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Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

This Shepherd’s Pie recipe is so hearty. It’s the perfect comfort meal or to serve on St. Patrick’s Day. Plus, it has BACON.

Make this the best holiday with help from all of our St. Patrick’s Day posts.

This Shepherd's Pie recipe is so hearty. It's the perfect comfort meal. Plus, it has BACON. Get the recipe at www.drugstoredivas.net.

I don’t eat corned beef and cabbage. It was never my thing. So every year while I was growing up, my mom would cook corned beef and cabbage for the adults for St. Patrick’s Day and the kids would have macaroni and cheese. I don’t know why she didn’t make a Shepherd’s Pie recipe because kids like potatoes.

I thought about making the macaroni and cheese part a tradition for me and Pete, but his taste buds are a little more refined than that.

So, Shepherd’s Pie for St. Pat’s it is.

It’s a delicious recipe. Many of the ones I’ve had in the past are so bland, so I make sure to really boost mine with flavors. That’s the biggest tip I can give you.

My second, and maybe more important tip, is that Shepherd’s Pie takes a long time to make. Between the chopping and cooking of the bottom layer, that’s almost an hour. And then it has to cool in the fridge for at least an hour or you risk the mashed potatoes just melting into the bottom.

And finally, you have to make the mashed potatoes. I mean, you’re not gonna put instant potatoes on this dinner you worked so hard on.

Keep all this in mind and you’ll be set.

Fried fish with mushy peas and tarter sauce on a plate with the words "Tasty Irish And Green Food For St. Patrick's Day" digitally written above it.

If you want to be a festive for St. Patrick’s Day, our list of Tasty Irish & Green Food For St. Patrick’s Day is for you. There are authentic Irish recipes and non-authentic, but fun to eat, green recipes.

Shepherd’s Pie

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Shepherd’s Pie Ingredients:

For the base:

For the potatoes:

How To Make Shepherd’s Pie:

Pre-heat your oven to 375.

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Cook your bacon in a skillet. Set it aside when it’s done, but leave the grease.

This Shepherd's Pie recipe is so hearty. It's the perfect comfort meal. Plus, it has BACON. Get the recipe at www.drugstoredivas.net.

Add the chopped onion to the bacon grease. Cook about five minutes.

Add the diced carrots to the pan. Cook about ten minutes until the onions are translucent and the carrots start to soften.

This Shepherd's Pie recipe is so hearty. It's the perfect comfort meal. Plus, it has BACON. Get the recipe at www.drugstoredivas.net.

Add the chopped garlic and cook another two minutes.

This Shepherd's Pie recipe is so hearty. It's the perfect comfort meal. Plus, it has BACON. Get the recipe at www.drugstoredivas.net.

Add the meat. Cook until the meat is brown.

This Shepherd's Pie recipe is so hearty. It's the perfect comfort meal. Plus, it has BACON. Get the recipe at www.drugstoredivas.net.

Add the herbs and stir.

If you wait until the meat is cooked through, you can actually taste it to see if you need any more seasoning before moving forward.

This Shepherd's Pie recipe is so hearty. It's the perfect comfort meal. Plus, it has BACON. Get the recipe at www.drugstoredivas.net.

Add the beef broth and tomato paste. Simmer about eight minutes.

This Shepherd's Pie recipe is so hearty. It's the perfect comfort meal. Plus, it has BACON. Get the recipe at www.drugstoredivas.net.

Add the peas. Cook another two minutes.

This Shepherd's Pie recipe is so hearty. It's the perfect comfort meal. Plus, it has BACON. Get the recipe at www.drugstoredivas.net.

Pour the entire mixture into a casserole pan. Crumbled the bacon on top, then put the entire casserole pan in the fridge for an hour.

Now it’s time to make the mashed potatoes.

This Shepherd's Pie recipe is so hearty. It's the perfect comfort meal. Plus, it has BACON. Get the recipe at www.drugstoredivas.net.

Boil enough water to cover the potatoes. While that is boiling, peel and chop your potatoes. Boil them until they’re fork tender.

Beat the potatoes with butter and salt. Don’t add milk or sour cream (even if you usually do to your mashed potatoes) because it will make them super runny on your base.

And don’t forget the salt, thinking there’s enough seasoning in the base.

There’s not.

This Shepherd's Pie recipe is so hearty. It's the perfect comfort meal. Plus, it has BACON. Get the recipe at www.drugstoredivas.net.

Spread the potatoes over the top of the base. You can make a pretty pattern on the top if you want to just leave it plain. Either way tastes good.

This Shepherd's Pie recipe is so hearty. It's the perfect comfort meal. Plus, it has BACON. Get the recipe at www.drugstoredivas.net.

Bake in the oven 30 minutes. Then, broil on high for about 2 minutes to crisp up the top.

This Shepherd's Pie recipe is so hearty. It's the perfect comfort meal. Plus, it has BACON. Get the recipe at www.drugstoredivas.net.

Let it sit for a few minutes so the juices that bubbled over will settle down and you’ll have a prettier presentation. If you’re just making this for your dinner and serving it into bowls anyway, don’t worry about letting it settle.

Shepherd’s Pie: Frequently Asked Questions

Does Shepherd’s Pie have cheese on top?

