Ground Beef Shepherd’s Pie is loaded with rich gravy, tender veggies, and a fluffy mashed potato topping for the best comfort food.
author’s note
Ground Beef Shepherd’s Pie = The Ultimate Comfort Food!
Growing up, Sundays meant pot roast with mashed potatoes, and on Mondays my mom always turned the leftovers into shepherd’s pie. Back then I didn’t think much of it, but now I find myself craving it. The mix of savory beef, veggies, and creamy potatoes instantly takes me back to those dinners around the table.
That’s what inspired me to create my own Ground Beef Shepherd’s Pie. It has the same comfort I grew up with, with a few tweaks like a splash of grape juice in the gravy and extra-creamy potatoes that make it my family’s new favorite.
Ingredients In Shepherd’s Pie
| Ingredient | Swaps or Tips |
|---|---|
| Ground Chuck Round | Ground lamb for traditional, or ground turkey/chicken for lighter. |
| Mirepoix (onion, carrot, celery) | Add mushrooms for earthy flavor or bell peppers for sweetness. |
| Flour | Use cornstarch slurry if gluten-free. |
| Fire-Roasted Diced Tomatoes & Paste | Regular diced tomatoes work fine, but roasted adds richness. |
| Beef Stock + Worcestershire + Grape Juice | Swap grape juice for red wine for a more traditional flavor. |
| Potatoes (Yukon Gold + Russet mix) | All Yukon for creamier or all Russet for fluffier. |
| Heavy Cream & Butter | Use half-and-half or milk if needed. |
How To Make Ground Beef Shepherd’s Pie
- Sauté garlic, onion, carrots, and celery.
- Brown ground chuck and add flour.
- Combine with peas, tomatoes, stock, grape juice, seasonings, and simmer.
- Boil and mash potatoes with cream and butter.
- Layer meat mixture topped with mashed potatoes.
- Bake until golden and bubbly. Garnish with herbs if desired. Serve hot.
Variations
Craving a meatless twist? Try my Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie. Want extra comfort? Go for the Shepherd’s Pie Soup!
Storage
- Make Ahead: Prepare your shepherd’s pie all together and refrigerate before baking.
- Refrigerating: Store cooked pie covered for 3-5 days.
- Freezing: Freeze tightly covered for up to 2 months; bake frozen pie at 350°F for 1 hour before serving.
Serve Ground Beef Shepherd’s Pie With:
Salads
Italian Salad Recipe
Appetizers
Life-Changing No-Knead Dinner Rolls
Side Dishes
Roasted Vegetables
Fruit Salads
Fall Fruit Salad
Shepherd’s Pie
Shepherd’s Pie is the ultimate comfort—savory ground beef and veggies in rich gravy, topped with creamy mashed potatoes. Cozy and delicious!
Video
Equipment
- Oven-safe pan
- Ricer for potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 cups mirepoix mix of carrots, onion, and celery, finely chopped (1 small yellow onion, 1 celery stalk, and 1 carrot to get 2 cups)
- 1.2 pounds ground beef chuck
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/2 cup frozen sweet peas or frozen corn
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes undrained
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1-3/4 cups reduced-sodium beef stock can use reduced-sodium beef broth
- 1/2 cup 100% grape juice see note 1
- 1 beef bouillon cube
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 3 bay leaves divided
Instructions
- Heat 1 and 1/2 tablespoons olive oil in a large, oven-safe pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and finely chopped onion, stirring frequently, for about 1 minute. Add finely chopped carrots and celery, cooking another 2–3 minutes until veggies are softened.
- Heat pan to high and add beef. Cook until browned, breaking it apart. Drain any excess grease. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute to remove raw flour taste. Reduce heat to medium-high and add the frozen peas or corn, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, beef stock, grape juice, beef bouillon cube, Worcestershire sauce, dried thyme, and bay leaves.
- Bring mixture to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium and let it rapidly simmer. Cook for 25–35 minutes at medium heat, stirring every 5 minutes until gravy thickens. Remove from heat, cover, and refrigerate until ready to bake. If making immediately, refrigerate until potatoes are ready. To maintain separate layers while baking, chill the mixture for at least 15–20 minutes. If you didn’t prepare in an oven-safe pan, transfer to a 2-quart oven-safe dish.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Peel and cube potatoes into golf-ball sized pieces. Rinse them under cold water in a strainer until water runs clear. Transfer to a large pot, cover with cold water, add 1 tablespoon fine sea salt and 1 bay leaf, then bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until potatoes are fork-tender, about 15–20 minutes. Drain potatoes in a strainer, ensuring all excess moisture is removed. Let dry for about 3 minutes and discard bay leaf.
