Ground Beef Shepherd’s Pie is loaded with rich gravy, tender veggies, and a fluffy mashed potato topping for the best comfort food.
author’s note
Ground Beef Shepherd’s Pie = The Ultimate Comfort Food!
Growing up, Sundays meant pot roast with mashed potatoes, and on Mondays my mom always turned the leftovers into shepherd’s pie. Back then I didn’t think much of it, but now I find myself craving it. The mix of savory beef, veggies, and creamy potatoes instantly takes me back to those dinners around the table.
That’s what inspired me to create my own Ground Beef Shepherd’s Pie. It has the same comfort I grew up with, with a few tweaks like a splash of grape juice in the gravy and extra-creamy potatoes that make it my family’s new favorite.
Ingredients In Shepherd’s Pie
| Ingredient | Swaps or Tips |
|---|---|
| Ground Chuck Round | Ground lamb for traditional, or ground turkey/chicken for lighter. |
| Mirepoix (onion, carrot, celery) | Add mushrooms for earthy flavor or bell peppers for sweetness. |
| Flour | Use cornstarch slurry if gluten-free. |
| Fire-Roasted Diced Tomatoes & Paste | Regular diced tomatoes work fine, but roasted adds richness. |
| Beef Stock + Worcestershire + Grape Juice | Swap grape juice for red wine for a more traditional flavor. |
| Potatoes (Yukon Gold + Russet mix) | All Yukon for creamier or all Russet for fluffier. |
| Heavy Cream & Butter | Use half-and-half or milk if needed. |
How To Make Ground Beef Shepherd’s Pie
- Sauté garlic, onion, carrots, and celery.
- Brown ground chuck and add flour.
- Combine with peas, tomatoes, stock, grape juice, seasonings, and simmer.
- Boil and mash potatoes with cream and butter.
- Layer meat mixture topped with mashed potatoes.
- Bake until golden and bubbly. Garnish with herbs if desired. Serve hot.
Variations
Craving a meatless twist? Try my Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie. Want extra comfort? Go for the Shepherd’s Pie Soup!
Storage
- Make Ahead: Prepare your shepherd’s pie all together and refrigerate before baking.
- Refrigerating: Store cooked pie covered for 3-5 days.
- Freezing: Freeze tightly covered for up to 2 months; bake frozen pie at 350°F for 1 hour before serving.
Serve Ground Beef Shepherd’s Pie With:
Salads
Italian Salad Recipe
Appetizers
Life-Changing No-Knead Dinner Rolls
Side Dishes
Roasted Vegetables
Fruit Salads
Fall Fruit Salad
Shepherd’s Pie
Shepherd’s Pie is the ultimate comfort—savory ground beef and veggies in rich gravy, topped with creamy mashed potatoes. Cozy and delicious!
Video
Equipment
- Oven-safe pan
- Ricer for potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 cups mirepoix mix of carrots, onion, and celery, finely chopped (1 small yellow onion, 1 celery stalk, and 1 carrot to get 2 cups)
- 1.2 pounds ground beef chuck
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/2 cup frozen sweet peas or frozen corn
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes undrained
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1-3/4 cups reduced-sodium beef stock can use reduced-sodium beef broth
- 1/2 cup 100% grape juice see note 1
- 1 beef bouillon cube
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 3 bay leaves divided
Instructions
- Heat 1 and 1/2 tablespoons olive oil in a large, oven-safe pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and finely chopped onion, stirring frequently, for about 1 minute. Add finely chopped carrots and celery, cooking another 2–3 minutes until veggies are softened.
- Heat pan to high and add beef. Cook until browned, breaking it apart. Drain any excess grease. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute to remove raw flour taste. Reduce heat to medium-high and add the frozen peas or corn, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, beef stock, grape juice, beef bouillon cube, Worcestershire sauce, dried thyme, and bay leaves.
- Bring mixture to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium and let it rapidly simmer. Cook for 25–35 minutes at medium heat, stirring every 5 minutes until gravy thickens. Remove from heat, cover, and refrigerate until ready to bake. If making immediately, refrigerate until potatoes are ready. To maintain separate layers while baking, chill the mixture for at least 15–20 minutes. If you didn’t prepare in an oven-safe pan, transfer to a 2-quart oven-safe dish.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Peel and cube potatoes into golf-ball sized pieces. Rinse them under cold water in a strainer until water runs clear. Transfer to a large pot, cover with cold water, add 1 tablespoon fine sea salt and 1 bay leaf, then bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until potatoes are fork-tender, about 15–20 minutes. Drain potatoes in a strainer, ensuring all excess moisture is removed. Let dry for about 3 minutes and discard bay leaf.
- As potatoes dry in strainer, melt heavy cream, sour cream, and butter in the pot on low heat, stirring to combine. While potatoes are still hot, put them through a ricer and add on top of butter/sour cream mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper (about 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper). Cover and refrigerate until ready to assemble the pie, or use immediately to top the pie evenly.
