Skip to content
FriendsPantry

British · Irish

Shepherd's pie

Non-vegetarian

Minced lamb simmered in a rich gravy with vegetables, topped with buttery mashed potato and baked until golden.

Shepherd's pie is a British bake from United Kingdom, ready in about 1 hour 45 minutes and made with ground lamb and potato. It serves 6 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
A serving of Shepherd's pie
Photo: Oxfordian Kissuth / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-3.0
Prep
20 min
Cook
1 h 15 min
Rest
10 min
Total
1 h 45 min
Serves
6
Level
Easy
Calories
551

Ingredients

6 servings

Filling

Topping

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Brown the lamb in the oil in batches over high heat; spoon off excess fat. Add the onion (opens in a new tab), carrot (opens in a new tab) and celery (opens in a new tab) and cook until soft, then the garlic (opens in a new tab).

    Meat searing in a hot pan
    How it looks · Photo: Skylar Kang on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Stir in the tomato paste (opens in a new tab) and flour for a minute, then the stock, Worcestershire sauce (opens in a new tab), thyme (opens in a new tab), salt and pepper (opens in a new tab). Simmer, stirring now and then, until thick and glossy. Stir in the peas (opens in a new tab).

    • 30 min
    • low heat

  3. Step 3

    Meanwhile boil the potatoes (opens in a new tab) in salted water until a knife slides in easily, drain well, steam-dry for a minute and mash with the butter (opens in a new tab), warm milk (opens in a new tab) and salt.

    Potatoes boiling in a pot
    How it looks · Photo: Lionel Ntasano on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Spoon the filling into a baking dish (opens in a new tab), top with the mash and rough up the surface with a fork.

    Potatoes being mashed
    How it looks · Photo: Mateusz Feliksik on Pexels

  5. Step 5

    Bake until the filling bubbles at the edges and the top is golden. Rest 10 minutes before serving.

About this dish

Origin
United Kingdom · Commonly attributedA British and Irish home-cooking staple; made with beef it is usually called cottage pie.Also popular in Ireland, Australia, New ZealandMore food from United Kingdom
Dish
Dinner · Casseroles & bakes · Main courses
Cooking method
Simmered, Oven-baked, Boiled
Taste
savoury, rich, umami, buttery
Diet
No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · High-protein
With the listed swaps: Beef-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Freezer-friendly · Make-ahead · Child-friendly · Batch cooking
Cook more with
Ground lamb · Potato · Onion · Carrot · Celery · Garlic
Techniques
Baking · Boiling · Simmering

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom butter, milk
  • Contains: Fishfrom worcestershire sauce
  • Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour
  • Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour, worcestershire sauce
  • Contains: Celeryfrom celery, beef stock, worcestershire sauce
  • May contain: Sulphitesfrom worcestershire sauce

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

551 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 419 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 17%
  • Carbohydrate 29%
  • Fat 54%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy551 kcal131 kcal
Protein23.4 g5.6 g
Carbohydrate39.9 g9.5 g
Net carbohydrate34.3 g8.2 g
Sugars6.1 g1.5 g
Added sugars——
Fibre5.6 g1.3 g
Fat33.4 g8 g
Saturated fat15.1 g3.6 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol93 mg22 mg
Sodium1083 mg258 mg
Salt equivalent2.7 g0.6 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
1269 mg
Calcium
90 mg
Iron
4 mg
Magnesium
78 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
255 µg
Vitamin C
41 mg
Vitamin D
0.3 µg
Vitamin B12
2.4 µg
Folate (DFE)
69 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Let the filling cool slightly before adding the mash so the topping doesn't sink.

Common mistakes

  • A runny filling — simmer until it holds its shape on a spoon.

Serve with

  • Serve with buttered greens or more peas.

Food safety

  • Cook minced lamb until no pink remains (71 °C).
  • Cool leftovers within 2 hours and refrigerate; reheat only once, until piping hot (75 °C) in the centre.

Storage

  • Keeps 3 days in the fridge or 3 months frozen.

Reheating

  • Reheat covered in a 180 °C oven until piping hot throughout (about 30 minutes from chilled).

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

You might also like