My favorite Shepherd’s Pie, from The Harp in Wilmington, NC, adds Irish cheddar cheese on top with its potatoes.

I don’t make it that way, so this recipe doesn’t call for it, although I should try it with cheese in the potatoes since my fave Shepherd’s Pie is made that way.

How do you store leftovers?

If you have room in your refrigerator, you can just put the glass top on the casserole pan and store it in the fridge that way, for up to two days.

If you don’t have room for the casserole pan, you can scoop the Shepherd’s Pie into an air tight container and store it in the fridge for half a week.

How do you reheat Shepherd’s Pie?

Shepherd’s Pie reheats really well in the microwave the next day. And it actually tastes even better the second day.

So, if you have time, you might want to make the base and let it sit overnight in the fridge. I haven’t tried it this way, but I can imagine it’s delicious.

Can I freeze Shepherd’s Pie?

If you have the space in your freezer, you can definitely make Shepherd’s Pie ahead of time and freeze it for up to one month.

Just make sure to freeze it in a freezer-safe container near the front or middle of the freezer. You don’t want it to get freezer burn in the back of the freezer for that long.
You can cook a frozen Shepherd’s Pie without defrosting it, but cooking times will vary.

Traditional Irish Soda Bread is the perfect side for corned beef and cabbage or Shepherd's Pie. Get the recipe on www.drugstoredivas.net.

What’s a good side dish for Shepherd’s Pie?

Shepherd’s Pie is a full meal by itself. It has meat, vegetables, and a starch.

If you did want to serve it with something traditional, go with Irish Soda Bread or Irish Potato Bread. Or, you could add more vegetables to your meal and make the authentically Irish side dish of Pureed Carrots And Parsnips.

If you’d rather go easy, you can serve it with a simple side salad.

What is the difference between Cottage Pie and Shepherd’s Pie?

The main difference between Cottage Pie and Shepherd’s Pie is the meat. Cottage Pie is when you use beef and Shepherd’s Pie is when you use lamb. The rest of the recipe is the same.

This recipe states that you can use either meat in it. If you go with beef over lamb or vice verse, you can still follow the same recipe above.

Ground beef is more common in the United States, so most home cooks will use ground beef but still call the recipe Shepherd’s Pie when serving it (because, honestly, most people don’t know Cottage Pie is a thing).

If you do travel to Ireland, though, be sure to keep the different names in mind when you’re ordering so you don’t end up with a surprise.

Yield: 1 Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's Pie

This Shepherd's Pie recipe is so hearty. It's the perfect comfort meal. Plus, it has BACON. Get the recipe at www.drugstoredivas.net.

This Shepherd's Pie recipe is so hearty. It's the perfect comfort meal. Plus, it has bacon.

Cook Time 1 hour
Additional Time 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours

Ingredients

For The Base

  • 3 slices bacon
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 1 1/2 pounds ground beef or lamb
  • 10 cloves of garlic
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1.5 teaspoons fresh dried rosemary
  • 2 teaspoons fresh dried parsley
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 can peas, drained

For The Potatoes

  • 6 medium potatoes
  • 6 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons salt

Instructions

    1. Pre-heat your oven to 375.
    2. Cook your bacon in a skillet.
    3. Add the chopped onion to the bacon grease. Cook about five minutes.
    4. Add the diced carrots to the pan. Cook about ten minutes.
    5. Add the chopped garlic and cook another two minutes.
    6. Add the meat. Cook until the meat is brown. Add the herbs and stir.
    7. Add the beef broth and tomato paste. Simmer about eight minutes.
    8. Add the peas. Cook another two minutes.
    9. Pour the entire mixture into a casserole pan. Crumbled the bacon on top, then put the entire casserole pan in the fridge for an hour.
    10. Boil enough water to cover the potatoes. While that is boiling, peel and chop your potatoes. Boil them until they’re fork tender. Beat the potatoes with butter and salt. Spread the potatoes over the top of the base.
    11. Bake in the oven 30 minutes. Then, broil on high for about 2 minutes to crisp up the top.

Nutrition Information

Yield

6

Serving Size

1

Amount Per Serving Calories 692Total Fat 37gSaturated Fat 17gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 16gCholesterol 151mgSodium 4720mgCarbohydrates 47gFiber 8gSugar 5gProtein 43g

Have you made this Shepherd’s Pie? Let us know in the comments.

Monidipa Dutta

Thursday 4th of April 2019

The recipe sounds really great and truly it is worth a try.

BRIE

Wednesday 3rd of April 2019

Wow, what a great recipe. I'll be sure to add it to my recipe list and give it a try one of these days. Thanks for sharing

Terri Beavers

Wednesday 3rd of April 2019

This really does sound like a recipe I will not only try but that we'd absolutely love. I've never had Shephard's pie with anything but chicken and turkey so it's going to be a nice change from the way I usually make it.

Brittany Charnley

Wednesday 3rd of April 2019

Yum! I love sherpard pie! Look at all of those veggies you got in there. Alright!!!

Shubh

Wednesday 3rd of April 2019

Each step photos look delicious. This seems like at every step healthy ingredients are added. Veg cum Non-veg perfect combinations.

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