Easy Shepherd’s Pie Recipe | Winter Casserole with Potato + Ground Beef

This easy shepherd’s pie recipe makes a comforting winter casserole dinner with a flavorful moist ground beef filling and a satisfying mashed potato topping. It bakes in the oven until golden, juicy, and bubbling.

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 45

Total Time 1

COURSE Dinner, Easy Family Dinner Recipes, Winter Recipes

CUISINE American, Casserole, Winter Recipes

SERVINGS or 8 to 10

Equipment

Ingredients

For Ground Beef Filling

1 lb Ground Beef
1 large Yellow Onion - small diced
2 ribs Celery - small diced
3 cloves Garlic - minced
2 tbsp Tomato Paste
1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
¼ cup Red Wine - dry wine
2 tbsp Unsalted Butter - unsalted butter
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Onion Powder
pinches coarse sea salt + cracked pepper
¾ cup Beef Stock - 3/4 cup to 1 cup give or take as needed for juiciness
1 bag Frozen Peas and Carrots
2 sprigs Fresh rosemary - added whole on the stem, not loose leaves
2 sprigs Fresh Thyme - added whole on the stem, not loose leaves

For The Mashed Potato Topping

3 whole Russet Potatoes
3 tbsp Unsalted Butter - or more as needed from creaminess
¼ cup Half and Half cream - or more as needed for creaminess
pinches coarse sea salt + cracked pepper - as desired season to taste

Instructions

>> Start The Potatoes For the Shepherd’s Pie Topping:
Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees F and start the potatoes.
Wash and peel 3 whole russet potatoes and cube into 1 inch cubes. Drop these into a pot and cover with cold water. Season with pinches of salt and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and cook in lightly boiling water until fork tender.When fork tender, remove from heat and strain potato cubes with a spider or slotted spoon, removing them from the water. Transfer to a large bowl.
While potatoes are warm, toss in the small cubed butter and stir until butter melts.
Splash in the half and half cream and sprinkle in pinches of salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine.
Adjust wish splashes cream or butter as desired for a creamy but spreadable texture (that can be scooped up and set down with a spoon). Set aside.
>> Make The Ground Beef Filling for The Shepherd’s Pie:
In a large wide skillet, melt the 2 tbsp of butter, drizzle in a bit of olive oil over medium heat, and toss in fresh rosemary and thyme sprigs.
Now toss in the diced diced celery, garlic, and onion. Stir these vegetables to combine until onions turn transluscent, herbs are fragrant, and celery is tender, about 8 to 10 minutes as needed. Lightly season this step with pinches of coarse salt and pepper.
When diced vegetables are tender, remove the herb stems. Do this before adding tomato paste in next step.
Now with herb stems removed, splash in the red wine and add the 2 tbsp of tomato paste. Stir to combine, caramelizing the tomato paste, reducing wine, and developing flavors, another 5 minutes or so.
Adjust heat as needed. Add the ground beef to the skillet breaking up and browning the meat evenly with a wooden spoon or wood spatula.
Sprinkle in the onion powder, garlic powder, and drizzle in the worcestershire sauce. Stir gently to combine.
Lastly, add the splash of beef stock along with the bag of frozen carrots and peas.
Season with pinches of salt and pepper to taste as desired and stir to combine. There should be enough stock to make the ground beef filling juicy and moist, it shouldn’t be covered with stock, just juicy (about 3/4 cup to 1 cup stock as needed).
Bring to a light simmer and cook for another 10 minutes or so on medium-low heat to develop flavors.
>> Transfer Ground Beef To Casserole Dish + Cover With Potato Topping:
Transfer the ground beef filling from the skillet to the casserole dish and top with the mashed potato filling.
Scoop up the mashed potato filling with a spoon and gently smear over the top of the ground beef filling one scoop at a time, being gentle and careful not to push down too hard as the juices from the filling will stain the potato topping.
To keep the top nice and neat, scoop one bit at a time, and use back of spoon to flatten potato mixture gently over the shepherd’s pie meat filling.
Repeat in little sections until all of the surface is coated (all the way up to the edges) and the mashed potato topping is completely finished.
>> Bake Shepherd’s Pie Until Hot and Bubbling:
Once finished assembling, bake the ground beef and potato casserole in a 375 degrees F oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until hot, bubbling up the sides, and some peaks of the potato topping are turning golden brown.
Serve nice and hot, garnish with minced parsley and fresh herbs as desired or serve with crusty artisan bread for dipping.

KEYWORD cottage pie, easy shepherds pie, ground beef and mashed potatoes recipe, ground beef casserole, ground beef shepherds pie, potato and beef casserole, winter casseroles