Ground Beef Shepherd's Pie

Shepherds pie in a white baking dish with meat showing at the bottom and potatoes on top.

5 from 4 votes

A cozy ground beef shepherd’s pie with a savory beef and vegetable filling, topped with creamy mashed potatoes and baked until golden. This easy cottage pie makes a filling family dinner and can be assembled in advance.

Prep Time20

Cook Time55

Total Time1 15

Course: beef, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Diet: Halal

Skill Level: Intermediate

Servings: servings

Author: Rena Awada

Ingredients

Mashed Potato Topping

3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes about 7-8 medium potatoes
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
1/2 milk of choice or as needed

Filling

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 sweet onion finely diced
2 sticks celery finely diced
2 medium carrots peeled and finely chopped
3-4 cloves garlic minced
1 pound lean ground beef used halal
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
2/3 cup chicken broth
2/3 cup tomato sauce
1 cup frozen peas no need to thaw

Instructions

Start with the mashed potatoes topping. Peel and chop the 3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes into big chunks. Place them into a large soup pot, covered with water. and stir in 1 tablespoon kosher salt.
Place the pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 15 minutes.
While the potatoes are cooking, make the filling. Heat the 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Sauté the 1 sweet onion, 2 sticks celery, 2 medium carrots and 3-4 cloves garlic for 5 minutes.
Add the 1 pound lean ground beef and cook, mincing the meat with the wooden spoon.
Once the meat starts to brown, sprinkle it with the 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 1 teaspoon dried thyme and season with Kosher salt and pepper. About 3-5 minutes.
Add the 2/3 cup chicken broth, 2/3 cup tomato sauce and 1 cup frozen peas. Stir well to combine and simmer the sauce until it begins to thicken, around 5-7 minutes.
Transfer the sauce to a 13 x 9 oven-safe dish and preheat the oven to 450F.
To make the mashed potatoes, drain the cooked potatoes and mash with the 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream, or sour cream, and 1/2 milk of choice. Season, if needed.
Spoon the mashed potatoes over the meat mixture into the dish.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until bubbly. Broil for 2-4 minutes to give a nice charred top.

Notes

This is technically cottage pie because it is made with ground beef.
Use a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
Cook the beef until completely browned and no longer pink.
Simmer the filling until thick before adding the potatoes.
Add the milk to the potatoes gradually.
Let the casserole rest for 10 minutes before serving.
One serving is one-sixth of the finished casserole.
The nutrition calculation should not count all the salt used in the drained potato water.

Nutrition