Ultimate Beef Shepherd’s Pie

Rich and flavorful beef shepherd’s pie recipe, made easy in one skillet! Ground beef, tender vegetables, and fluffy mashed potatoes… what could be better!

Classic comfort food, made with readily available ground beef, sautéed mushrooms and vegetables, and a rich savory gravy sauce, all topped with fluffy mashed potatoes.  No oven safe skillet?  No worries, I’ve got that covered!

It’s officially comfort food season… complete with chilis, casseroles, stews/soups, and great one pot/skillet meals!  This is absolutely my favorite food season, since the flavors are just fantastic, and all the food makes you want to go curl up on the couch with a blanket and a big bowl or plate.

Here in the Chunky Chef household, we love our one pot meals.  I even have a whole section of them here on the blog, have you checked them out?  There’s something really awesome about a meal that tastes amazing, and there’s not a TON of dishes to wash afterwards.

Some of you may be questioning the name here… after all, a shepherd’s pie is not traditionally made with ground beef, but rather made of ground lamb or mutton.  My family is not a fan of the taste of lamb/mutton, so I always make ours with ground beef.  Plus, here in the Midwest, ground beef is much more readily available.  I almost named it Cottage Pie, which is what a Shepherd’s Pie made with beef is usually called… but here’s why I didn’t.

In a word… Google.  When food bloggers name their recipes, we have to do all sorts of keyword research to find out what sorts of things you guys type into the search bar.  There’s a lot that goes into it, but the short version is that WAY more people googled “shepherd’s pie” than “cottage pie”.  Which means, this recipe will show up in Google searches and Pinterest searches, so you can find your way here 🙂

For this recipe, I usually use leftover mashed potatoes, but in the recipe notes section (directly following the recipe below) I’ve detailed other potato options, as everyone has their favorites.

Let’s talk about this fantastic filling!  I kept my filling to onion, carrots and mushrooms, but below are some options for some other add-ins.

• Add frozen peas
• Add frozen corn
• Add some frozen green beans

The next time you’re craving something ultra comforting, I hope you give this One Skillet Beef Shepherd’s Pie Recipe a try!!

Looking for other comfort food classics?

• Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
• One Pot Pepperoni Pizza Pasta
• Homestyle Chicken and Biscuits
• One Pot Chicken and Dirty Rice

HELPFUL TOOLS:

• Cast Iron Skillet – the most used pan in my kitchen… I love the sear it gives!

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One Skillet Beef Shepherd's Pie Recipe

4.83 from 17 votes

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Calories: 507

Servings: 8 - 10 servings

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Rich and flavorful beef shepherd's pie recipe, made easy in one skillet! Ground beef, tender vegetables, and fluffy mashed potatoes... what could be better!

Ingredients

• ▢ 3 Tbsp olive oil
• ▢ 2 lbs ground beef (I usually use 85/15)
• ▢ 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
• ▢ 1 large yellow onion, diced
• ▢ 2 - 3 carrots, peeled and diced
• ▢ 12 - 16 oz cremini (baby portobello) mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic, minced
• ▢ 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• ▢ 1 Tbsp kosher salt , divided
• ▢ 3 - 6 Tbsp tomato paste (I normally use around 4)
• ▢ 1/2 - 1 cup beef stock
• ▢ 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ 1/2 tsp black pepper, more or less to taste
• ▢ 3 - 4 cups mashed potatoes
• ▢ 1/3 cup grated/shredded Parmesan cheese
• ▢ 1 1/2 Tbsp butter, cut into small pieces
• ▢ minced fresh parsley, for garnish

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 F degrees.  Heat a BIG oven safe skillet over MED heat.  Add oil and ground beef and cook about 4 minutes, or until cooked through, breaking it up into small crumbles as it cooks. Once browned, transfer to a plate.  If needed, drain excess grease before adding the beef to a plate.  
• Add butter to same skillet. Once melted, add onion, carrots, mushrooms, garlic, dried oregano, and 1/2 the salt.  Cook, stirring occasionally, about 8-10 minutes.  
• Add in tomato paste, stirring to combine, and cook 5-7 minutes, until tomato paste is a dark, brick red color (this really brings out the tomato flavor).  
• Return cooked ground beef to the skillet, then stir in beef stock, Worcestershire sauce remaining salt, and black pepper.  Simmer for a few minutes, until mixture is slightly thickened.
• Top with mashed potatoes (see recipe notes section), and Parmesan cheese.  Use a fork to rough up the top of the potatoes, then dot with the butter pieces.
• Bake 40-45 minutes, until bubbly and potatoes are browned.  Let cool 5-10 minutes before serving.  Sprinkle with minced fresh parsley and enjoy!

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Chef Tips

Mashed Potato Options:

1. Use leftover mashed potatoes (these horseradish mashed potatoes work perfectly!).
2. Use your slow cooker to make the mashed potatoes (like this version).
3. Use pre-made or instant potatoes - not the best option, but works in a pinch.
4. Alternately, in a separate pot, make your own traditional mashed potatoes:
   • 5-6 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
   • 4 Tbsp softened butter
   • 1/2 cup milk (possibly slightly more, depending on your tastes)
   • Sprinkle of Parmesan cheese
   • Salt and pepper, to taste
     • Boil potatoes 15 minutes, or until fork tender, then drain.  Return to hot pot, add butter and mash.  Add milk and cheese, stirring/mashing to combine.  Season to taste.

*** If you don't have an oven safe skillet, complete recipe through step 4, then transfer to a greased 3 qt baking dish, then continue with recipe, starting at step 5.

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