Shepherd’s Pie is one of my favorite meals to make during the cold winter months. This recipe has an easy ground lamb filling topped with buttery Parmesan mashed potatoes.
I already have a couple of Shepherd’s Pie recipes published. One with pumpkin which is completely non-traditional. And a Skillet Shepherd’s Pie, which I’ve always wanted to revisit. That second recipe is tasty for sure, but not quite up to my current culinary standards. I’d never made one with ground lamb, which seems more easy to find at my grocery these days. I used some help from Gordon Ramsey’s recipe. But I made things easier by using dried herbs. And the wine. I know red is supposed to go with red meat. But to me, red wine really overpowers flavor when cooking. And I wanted the lamb, vegetables and all the seasonings in the filling to really shine through. So, I use white wine in my recipe. To me it makes way more sense. This hearty casserole is absolutely delicious!
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What you need to make this Shepherd’s Pie
- Ground Lamb (you can substitute with Ground Beef)
- Butter
- Flour
- White Wine
- Crushed Tomatoes
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Herbs de Provence
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Flakes
- Frozen Peas and Carrots
- Russet Potatoes
- Half and Half
- Parmesan Cheese
- Dried Parsley
- Salt and Pepper
Where did Shepherd’s Pie Originate?
I found a really detailed and interesting explanation for the origin of Shepherd’s Pie at Chowhound. To summarize, both England and Ireland can take some credit for its origin. The most basic definition of Shepherd’s Pie is a meat and gravy filling (Great Britain) topped with a potato crust (Ireland). Before Shepherd’s Pie there was Cottage Pie too, which is very similar. But over time, the distinction between the two has to do with the choice of meat. A Shepherd’s Pie is made with lamb. If you decide to make this recipe with beef, then you are technically making a Cottage Pie. And now you know…
Make it a Complete Meal
Kitchen Tips
- I like to cook with a Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc
- Cook the filling in a large, nonstick sauté pan
- Bake the pie in a ceramic baking dish
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Shepherd's Pie
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground lamb
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 cup white wine
- 15 oz crushed tomatoes
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp onion flakes
- 2 tsp Herbs de Provence
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 10 oz frozen peas and carrots
- 6 large russet potatoes
- 12 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp dried parsley
- salt to taste
Instructions
- In a large non-stick sauté pan, cook the ground lamb until no longer pink.
- Drain the fat from the lamb and set aside in a clean bowl.
- In the same pan, melt two tablespoons butter. Whisk in the flour and allow to cook for a couple of minutes, until starting to brown.
- Whisk in the wine and allow to simmer for about a minute.
- Stir in the crushed tomatoes and seasonings - Worcestershire sauce, onion flakes, Herbs de Provence, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer.
- Stir in the peas and carrots and cooked ground lamb. Allow to simmer for a few minutes. Then transfer the lamb filling to a 9x13 casserole dish.
- While you are making the filling, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Peel the potatoes and cut into 1 1/2 inch size pieces. Cover the potatoes with cold water.
- Bring the potatoes to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer. Cook the potatoes until fork tender.
- Drain the potatoes and return them to the cooking pot.
- Add in the 12 tablespoons of butter and half and half. Mash the potatoes until smooth.
- Stir in the parsley and Parmesan cheese until well combined. Season with salt.
- Top the lamb filling with the mashed potato mixture.
- Dot the top of the Shepherd's Pie with a little more butter. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the potato crust is starting to brown and the filling is bubbling.
Gail Montero says
Certainly one of my favorite comfort food! What a delicious meal this makes and for sure something my family will enjoy!
foodtasticmom says
Thanks Gail.
cyndy says
I had to swap the lamb for beef because my grocery didn’t have lamb. This was just so delicious. Honestly it’s the perfect shepherds pie! We will be eating the left overs this weekend. I love the white wine with it, instead of red wine, as well.
foodtasticmom says
I’m glad you liked it with beef. Thank you for the feedback!
Tara says
I can see why this is one of your favorites during the winter. Such a comforting meal! The ground lamb sounds so good paired with the vegetables and the parmesan mashed potatoes.
foodtasticmom says
It’s classic cold weather comfort food.
Sara Welch says
Gave this a try for dinner last night and it did not disappoint! Classic comfort food at its finest; so delicious!
foodtasticmom says
Thank you Sara!
marion says
In all the recipes all over the internet, why are so many people asking “ what is the difference between Shepherds Pie and Cottage Pie,, well my German origins from way back always made Shepherds Pie with “ground ready Roasted Lamb”. no vegies in it, but Cottage Pie used mince meat, to be cooked, with vegies from thr “cottage” garden added,,
foodtasticmom says
Thanks for the information!