- Use a fork to add marks into the surface of potatoes. Drizzle with remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25–30 minutes, or until potatoes are golden brown and edges are bubbling. For crispy tops, broil on high for 1–2 minutes. Remove from heat and garnish with fresh thyme or parsley as desired. Serve hot.
Final step! Please let us know how it was by leaving a review.
Recipe Notes
Note 1: Traditional Shepherd’s Pie typically includes red wine in the gravy. To do so, substitute 1/2 cup of medium-bodied red wine (like pinot noir) for an equal amount of vegetable broth.
Storage: Store cooked pie covered in the fridge for 3–5 days. You can freeze it tightly covered for up to 2 months; bake frozen pie at 350°F for 1 hour before serving.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 697kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 49.2g | Fat: 37.5g | Cholesterol: 192.9mg | Sodium: 623.1mg | Fiber: 4.9g | Sugar: 13.5g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Reader’s Notes & Tips
Tips & Variations from Chelsea’s Messy Apron’s Community
- Use Better Than Bouillon instead of bouillon cubes for richer flavor and convenience.
- Add a splash of vinegar (about a teaspoon or tablespoon) to brighten up the dish.
- Quick veggie prep tip: A reader from Pinterest shared that they pulse the veggies in a food processor to get them finely chopped fast without all the knife work.
*I originally shared this recipe September 26, 2020. Updated the post, not the recipe, on September 23, 2025.
It was DELICIOUS!! Everyone loved it, thank you.
So happy to hear this! Thanks Michelle! 🙂
oh my goodness Chelsea,, you got SO close to traditional Shepherds Pie in your description!!! you say “ground” beef/lamb as so many top cooks do,, but they dont explain it is ground ‘cooked’ meat, not mince meat from butcher, that has to be fried !?!? you did say ——-can be made with left over roast, but how ?? people wld be asking !!
… so in the 1940’s My German Grandma wld use left over Sunday Roast Lamb pieces put through her mincer that was screwed to her kitchen table,, I helped her turn the handle,, and then she mixed good old tomato sauce through it, with a dash of Worcestershire sauce, and top it with mash potato, flip little peaks with her spoon to make it look so nice when browned in her wood stove,,
Now if your pie has mince meat from butcher, that would be a completely different taste and especially that yummy texture,, and if it has vegies in it,, from the cottage garden,, then that is a Cottage Pie,, a Shepherds Pie is served with boiled vegies beside it,, we loved it ,,, people in those days were poor, they had Shepherds to mind their sheep, food was scarce, but they did have their own lamb,
Marion.
This recipe is delicious, but does take more time to prepare than you say. I would double the 1 hour to 2 hours. But sooo good!
I’m so happy you enjoyed! Thanks Kim! 🙂
I have not made your recipe yet, but it sounds like one I ate at an Irish Pub last week. I usually make mine with half ground beef & half ground lamb. The one at the pub was delicious and had no cheese before the mashed potatoes. I will definitely try yours it sounds perfect for a fall or winter day.
Shepherd’s Pie = Lamb
Cottage Pie = Beef
I know, thank you! This is my reasoning for the name: (From the blog post) “First of all, this meal is not technically a true “Shepherd’s Pie”! A true shepherd’s pie originates from England and is traditionally made with ground lamb. However, since in the states, ground beef is eaten more than lamb, this meal is usually referred to as a shepherd’s pie. (In England and other parts of the world, they’d call this ground beef version a “cottage pie” and the lamb version “shepherd’s pie.”)
This the best Shepherds pie ever.
The prep is a bit longer and some ingredients are not in your grandma’s,
but well worth it .
Tip: Don’t skip any ingredients.
Yay! So happy to hear! Thanks so much Hal! 🙂
Hiii can I substitute fresh herbs for dry and if so how much?
is the grape juice a supplement for red wine? I’d rather just use red wine.
You can definitely use red wine instead. We like the sweetness the grape juice adds; counteracts the tomatoes really nicely!
Just made this recipe and have not even eaten it yet because the prep and cook times were not even close to accurate. I’m not a rookie in the kitchen but this took a lot of prep. Please let your followers know this. Will let you know how it tasted. Still in the oven. Took over 2 hours to prep and cook.
Hey Riki, thanks so much for letting me know! I hope you loved this Shepherd’s Pie and I’m very sorry the prep time wasn’t accurate for you!
Just wanted to let you know the shepherd’s pie was delicious.
Thanks so much Riki 🙂
We love this recipe! I’ve cooked it several times for my family. The kids love it and my husband raves about it. Thank you for making it easy 🙌🏻
I’m so happy you guys love this Shepherd’s pie! Thanks so much for your comment Danielle! 🙂