Allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes before serving, and enjoy!
Notes
Recipe Adapted From The Best One-Dish Suppers
Marissa says
This looks fantastic! And I love that you’ve sized it down for two.
Tracy says
Thank you, Marissa!!
Lauren says
This looks good! I must try it!
Tracy says
Hope you enjoy it, Lauren!
mangafox says
This looks fantastic! And I love that you’ve sized it down for two.
Tracy says
Thanks!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
Your dad is one lucky guy! This looks so comforting Tracy! Love how you portioned it for two. Whenever I make I always have lots of leftovers, which is not a bad thing, but sometimes it’s good to not have any, ya know 😉 Would love to have this for dinner tonight!
Tracy says
Totally agreed. Thanks, Dawn!!
Cassie says
I’ve never had Shepard’s pie, since my mom hates it. (She has a bizarre hatred for mashed potatoes. I know, I don’t get it either!) But this recipe sounds good and I have everything in the house, so I suspect it’ll be dinner tomorrow. It will go great with the last of the vanilla cupcakes from your small batch vanilla cupcakes, which I made yesterday. (I am totally in love with that recipe and have made it 6 times now! I also used the small batch chocolate cupcake recipe to make a mini cake to go into the small portion of a specialty cake pan and it came out fantastic. Thanks!)
Tracy says
Hi, Cassie. I hope you enjoy the Shepherd’s Pie! And I’m so glad you like the cupcake recipes. I made the vanilla ones this weekend too, for the first time in a while, and I was like, why don’t I make these more often? They’re so good. LOL
Julie says
Hi Tracy
I have found at 62 having to care for my cripple Mom so having to make downsized dinners hadn’t been easy
Thanks for the shepherds pie recipe This worked so well and very tasty
Thanks again
MDO says
Absolutely terrible. Tomato paste does NOT work in this recipe. This is a recipe for sloppy joes with potatoes on top. Not in Shepherd’s pie. Now I have wasted the ingredients.
Tracy says
I’m so sorry to hear that you didn’t enjoy it! Tomato paste is a pretty common ingredient in Shepherd’s Pie, and there are only two teaspoons in this recipe. That should be just enough to add a bit of tang and depth of flavor to the dish, not enough to make it taste tomato-y. Is there any chance you ended up with more than 2 teaspoons in there?
Cynthia says
Sorry this didn’t work for you, but I made it last night and it was wonderful. I did double everything but the potatoes and will freeze the beef part so next time all I have to do is thaw, add the mashed potatoes, and put it in the oven to brown. Tomato paste wasn’t at all overwhelming.
Tracy says
Doubling and then freezing is such a good idea. So glad you enjoyed it, Cynthia!
darlene smith says
Dsmith
I love shepherds pie made with ground beef. Up here in Maine, we would never put catsup/tomato paste/ or spaghetti sauce in it. I have heard of it and it does not sound revolting but it would not be considered shepherds pie here. We have a tendency to use corn or mixed vegies. We sometimes add cheese. Shepherd pie is very common at community suppers.
Mary says
Tracy, I’m wondering if you could even put cheese before you put the potatoes? I’m going to make you recipe this week end. Can’t wait.
Tracy says
Hi, Mary. You could definitely do that. Lots of people also like to add cheese to the potatoes and then sprinkle more on top before baking.
Hope you enjoy it!
Jeane McPherson says
I have been trying new recipes lately, and this one is really really delicious! When the husband says to make sure to save this one, it is REALLY good! Thank you for this great recipe!
Tracy says
Thanks, Jeane! So glad you and the hubs enjoyed it!
Ashley says
This was amazing! My husband and I pretty much devoured all of it but I would really love to have at least a meal worth of left overs! To double the recipe does the cook time stay the same? And does *everything* in the recipe just get doubled? Thanks!
Tracy says
Hi, Ashley. So glad you and your husband enjoyed it! Yes, to double this recipe, just x2 everything and bake it in an 8×8-inch dish (9×9 would probably work too). If the potatoes still seem pale towards the end of the cooking time, you can leave it in the oven a little longer, but otherwise, no changes should be necessary.
Kaye D says
Asked yesterday and the query never showed up 🙁 Anyhow, I was wondering if you could use beef instead of chicken broth??
Thanks!!
Tracy says
Hi, Kaye, you can absolutely use beef broth. Hope you enjoy it!
Barb says
Can I make this using a packaged gravy mix?
Tracy says
You probably could, but without further recipe testing, I couldn’t say what ratios to use. Sorry!
Pam says
Can’t wait to do this with ground VENISON.
Tracy says
Oooo. That sounds good. Let me know how it turns out!
Amy Brown says
Perfect meal! A++++ My 8 year old daughter, who is a very picky eater, consumed it all and bragged how much she loved it while my husband ate 3 helpings!
Tracy says
Yay! I’m so glad this met your family’s approval. Thanks for taking the time to let me know!!
Cynthia says
I love Shepherd’s Pie and I’m so glad you scaled it for two as it’s just me. I also add cheese to the potatoes. Can’t wait to try it.
Tracy says
Hope you enjoy it, Cynthia!!
Elaine says
This was perfect for two. I made it as written except I microwaved the potatoes instead of boiling them. They were a tad more dry that I would have liked, but otherwise it was delicious.I will definitely make this again.
Tracy says
So glad you enjoyed it, Elaine! I run into the same problem when I make mashed potatoes in the microwave, and I have no idea why. I always have to add extra milk/cream or butter to them to make up for it.
Patti says
Delicious! Made as written for my husband and me. He said I can make it again, so that means he really liked it! Thank you for sharing!
Regina Harry says
It look yummy. I will be trying soon. Thanks for this recipe.
Tracy says
Hope you enjoy it!
Angela Mair says
I made this, it was easy and DELICIOUS! I used 2 teaspoons of ketchup instead of tomato paste just like the recipe says you can. That is what I had on hand. It turned out perfect. Yummy! Thank you so much for this great recipe for two.
Tracy says
Thank you, Angela!! So glad you enjoyed it!
Betty Larrison says
I made this and it was really good thanks for the recipe I only added the ketchup and sauce starts with the w and season my meat
Sherry says
Delish! Perfect for a single senior citizen!
The only things I changed up was beef broth and corn instead of peas.
Thank you
Tracy says
So glad you enjoyed it, Sherry!!