Classic Comfort Food: Easy Shepherd's Pie

Timeless and delicious, this Easy Shepherd’s Pie recipe will satisfy all your comfort food cravings and then some. This version a quick and easy dinner that’s perfect for meal prep or weeknights.

Meat and potatoes… such a simple meal. There’s absolutely nothing fancy about this dish, and yet it gives you all those grandma’s home-cookin’ feels. Ya’ll know what I’m talking about.

Without further ado, here’s the deets on the good stuff.

Classic Comfort Food: Easy Shepherd's Pie

Serves: 4

Ingredients

3 large Russet Potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
8 Tbsp. Butter (1 stick) + additional for browning
Splash of Regular or Almond Milk (about 2 tbsp.)
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
Olive Oil, as needed
1 medium Yellow Onion, chopped
1 cup chopped Carrots
¾ cup frozen Peas
1 pound Ground Beef
Chopped Parsley, to garnish
S+P, to taste

Instructions

Boil the potatoes: Place the peeled potatoes in a large pot with cold water. Make sure to cover them by at least an inch. Bring to a boil and then simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. You can add a pinch of salt to the water once it's boiling, if desired.
Once the potatoes are tender, pour into a strainer and then into a large bowl. Add 1 stick of butter and begin to mash the potatoes with a fork or masher. Add milk, salt, pepper and garlic powder and mix until well combined (we only used a pinch of salt + pepper, so just add to taste). Set potatoes aside to cool.
Sauté ground meat until browned and crumbly, about 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to a bowl and set aside.
Sauté onions and carrots in the meat's juices until softened, about 5 minutes (feel free to add dab of olive oil, if needed). Add peas and continue to sauté for an additional 2-3 minutes, until warmed. Now add meat mixture to the veggies and mix until combined.
Preheat the oven to 400F. Pour the meat and vegetable mixture on the bottom of a large casserole dish and then spread the potatoes evenly on top. Use a fork to create a design on top of the potatoes.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until the top layer has slightly browned. If necessary, you can use the broiler for a minute or two to help the browning process at the very end. Serve immediately with a side salad.

Jess Notes & Personal Preferences:

Only add salt to water once it’s boiling. Otherwise the salt will leave marks on the bottom of your pot (and they cannot be removed).
We used unsweetened almond milk instead of regular milk for the mashed potatoes, it’s a delicious dairy-free option! If you’re not practicing dairy-free, regular milk works too.
I like to put the mashed potatoes in a large ziplock bag with the tip cut off. This allows you to pipe the potatoes evenly on top of the meat mixture. After it’s evenly distributed I fluff them with a fork to form peaks.
I used carrot chips that I bought from the grocery store and chopped those. The texture is great because they have grooves and I honestly think it makes for prettier presentation. Bonus: I always have these in my veggie drawer because our toddler eats them.
Add small tabs of butter on top of the potato layer if you’d like some extra crispy brown spots. Trust me on this one, try it. It’s delicious.
A layer of parmesan or cheddar cheese on top of the potatoes is heavenly. Because everything is better with cheese… right?
Watching your carbs? Try doing a layer of cauliflower mash instead of potatoes! Yum, yum.