- As potatoes dry in strainer, melt heavy cream, sour cream, and butter in the pot on low heat, stirring to combine. While potatoes are still hot, put them through a ricer and add on top of butter/sour cream mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper (about 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper). Cover and refrigerate until ready to assemble the pie, or use immediately to top the pie evenly.
- Use a fork to add marks into the surface of potatoes. Drizzle with remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25–30 minutes, or until potatoes are golden brown and edges are bubbling. For crispy tops, broil on high for 1–2 minutes. Remove from heat and garnish with fresh thyme or parsley as desired. Serve hot.
Final step! Please let us know how it was by leaving a review.
Recipe Notes
Note 1: Traditional Shepherd’s Pie typically includes red wine in the gravy. To do so, substitute 1/2 cup of medium-bodied red wine (like pinot noir) for an equal amount of vegetable broth.
Storage: Store cooked pie covered in the fridge for 3–5 days. You can freeze it tightly covered for up to 2 months; bake frozen pie at 350°F for 1 hour before serving.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 697kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 49.2g | Fat: 37.5g | Cholesterol: 192.9mg | Sodium: 623.1mg | Fiber: 4.9g | Sugar: 13.5g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Reader’s Notes & Tips
Tips & Variations from Chelsea’s Messy Apron’s Community
- Use Better Than Bouillon instead of bouillon cubes for richer flavor and convenience.
- Add a splash of vinegar (about a teaspoon or tablespoon) to brighten up the dish.
- Quick veggie prep tip: A reader from Pinterest shared that they pulse the veggies in a food processor to get them finely chopped fast without all the knife work.
*I originally shared this recipe September 26, 2020. Updated the post, not the recipe, on September 23, 2025.
Making this currently. Subbed a local hard cider for the grape juice, added a bit more seasoning, and a dash of balsamic vinegar (while browning the meat). My supermarket actually had lamb this week, so I’m using that instead of beef. Currently at the simmering stage and my house smells amazing. Dinner is gonna be late tonight (prep too a lot longer than I thought for whatever reason) but it’s definitely going to be worth the wait.
So busy cooking I forgot to leave 5 stars!!
This is the best part about Shepherd’s pie, you can personalize it so easily and it’s still delicious! I’m sooo glad you enjoyed! Thanks Miciah!:)
INSANELY good! Best I’ve ever had and I’ve had a lot of shepherd’s pie in my day 🙂
Yummy
Made this tonight-excellent! Any ideas of how to transition this to a make ahead freezer meal?
OMG. This is SO DELICIOUS. I have made shepherd’s pie before and it was bland and blah. This recipe is … wow. I actually made cauliflower mash with two heads, and all frozen veggies. I also used Pinot Noir instead of grape juice ?
That sounds amazing with a cauliflower mash! I’m so glad you enjoyed!! Thanks so much Heidi! 🙂
About to make this, I am using both ground beef and ground lamb is that okay and using grape juice?
Sounds great! 🙂 Enjoy!
This recipe is really a delicious comfort food. I usually use a shepherd’s pie seasoning mix. This was my first try making it from scratch. This is so much better. The only change that I made was using red wine instead of grape juice. I did simmer it for 35 minutes to thicken and stirred frequently to keep from sticking. I made the meat mixture one day. Then put it together with the mashed potatoes the next day. Another great recipe. Thanks Chelsea!
Wow! So good! I made this for my family and we all loved it. Kids went back for seconds and requested that I make it again soon. ? I was also pleasantly surprised at the delicious new flavors that resulted from pantry staples. And while it took longer to make than my standard weeknight supper, it was easy. Thanks for a great recipe!
Yay!! I’m so glad you guys all enjoyed! Thanks so much for sharing Kelly! 🙂
I made this recipe using Burgundy instead of grape juice. WOW. Replaced the mashed potatoes with premade mashed potatoes from the grocery (I know, I know…). And it still worked beautifully. Topped with grated cheese. My husband went back for seconds, which is rare.
Yayyy!! I’m so happy to hear this! 🙂 Thanks Anne!
I made this recipe last week and my family loved it. I omitted the grape juice and added a little more broth. The prep and cooking time is not even close. Between chopping vegetables, making the meat base, cooling the base, preparing the mashed potatoes, assembly, and cooking, this took me over 2 hours to prepare. Great recipe, but give yourself more time than the instructions state.