The Best Shepherd’s Pie (SO Easy!)

Lean ground beef browned together with Italian ground sausage, creamy mashed potatoes and sweet kernels of creamed corn layered and baked together to create The Best Shepherd’s Pie, a delicious dish of comfort food.

This recipe for The Best Shepherd’s Pie is definitely a firm favorite in our house, and one we rely on often for cozy comfort food, when company is coming or a quick meal when we need a foolproof plan for dinner

The ingredients are simple, the preparation is even easier and you’ll have a piping hot dinner out of the oven in no time. Perfect for any busy weeknight.

One of the ways I gauge if a recipe is good or not is the approval of my oldest brother-in-law. His wife is an excellent cook, whom I admire and strive to be a bit more like. So I knew we were on to something good the night we had he and his wife to our home and he declared this as The Best Shepherd’s Pie he had ever had. Not too shabby, right? I’m definitely not going to argue with him! 🙂

This recipe is what I grew up knowing as Shepherd’s Pie. My grandmother and mother both made it in the most simple yet delicious way, Over the last few years we have taken that foundation, tweaked it a bit to better fit our preferences and this is the end result.

And the beauty of a recipe this simple and this satisfying is that it is easy to adjust any spices or heat levels to your family’s liking.

What Is Shepherd’s Pie?

Shepherd’s Pie – also known as Cottage Pie – is an English dish traditionally using ground lamb or mutton. The only difference between the two meats? The age of the animal. As ground lamb or mutton isn’t often used in American cuisine, you’ll find most American versions of this recipe using ground beef. No matter the meat you choose, it will be combined with mixed vegetables and a topping of mashed potatoes.

Cottage Pie is first referenced in England during the late 1700’s, with Shepherd’s Pie being coined in a 1849 Edinburgh publication. That’s a lot of history and a lot of variations on a simple recipe. Some call for minced meat, some thinly sliced; some called for mashed potatoes, others diced. What you have in the end is a recipe that has no official, agreed upon recipe and leaves a lot of room for personal preference in both ingredients and preparation

Ingredients for The Best Shepherd’s Pie

Ground Beef and Ground Sausage: A combination of both is our go-to. I like to use a leaner beef, 90/10, as the sausage has a higher fat content in it. You can use either hot or sweet sausage. We vary in our selection, but if using sweet, we also typically add a little crushed red pepper.

Spices: Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder: These are the four spices I typically use in preparation for most things – they are a great combination and provide a nice balance and addition of flavors to any dish.

Minced Onion: This is a totally optional ingredient that you could sauté before browning your beef and sausage. We use it if I have it on hand, or I have a few extra minutes. The dish will not suffer if you don’t add the onion, but everything is better with sautéd onions, in my opinion.

Sweet Whole Kernel Corn and Creamed Corn: The combination of these two is perfection. The whole kernels stand on their own amongst all the other ingredients, while the creamed corn adds the right touch of gooey goodness to the meat mixture it rests on.

Mashed Potatoes: Creamy, buttery, chivey… (Is that a word?) … Who wouldn’t love a mashed potato with heavy cream, sour cream, butter and freeze dried chives? as well as some salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. I know it seems like a lot, but potatoes need that extra oomph of flavor to really elevate them. The chives are the favorite addition.

How To Make The Best Shepherd’s Pie

1 – Preheat your oven to 375° degrees F.

2 – IF using onion, heat a cast iron pan over medium high heat, mince and sauté in a Tbsp of unsalted butter.

3 – Heat cast iron pan over medium high heat. Add sausage to pan first and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add beef. Stir all to combine, adding salt, pepper and a generous sprinkling of garlic powder and onion powder to the meat, stirring again to combine. Allow to continue cooking until browned and cooked through.

4 – Remove from heat. In a 8×8 casserole dish, add meat to the bottom in an even layer.

5 – On top of the beef and sausage mixture, spread one can of sweet corn kernels and one can of creamed corn.

6 – Add a thick layer of mashed potatoes to the top of your corn, spreading evenly. Use as much or as little as you like here. It really all comes down to personal preference. I really like a lot of potatoes, so I make sure to lay it on thick. 🙂

7 – Add a couple of thin pats of unsalted butter to the top of the potatoes and a sprinkling of smoked paprika for added flavor.

8 – Place the casserole dish on a baking sheet (to avoid any potential messes) and pop in the oven for 35-40 minutes.

9 – Once cooked through and bubbling, turn your oven to broil and allow the Shepherd’s Pie to form a nice crust on top, no more than 3-4 minutes. This is completely optional, but a step that adds a lot of flavor and a nice crusty top.

Allow to cool for a few minutes and then enjoy!

Tips & Tricks

Not a fan of ground sausage? Omit it. Or, if you prefer more heat, use Hot Italian Sausage. You could also opt for a meatloaf mix for a different variation. Or be completely traditional and use straight ground beef. Whatever sounds good and/or you have on hand.

Add in other vegetables. Carrots and peas are often found in Shepherds pie, so if you want some extra color and variety, add them in! Mushrooms, onions and garlic would also be a delicious addition.

Broiling For A Few Minutes At The End is KEY for a beautiful crust. I don’t think this step should ever be skipped. You could even sprinkle a little bit of cheese on top before broiling if you wanted to.

Enjoy with a nice glass of Cabernet Sauvignon and a simple, garden fresh salad to round out the meal. Are you going to try our family version of Shepherd’s Pie? If so, let me know how you enjoy it!