Shepherd’s Pie with Beef (Cottage Pie)

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This easy shepherd’s pie recipe is a delicious way to use up leftover roast beef! Meat and vegetables are covered in creamy gravy and then topped with a cloud of buttery mashed potatoes. During the last few minutes of baking the whole thing is sprinkled with Cheddar cheese so that each bite is gooey, buttery, creamy perfection.

You’ll also find several variations and possible substitutions to make this recipe your very own.

Jump to:

• 🛒 Ingredients
• 📖 Instructions
• 📚 Related recipes
• ⏰ Timesaving tips
• ❓FAQs
• 👩🏼‍🍳 Variations
• 🥄 Supplies
• ☕️ Kaffeeklatsch
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Feedback

🛒 Ingredients

I don’t think there is a more family friendly comfort food than this easy shepherd’s pie made with leftover roast.

• Cooked meat – leftover pot roast, cooked ground beef, etc.
• Carrots – canned is fine and it saves time
• Potatoes – you’ll need to mash them, save time by buying potatoes that are already mashed and ready to go
• Green beans – canned is fine and it saves time
• Butter
• Milk – evaporated milk will make it even creamier
• Flour
• Cheddar cheese

📖 Instructions

1. Put leftover roast beef, cooked ground beef, cooked chicken, or whatever your protein is in the bottom of a greased casserole dish.
2. Cover with cooked green beans and carrots. Set aside.
3. Melt butter in a saucepan and stir in flour.
4. Cook for 2 minutes stirring constantly.
5. Add the milk and whisk until smooth and thick.
6. Pour over the beef mixture in the casserole dish.
7. Cover with mashed potatoes.
8. Sprinkle with cheese.
9. Bake as directed.

📚 Related recipes

It won’t be hard to get the family to the table with these recipes! They’re some of our favorites – I hope you’ll love them, too!

This is the kind of food that makes dinner one of those memorable times. It’s the kind of meal that encourages you to sit back and really talk without being in a hurry to leave the table.

• Slow Cooker Pot Roast Sandwiches are a great way to use leftover roast beef! OR they’re a great way to create leftovers for this recipe!
• Pot Roast with Jalapeno Cheese Grits are my favorite comfort food. The grits are creamy with gooey cheese and each bite bites you back a little thanks to the jalapenos! The butter tender beef is piled on top so the juices flow into the grits. Try this!
• Cajun Slow Cooker Pot Roast is a family favorite. The beef is slow cooked with cajun spices and flavorings until it just falls apart on your fork and melts in your mouth.

⏰ Timesaving tips

If you really want to save time in the kitchen it’s smart to plan for leftovers!

One thing I like to do is make a large pot roast in the slow cooker on Sunday or early in the week. I’d always have a ton left and I’d spend time figuring out leftover pot roast recipes because I got kind of tired of leftover pot roast sandwiches.

This is an easy recipe but I’ve learned to shave off a few minutes by using convenience food when I have to. Here are some of my favorite tips for making this cottage pie recipe.

• Jarred, prepared gravy is a great timesaver if  you are in a rush.
• Save time by using prepared mashed potatoes from the store. Costco has some that are really good.
• Shepherd’s Pie can be assembled up to 2 days ahead of time – keep covered in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake it.

❓FAQs

Here are the questions I am most frequently asked about this recipe.

Do you cover shepherd’s pie when baking?

Not usually because you want that top to develop a thin, golden crust of gooey cheese. If the top starts to brown too much or too quickly you can tent a piece of foil over it.

What are the layers?

That’s really up to you. Since it is basically made of leftovers you could put in whatever leftover, cooked vegetables you happen to have in the fridge. Green beans and sliced or mashed carrots are common.

So the first layer is the meat, followed by the green beans and/or carrots. Add any cooked vegetable you like. Next you’ll pour the gravy over the whole thing, add a layer of mashed potatoes, and then I like to add a layer of cheese even though it’s not traditional.

Can cheese ever be wrong?

Do you put cheese on top?

Ah, you’ve got me.

Traditionally speaking there isn’t normally cheese in or on shepherd’s pie. However, personally I love cheese on top. Cheddar, smoked Gouda… any cheese that melts well will work.

Is it made with lamb or beef?

Well, technically shepherd’s pie is made with lamb, and cottage pie (exactly the same except the meat) is made with beef.

👩🏼‍🍳 Variations

There are plenty of ways to make shepherd’s pie. If you don’t have leftover pot roast try one of these variations.

• Vegetarian – substitute sauteed mushrooms, eggplant, or a combination for the meat in the recipe
• Gluten free – use 2 tablespoons cornstarch instead of flour for the thickener
• Use 3 1/2 cups cooked ground beef instead of leftover roast
• Use ground lamb instead of beef
• Use ground pork, or a combination of ground pork and ground beef
• Use ground turkey or chicken
• Use Pepper Jack or other cheese
• Use mashed sweet potatoes instead of potatoes – this is especially good with the turkey or pork versions
• You may add peas instead of green beans – or along with the green beans if you like
• Save some calories and carbs by using mashed cauliflower in place of the potatoes
• Chopped onions can be sauteed until tender in some butter and added over the meat layer
• Cooked, boneless chicken can be substituted for the beef.
• Pulled pork is a delicious variation to this recipe. I like to substitute corn for the carrots, and use BBQ sauce over the meat instead of gravy when using the pulled pork

🥄 Supplies

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A covered casserole dish is great to have because you can make it ahead and easily keep it covered until you are ready to bake it. Leftovers can be stored right in the same dish with its own cover. Very handy!

☕️ Kaffeeklatsch

It’s really funny. My family is starting to get smaller. We are down to 4 kids at home now and they do not have the appetites of some of the kids who have moved out.

It’s been much harder to learn to cook smaller portions again than it was to learn to cook huge amounts. I am at that in-between stage where I frustrate myself by having to throw out way too much food.

For the first time in decades I’m having to deal with leftovers.

I miss the big family chaos, a lot. I am not sure I will ever get used to it this quiet household — and it’s one of those things that was a season that is now passed — no going back.

I am grateful that I was able to be a stay at home mom, to homeschool, and to spend all the time with them that I did. I can’t think of a better way to have invested my life.

Once you try this you’ll be hooked. It’s so quick and easy that it makes a great weeknight dinner– and you can even put it together a day or so ahead of time and bake it when you’re ready to eat.

If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.

If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖 Recipe

First published January 2015. Last updated March 2020 to increase page speed and readability.