There are few dishes as comforting as a good old-fashioned shepherd’s pie. This easy peasy version is quick and simple to make, but packed full of flavour!
An old-school classic
Shepherd’s pie is an old-school classic for good reason… for who can resist its wodges of buttery mashed potato, delicious lamb mince base and lashings of flavourful lamb gravy?
This easy peasy version is very quick and simple to make, but packed full of flavour… it is basically culinary equivalent of a great big hug!
Of course, there are many ways you can dress up a shepherd’s pie and make it ‘fancy’, but this easy peasy old-fashioned version keeps things simple and classic.
How to make a classic Shepherd’s Pie
This Classic Shepherd’s Pie is so easy to make…
All you need to do is fry up some onions, carrots and lamb mince. Then, make a simple gravy out of a lamb (or beef) stock cube, flour and water. Tip the gravy into the lamb mix, then transfer into an oven dish, top with buttery mashed potatoes and bake!
(Full recipe given in the recipe card below.)
Shepherd’s Pie vs Cottage Pie – what’s the difference?
Shepherd’s Pie and Cottage Pie are often used interchangeably, but technically there is a difference…
Shepherd’s pie (as the name suggests) contains lamb – either lamb mince or roast lamb leftovers.
Cottage Pie, on the other hand, is made with beef (usually beef mince).
If you prefer, you can absolutely turn this Easy Peasy Shepherd’s Pie into an Easy Peasy Cottage Pie – simply by using beef mince instead of lamb mince!
(See below for more ways to adapt this simple shepherd’s pie.)
Make it your own!
I’ve kept this Easy Peasy Shepherd’s Pie super simple – just lamb mince, onions, carrots and gravy. But there are many things you can add to adapt this classic dish and make it your own. You could try:
- Adding tomato puree to the gravy
- Adding a dash of Worcestershire sauce, red wine or soy sauce to the gravy
- Using a tin of chopped tomatoes instead of the water
- Using beef mince, pork mince or turkey mince instead of the lamb mince
- Adding dried mixed herbs to the lamb mince base
- Adding fried mushrooms and/or leeks to the lamb mince base
- Using peas and/or sweetcorn in the lamb mince base
- Adding a tin of lentils or beans to the lamb mince base
- Adding a teaspoon of curry powder to the lamb mince base
- Putting grated cheddar cheese in/on top of the mashed potatoes
- Swapping out some of the potatoes for cauliflower or celeriac to ‘lighten’ the mash
- Using sweet potato instead of regular potatoes for the mash
I’d love to hear about any adaptations you make to this recipe! Let me know in the comments below 😀
What to serve with Shepherd’s Pie
Personally, I love to serve Shepherd’s Pie with a side of peas and sweetcorn. (Alternatively, you can put the peas and sweetcorn actually IN the pie, but I find they tend to get a bit overcooked that way.)
But, of course, you could serve this Easy Shepherd’s Pie with any vegetables you like! Cabbage, greens, broccoli and green beans are all great options.
What to drink with Shepherd’s Pie
Shepherd’s Pie is a very wine-friendly dish and works well with a variety of red wines, such as red Bordeaux, Chilean Merlot, Côtes du Rhône or South African Shiraz.
What to do with leftover Shepherd’s Pie
Shepherd’s Pie makes great leftovers. Simply place any leftovers in a lidded container and pop into the fridge, where they will keep for up to 3 days.
Reheat in an oven set to 180C (160C fan / gas mark 4 / 350F) for 10-15 minutes, or until piping hot all the way through. Alternatively, reheat in the microwave until piping hot all the way through.
Can you freeze Shepherd’s Pie?
Yes, you can. Though I have to confess, personally I’m not very keen on freezing potatoes – to me it negatively affects the flavour of the potatoes – though I seem to be in a very small minority of people who can taste this! So if freezing potatoes doesn’t bother you, then Shepherd’s Pie freezes very well.
Simply place the Shepherd’s Pie in a lidded container and pop it into the freezer, where it will keep for up to 1 month.
Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat as above.
If you like this recipe…
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Easy Peasy Shepherd’s Pie
Ingredients
- 1 kg potatoes peeled and chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 2 carrots peeled, halved lengthways and chopped into 1cm chunks
- 500 g lamb mince
- 1 beef or lamb stock cube (I use Kallo organic beef stock cubes, but Oxo stock cubes also work well too!)
- 2 tablespoons plain flour
- 500 ml boiling water
- Salt and pepper to taste
- A small knob of butter
- A splash of milk
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 220C / 200C fan / gas mark 7 / 425F.
- Put the chopped potatoes into a saucepan. Pour over enough boiling water to cover well and bring back to the boil. Turn down and simmer for 15 minutes or until soft.
- Meanwhile, put the olive oil, diced onion and chopped carrots into a large frying pan. Fry gently for about 5 minutes until softened but not brown.
- Turn up the heat and add the lamb mince. Break the mince up with a spatula and continue to fry for a further 5 minutes, or until the lamb mince is nicely browned all over.
- Meanwhile, make a simple gravy by crumbling the stock cube into a jug and adding the plain flour. Mix to a smooth paste using a small amount of cold water and then add 500ml boiling water to the jug, stirring constantly.
- Pour the gravy into the pan and stir. Add a few twists of black pepper and simmer on a low heat for about 5 minutes.
- When the potatoes are ready, drain and mash them with the butter and milk, plus a few twists of salt and pepper.
- Pour the lamb mixture into the bottom of an oven dish and top with the buttery mash. Use a fork to spread the mash evenly over the lamb mixture.
- Cook for 20 minutes in your preheated oven until nicely browned on top. Serve with peas and sweetcorn… or whatever veg you like!
Notes
- Suitable for freezing.
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
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Angela in Canada says
How wonderful to find a recipe for SHEPHERD’S Pie using lamb. So many recipes, predominately N. American ones, use ground beef – who ever heard of a Shepherd tending cows? I cannot wait for Spring Lamb to be available to try this easy please recipe. More later…..
Eb Gargano says
Haha, yes! Last time I checked shepherds tended sheep 😂 Great to hear you are looking forward to making this recipe!