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This easy ground beef shepherd’s pie is a cozy, family-friendly meal made with hearty vegetables and fluffy mashed potatoes. Simple to make dairy-free and gluten-free for a healthier, comforting classic!
If you’re craving a cozy comfort meal, this shepherd’s pie recipe is for you. It is made with ground beef, veggies, and a layer of creamy mashed potatoes. It is easy to make from scratch. Plus, it can easily be prepared dairy-free and gluten-free without sacrificing any flavor.
I tweaked my lamb shepherd’s pie over the years and the result has been this beef shepherd’s pie. It has become my go-to recipe that is perfect for weeknights, meal prep or a special treat. Try my turkey and apple shepherd’s pie, butternut squash shepherd’s pie for unique shepherd’s pie options.
Table of Contents
What makes this recipe great
- This recipe can easily be made gluten-free and dairy-free.
- It is easy to use whatever pantry staples you have on hand to make this. No strained tomatoes? You can use marinara. No bone broth? You can use chicken stock.
- It is high in protein! 21 grams a serving helps you feel satisfied and full.
Recipe Ingredients
- Gold potatoes– these make the base of the mashed potato topping. I like gold potatoes because they are softer in texture and richer in taste than other potatoes.
- Salt and Pepper– these are used to season the potatoes and the shepherd’s pie filling.
- Butter and milk- These make the mashed potatoes creamy! You can use both dairy-free butter and milk or regular butter and milk in this recipe based on your needs.
- Carrots and peas– these veggies add texture to the dish and are usually used in typical shepherd’s pie recipes.
- Shallot and garlic– these season the beef in the recipe.
- Ground beef– feel free to use regular fat beef or low fat beef.
- Dried thyme, dried rosemary, chili powder– these herbs and spices add a great flavor to the shepherd’s pie and keep it from being bland.
- Flour– this thickens the shepherd’s pie filling in the recipe.
- Tomato paste– this adds depth to the filling in the recipe.
- Blackstrap molasses– this is my favorite way to season a shepherd’s pie. It adds a sweetness and deliciousness that I just love. If you don’t have it, don’t worry, check out the substitutions below.
- Strained tomatoes– this makes part of the base of the filling.
- Chicken stock or bone broth– this makes the other part of the base.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Additions/ Substitutions
- Instead of shallot, you can use regular onion. I would use about 1/3 of a regular onion.
- Instead of shallot and garlic, you can use onion powder and garlic powder. 1 teaspoon of each should work great.
- Instead of ground beef, you can use ground turkey.
- Instead of blackstrap molasses, you can use 1 Tablespoon honey and 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce. You could also use 1 Tablespoon of honey and 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar or coconut aminos.
- Instead of strained tomatoes, you can use marinara sauce.
- To make this dish gluten-free, you can use tapioca flour or gluten-free flour.
- To make this dish dairy-free, you can use dairy-free butter and a non-dairy milk.
Step by step instructions
Step 1: boil your potatoes.
Step 2: Sautée carrots, onion and garlic in a pan.
Step 3: Add the ground beef, thyme and rosemary to the pan.
Step 4: Add the peas and flour to the dish and mix.
Step 5: Season the meat with tomato paste, blackstrap molasses, and chili powder.
Step 6: Add the strained tomatoes and bone broth, let everything simmer.
Step 7: Pour the shepherd’s pie filling/gravy into a large baking dish.
Step 8: Mash the boiled potatoes with butter, milk, salt and pepper.
Step 9: Cover the shepherd’s pie filling with the mashed potatoes and evenly spread it out on top.
Step 10: Bake in the oven.
Expert tips
- Don’t over mix your potatoes, use a potato masher and once everything is mashed, mix with a fork and set it aside.
- Broil the last 2–3 minutes for a golden, slightly crisp potato crust.
- How to store: Cover the dish with aluminum foil and store in the fridge for 2-3 days.
- Make it ahead: Assemble the pie, cover, and refrigerate up to 2 days before baking.
- Freeze in portions for easy weeknight dinners—just thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! You can. It will taste different but it will still be delicious.
Yes! If you aren’t dairy-free, feel free to add shredded cheddar or shredded Parmesan to the top. I’ve tried both and they are delicious!
Yes! You can make it the day before. Follow the recipe up until it all needs to be baked in the oven. Store in the fridge until you are ready to bake it.
Other hearty dinner recipes you’ll love
Did you try this recipe? Please leave me a ⭐ review below!
Ground Beef Shepherd’s Pie Recipe
Ingredients
Mashed potato topping ingredients:
- 3 lbs gold potatoes, cut into 1 inch slices
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 Tablespoons butter, ( can use dairy-free butter)
- 1/3 cup milk, (or non-dairy milk)
Shepherd's pie filling ingredients:
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 3 large carrots, sliced
- 1 shallot, diced ( or 1/3 of an onion)4
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 cup peas, (fresh or frozen)
- 2 Tablespoons flour, ( can use tapioca flour for Gluten-free option)
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 Tablespoons blackstrap molasses, (look at notes for alternative)
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 cup strained tomatoes, or marinara
- 1 cup chicken broth, (or bone broth or beef broth)
Instructions
- Boil the sliced potatoes in water for 20-25 minutes, until knife tender. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease 9 in x 13 in dish.
- While the potatoes boil, start the shepherd's pie filling. Put 1 Tablespoon of olive oil, the sliced carrots, diced onion and minced garlic into a large pan and heat over medium heat. Sauté for 4-5 minutes. Add the ground beef to the pot and mix breaking it up into smaller pieces. Top the beef with 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, and ½ teaspoon dried rosemary. Mix and cook until the meat is browned, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the peas to the pan and mix, lower heat to low. Add 2 Tablespoons flour to the meat and mix well. Then add the 2 Tablespoons tomato paste, 2 Tablespoons blackstrap molasses, and ½ teaspoon chili powder to the meat and mix. Add 1 cup of strained tomatoes( or marinara), mix, and simmer for 2 minutes. Add 1 cup of chicken broth and simmer until the sauce reduces to a gravy, about 5 minutes.
- Pour the shepherd's pie filling into a 9 in x 13 in dish.
- Drain the boiled potatoes and put them into a large bowl and top with 1/3 cup milk, 3 Tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Mash everything together until smooth. Scoop the mashed potatoes on top of the shepherd's pie filling in the pan, evenly distributing it and then smooth it out with a spatula.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes.
Notes
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- Instead of shallot, you can use regular onion. I would use about 1/3 of a regular onion.
-
- Instead of shallot and garlic, you can use onion powder and garlic powder. 1 teaspoon of each should work great.
-
- Instead of ground beef, you can use ground turkey.
-
- Instead of blackstrap molasses, you can use 1 Tablespoon honey and 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce. You could also use 1 Tablespoon of honey and 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar or coconut aminos.
-
- Instead of strained tomatoes, you can use marinara sauce.
-
- To make this dish gluten-free, you can use tapioca flour or gluten-free flour.
-
- To make this dish dairy-free, you can use dairy-free butter and a non-dairy milk.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
My husband and I really enjoyed this! We used our leftover Thanksgiving mashed potatoes! For some reason I needed to just about triple the salt. I used the marinara option and I did the substitute for molasses with honey and Worcestershire as you recommended. We will definitely make this again! Thank you.
What a great way to use up leftover mashed potatoes! Thanks for sharing!
This is my family’s favorite shepherd’s pie recipe. We love eating this during the week and having it as leftovers. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!