Ground Beef Shepherd’s Pie

More vegetables, more flavor.

You’ll love this easy ground beef shepherd’s pie recipe, guaranteed to be a major success. With beefy, rich texture layered with mushrooms and a creamy mashed potato topping. Get this recipe, and get cooking!

Meet This Ground Beef Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

In the rankings of delicious comfort food, this hearty mushroom-filled shepherd’s pie with ground beef recipe is at the top of the list. First, there’s the generous mashed potato topping, made crusty brown on top in the broiler for maximum flavor and appeal. Then, there is the interior: a warm, stew-like filling of ground beef, onion, and vegetables.

Most shepherd’s pies are very beef heavy, with vegetables a secondary component. But this recipe keeps every bit of the hearty, satisfying charm while upping the vegetables, with the help of earthy, meaty mushrooms and carrots. Ground beef adds simplicity, so you don’t have to chop your own meat.

And for another satisfying ground beef recipe, check out Hatch Green Chile Cheeseburgers. For the best shepherd’s pie, top it with our classic, ever-so-slightly fancy mashed potatoes.

Can You Make Shepherd’s Pie With Ground Beef?

Technically, shepherd’s pie is made with lamb, and is Scottish Irish in origin. A beef-based pie is called a cottage pie, with British origin; the Irish ate more lamb than the beef-loving Brits.

Strictly speaking, this is more accurately called a mushroom and beef cottage pie. But the distinctions have blurred over time, with shepherd’s pie being the most common name for both, especially in the States, so I call this beefy casserole shepherd’s pie — albeit incorrectly.

Adapting This Recipe

This ground beef shepherd’s pie recipe uses a very well-known Cook’s Illustrated recipe as its starting point. I love how they rake the mashed potatoes with a fork and throw the entire skillet under a broiler to give the potatoes a fabulous brown crust.

That said, Cook’s Illustrated recipes — while doubtless technically close to perfect — can have a way of being a little fussy. I wondered if I could test my way to a better version for me, one that was streamlined, with simplified ingredients. And I did.

By subbing a glug of red wine for Madeira (granted, the 19th century Irish peasants who developed this recipe used neither), adjusting some flavors, and simplifying the ingredients, I came up with a recipe that everyone raves about.

Ground beef shepherd’s pie recipe steps

This recipe is easy, and can be summarized mainly as combination of mashed potatoes and ground beef, assembled and baked in a baking dish or ovenproof skillet.

1. First, get the potatoes boiling then make the mashed potatoes.
2. While the potatoes are boiling, cook the vegetables and herbs in a large, ovenproof skillet.
3. Add the Worcestershire sauce, red wine, chicken or beef broth, and ground beef. Stir, and cook at a simmer for about 10 minutes.
4. Add the cornstarch to thicken the liquid into a stewy gravy and taste for seasoning. Remove from heat.
5. Top with mashed potatoes. Rake with a fork, and broil until golden brown on top.

Recipe Tips, Substitutions, and Notes

• Keep a close eye when you broil the pie to finish. The mashed potatoes will brown fairly quickly, probably in about 10 minutes, tops. This does not need to bake beyond the final broil because the mashed potatoes and veggies and meat mixture are already cooked and hot.
• If you really want to simplify, use gold potatoes instead of russets. Gold potatoes have a thin, delicious skin that can be eaten. Russet potatoes have to be peeled for mashed potatoes.
• If you want to beef up your pie (literally), use 1 1/2 pounds of ground beef, and only four ounces of mushrooms
• Make sure your ground beef is very lean. I use 93% lean. Otherwise, the shepherd’s pie will be greasy.
• If you do not want to use ground beef, you can substitute ground bison, venison, or ground lamb.
• I put the skillet directly in the oven, but you can also transfer the veggie and meat mixture to a casserole dish or baking dish before broiling.

Did you make this shepherd’s pie recipe with beef and mushrooms? You’ll also like:

• Great Recipes for St. Patrick’s Day
• Herby Potato Salad
• Easy Ground Venison Stew
• Traditional Irish Colcannon

Ground Beef Shepherd’s Pie

Author: Lisa Ruland

Hearty, cozy, and meaty, this recipe for shepherd's pie made with ground beef and mushrooms is also full of vegetables for an all-around perfect dinner. Plus: Learn the secret for a perfect potato crust.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Servings: 4 to 6 people

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Ingredients

• ▢ 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes
• ▢ 4 tablespoons butter
• ▢ 1/3 cup milk
• ▢ 1 bunch scallions, green and light green parts only, sliced thin
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil
• ▢ 1 Yellow onion, chopped
• ▢ 3 Carrots, peeled and large diced
• ▢ 4 ounces white mushrooms, trimmed and chopped
• ▢ 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• ▢ 2 Garlic cloves, minced
• ▢ 1/4 cup red wine (optional)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ 3 cups unsalted chicken broth or beef stock
• ▢ 1 pound 93% lean ground beef
• ▢ 2 sprigs thyme
• ▢ 2 Bay leaves
• ▢ 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• ▢ Kosher salt
• ▢ Fresh-ground pepper

Instructions

• For the Mashed Potato Topping
• Put a large pot of well-salted water on to boil. Cook the potatoes at a nice simmer until fork tender. Drain. Return to the pot and allow any excess water to evaporate. Add the butter, milk, 1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt, and a few turns of black pepper. Mash the potatoes until soft. Stir in the sliced scallions. Taste for seasoning; you may want a little more salt. Set aside.
• For the Ground Beef Filling and to Finish
• While the potatoes are boiling, heat a large, oven-proof skillet with the oil over medium- to medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the carrots, onion, thyme, bay leaves, mushrooms, garlic, and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until softened and lightly brown. Add the tomato paste and stir until coated.
• Deglaze the skillet with the Worcestershire and red wine, scraping up any browned bits that may have stuck to the skillet. Add the stock. Bring to a simmer and add the ground beef in tablespoon-sized chunks. Let simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir a couple times as the meat cooks to turn the meat and break the beef chunks up a bit.

  TIP: This may be a good time to see if the potatoes are done.
• Use a fork and a small bowl to whisk the cornstarch with a tablespoon of water to make a slurry. Make a well in the beef and vegetable mix. Add the cornstarch slurry and continue to simmer for another minute or two, stirring. The mixture should become thick and stewy, more gravy than soup. If it seems liquid-y, continue to cook for another minute or two.
• Turn off the heat. Remove the bay leaves and thyme stems.
• Preheat the broiler and set the rack to the upper third. Spoon the mashed potatoes into a gallon bag. Snip one corner and twist the top opening shut. This is your piping bag. Pipe the potatoes evenly over the potatoes. Smooth with a spatula, then use a fork to rake the top of the mashed potatoes.
• Broil for around 5 minutes (check often), until the top is golden brown and the juices are bubbling.
• Cool 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

If you want to beef up your pie (literally), use 1 1/2 pounds of ground beef. You may need a little more stock.

Make sure your ground beef is very lean. I use 93% lean. Otherwise, the shepherd's pie will be greasy.

If you do not want to use ground beef, you can substitute ground bison, venison, or lamb. 

I put the skillet directly in the oven, but you can also transfer the veggie and meat mixture to a casserole or baking dish, then top with the mashed potatoes before broiling.

This shepherd's pie freezes well. Cool fully in the refrigerator, covered, and transfer to the freezer. Reheat at 400 degrees F, covered with foil, until bubbling.

Disclaimer: Nutrition information is provided for courtesy purposes only, and is an estimate not verified by medical or nutrition experts. Read the full nutrition disclaimer.