Easy Shepherd's Pie Recipe (2024)

Unfortunately, Winter is still with us for a few more weeks. On the bright side, there is still time to enjoy warm comfort food after a long day. Warm up your soul with this easy Shepherd's Pie recipe just in time for St. Patty's Day!!

I think Shepherd's Pie is one of the ultimate comfort food recipes. It's also a perfectly complete meal. You get protein, veggies, and starch all in one dish. I add extra veggies on the side of course.

St. Patty's Day is coming up, so if you're looking for a recipe to make for this special day, Shepherd's Pie is a great choice. When you search St. Patty's Day recipes you ageta lot of corned beef and cabbage recipes in search, but Shepherd's Pie is there too and perfect for those that aren't fans of corned beef and cabbage.

This recipe isn't exactly fast, although I think any recipe that takes less than an hour to prepare isn't so bad. If you multi-task you can get this recipe made in no time. Cooking the beef layer while you cook the potatoes is a must or else you will be waiting more than an hour to eat.

Tip: you can use prepared mashed potatoes. I grew up eating homemade, so I wouldn't even consider a short cut. There are a few brands that aren't too bad. I won't touch instant mashed potatoes, so please DON'T go there.

Peeling and cutting up the potatoes is the most tedious part of making mashed potatoes. Once you put the potatoes in the pot to boil you don't have much to do. I have the potatoes boiling while I make the beef layer.

Tip #2: If you avoid red meat you can use ground turkey. Ground turkey will lower the fat content and calories of the meal. I use grass-fed lean ground beef. As a dietitian, I support clients in their decision to cut out red meat for health reasons, but I also support those who do consume red meat. I feel that all foods fit and can be consumed in moderation. In our house, we consume a variety of proteins including lean grass-fed beef.

I grew up eating Shepherd's Pie, but it wasn't this recipe. When doing research for this recipe I found that many classic recipes incorporate veggies (which we did not except for onion) and top the pie the cheese (we didn't). Cheese just make everything better, so why not add it in!

Recipe