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Shepherd’s Pie (also known as Cottage Pie because authentic Shepherd’s Pie is made with lamb) was a popular meal in our house when my son was growing up but, truth be told, it was often the Sheperd’s Pie from Costco. Now that I no longer have a hangry child at home to feed as soon as I walk in the door from work, I like to make my own Shepherd’s Pie using our delicious Lazy Spoon Beef and fresh veggies. Beware…the mashed potato topping is a bit sinful!
This meat casserole is a great way to serve leftovers or to make from scratch. It is also an awesome dish to prepare ahead of time. You can make it the night before and then bake it when you’re ready to eat or cook it during your Sunday meal prepping and it will last 3-5 days covered in the fridge once it has been cooked. I wouldn’t recommend storing it this long if you made the pie with leftovers though.
Shepherd’s Pie
Tools I Use
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 1 small onion, chopped
- *You want to have about 2 cups of chopped carrots, celery & onion
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/4 cup tapioca flour (or wheat flour or cornstarch)
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 1 can (14.5 oz) fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained (my favourite fire-roasted tomatoes come in a 28 oz. can so I just use half of a can)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 and 1/2 cups beef broth
- 1/2 cup dry red wine
- 1 beef bouillon cube
- 1 tablespoon coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- You can replace the coconut aminos and fish sauce with 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 3 bay leaves
Mashed Potato Topping
- 2 and 1/2 lbs potatoes (Yukon Gold or a mix of Yukon and Russet)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup Boursin cheese
- *If you don’t tolerate dairy, you can mash your potatoes with 2 tbsp ghee and 1/2 cup coconut milk
- Sea salt
- Black pepper
Instructions
- Heat 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- *If you aren’t making this dish ahead of time or don’t want to be fancy, make your pie in an oven-safe skillet like a cast iron frying pan to cut down on the dishes!
- Add garlic and onion and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add carrots and celery and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until vegetables are softened.
- Increase heat slightly and add beef. Break it up and cook until it is browned. You may have to drain off some grease before continuing.
- Add flour (tapioca or wheat), stir and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium and add frozen peas, tomatoes, beef broth, wine, bouillon cube, coconut aminos, fish sauce, Italian season and bay leaves.
- Reduce heat to medium and allow the mixture to simmer.
- Cook for 30 minutes, stirring every few minutes until the gravy thickens.
- Remove from heat, remove bay leaves, transfer to a bowl and place in the refrigerator.
- *When I’m planning to serve immediately or don’t intend to use a nice dish, I just set the oven-safe skillet to the side and let it cool while I make the potatoes.
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Peel and cube potatoes. Place in a large pot, add salt, cover and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are soft. About 15-20 minutes.
- Once potatoes are cooked, drain using a strainer and then return to the pot.
- Add heavy cream and Boursin cheese to potatoes and mash/stir until smooth.
- Remove the meat mixture from the refrigerator and transfer it to an oven-safe pan (or skip this step if you are going to bake in the oven-safe skillet).
- Top the meat mixture with a single layer of mashed potatoes.
- Drizzle pie with remaining extra virgin olive oil.
- Transfer skillet/dish to the preheated oven and bake for 30-35 minutes or until potatoes are golden.
- You may want to broil for 3 minutes to finish it off.
- Garnish with fresh parsley.
- Enjoy!
