Smoked Sausage Shepherds Pie

Sausage, peppers, onions, and green beans are smothered in a cheese sauce and topped with a thick crust of mashed potatoes. This is sure to be a family favorite! 

❤️ Why you'll love it

• Pure comfort food that the whole family will enjoy.
• A hearty, complete meal served up in a steaming hot casserole dish.
• Easy recipe short-cuts to make prep even faster for an easy weeknight meal.

Smoked sausage shepherd's pie features mashed potatoes toasted crisp over tender green beans, onions, and peppers—just don't forget the creamy cheese sauce to pull everything together.

Add this twist on the traditional cottage pie to the "family favorites" category ASAP!

🧾 Ingredients

This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.

📖 Variations

Make this smoked sausage shepherd's pie recipe your own with these tasty ideas:

• You can swap the sliced pork sausage with ground beef, ground lamb, ground turkey, or another type of ground meat you have on hand. However, you will lose the smoky flavor.
• Hate to boil potatoes? Replace the homemade mash with store-bought or pre-made.
• Whipped sweet potatoes with chipotle is a delicious substitution for the mashed potatoes!
• I like to use a combination of yellow, green, and red bell pepper.
• Blanch some fresh green beans instead of using canned. Alternatively, use up that frozen bag of mixed vegetables you've had for ages!
• In addition to the beans, you can add green peas, corn, or shredded carrots. A good idea if you need to sneak veggies into a picky eater's meal!
• Sometimes I make this in a large, cast iron skillet. It looks so warm and comforting and I think it tastes better, too.
• Try adding some crispy french fried onions to the top before baking.
• If you don't have time to make the cheese sauce yourself, use the quick swap in the recipe card below. Just know you're missing out, though!
• Mix in fresh thyme or minced garlic cloves if you like those flavors.
• Instead of the sharp cheddar cheese, use another similar type, like white cheddar or American.
• Garnish with fresh parsley and/or some grated parmesan cheese!
• If you don't have a casserole dish, you can bake the shepherd's pie in a large skillet.

🔪 Instructions

This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page.

1. Layer the smoked sausage and cooked vegetables in a casserole dish.
2. Make the cream sauce.
3. Pour the cheese sauce over the vegetables and meat.
4. Top with mashed potatoes and more cheese and bake.

🥫 Storage

Isn't it such a great thing when your favorite recipe just so happens to make great leftovers?

Store cooled shepherd's pie in an airtight container and refrigerate it for four to five days. You can also just wrap the baking dish with plastic wrap or foil. Alternatively, double wrap the leftovers in plastic and freeze them for two to three months.

Feel free to use either the microwave or oven to thaw and reheat the shepherd's pie. If using the microwave, you'll want to heat in intervals, stirring in between.

💭 Things to know

Expert Tip: Making the cheese sauce in the same pan that you cooked the veggies imparts more flavor into your sauce! So, don't feel the need to wipe down the pan in between, unless something stuck and started to burn.

• Use red, yellow, or orange sweet bell peppers with four bumps on the bottom, rather than three. Typically, they're sweeter!
• If you use red potatoes for the mash you don't have to peel them.
• When making the roux for your cheese sauce, start with the whisk, but switch to a wooden spoon—preferably one with a flat edge. That way, you can scrape up any bits that stick to the pan before it scalds or burns.
• Slice sausage on the thicker side but keep it bite sized.

👩‍🍳 FAQs

📚 Related recipes

• Slow Cooker Sausage & Potatoes is creamy, hearty, and has a casserole feel. Slices of smoked sausage and potato in a cream sauce simmer all day in the crock pot. You're free to do whatever you please—dinner'll be ready when you get home!
• Crumbled sausage, al dente noodles, and oodles of cheese—for an Italian classic with a Tex-Mex twist, try Baked Ziti with Sausage.
• Swap the potatoes for tater tots and the sausage for beef, and you've got delicious, cheesy Cowboy Casserole—spurred boots optional.

🍽️ Serve with...

This is a hearty meal that's perfect for cooler weather. I like to serve it with Maple Roasted Carrots on the side. If I have a chance I'll make some Cloverleaf Rolls, too.

AND if everyone has been real, real good I'll put together this incredible White Velvet Vintage Buttermilk Cake.

📓 Meal plans in minutes

📞 The last word

When I think of comfort food shepherds pie is always one of the first dishes that comes to mind. Creamy gravy, seasoned meat, mounds of fluffy mashed potatoes? Yes please!

Who could possibly resist all of that?

I love a delicious recipe like this -- the ones that taste like you worked on them for hours but in reality you threw it together in minutes.

You can assemble it ahead of time and keep it tightly covered in the fridge for a day or two before baking and serving.

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

4.43 from 7 votes

Smoked Sausage Shepherds Pie

Print Pin Recipe Save Saved!

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Smoked sausage shepherd's pie is an easy, comforting weeknight meal that you can have on the table in less than 30 minutes.

Course Main

Cuisine American - Vintage

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings:6

Calories:737

Author:Marye Audet-White

Ingredients

1x2x3x

Sausage Mixture

• ▢ 1 pound smoked sausage, sliced
• ▢ 2 tablespoons butter
• ▢ 1 cup onion, chopped
• ▢ 1 cup bell peppers, chopped
• ▢ ½ cup celery, chopped
• ▢ 28 ounces green beans, cooked or canned, drained

Cheese Sauce

• ▢ 4 tablespoons butter
• ▢ 3 tablespoons flour
• ▢ ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon dry mustard
• ▢ 1-½ cups milk
• ▢ 4 ounces cream cheese
• ▢ 1-½ cups cheddar cheese, shredded

Topping

• ▢ 4 cups mashed potatoes

Quick Cheese Sauce-Alternate

• ▢ 10.5 ounces cream of celery soup
• ▢ 1-½ cups cheddar cheese, shredded

I earn a commission from Instacart from qualifying purchases.

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 375F.

Sausage Mixture

• Grease a casserole dish, add the sliced sausage, and set it aside.
• Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a heavy sauce pan.
• Add the onion, peppers, and celery and saute until soft and caramelized on the edges.
• Remove the vegetables from the pan and spoon over the sausage.
• Cover with the green beans.
• Set aside.

Cheese Sauce

• Add the remaining butter to the pan and melt it over medium heat.
• Whisk in the flour, garlic, paprika, and mustard -- stirring for 2 minutes.
• Pour in the milk, whisking constantly until smooth.
• Simmer for 2 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
• Add the cream cheese and cheddar and whisk until smooth.

Quick Cheese Sauce

• Mix the soup and cheese.
• Heat until smooth in the microwave.
• Stir.

Assembly

• Pour the cheese sauce over the vegetables and sausage.
• Top with the mashed potatoes.
• Sprinkle with a little more grated cheese.
• Bake for 15 minutes, or until piping hot and lightly browned on the top.

Notes

Storage:

Store cooled shepherd's pie in an airtight container and refrigerate it for four to five days. You can also just wrap the baking dish with plastic wrap or foil.

Alternatively, double wrap the leftovers in plastic and freeze them for two to three months.

Tips:

• Making the cheese sauce in the same pan that you cooked the veggies imparts more flavor into your sauce! So, don't feel the need to wipe down the pan in between, unless something stuck and started to burn.
• Use red, yellow, or orange bell peppers with four bumps on the bottom, rather than three. Typically, they're sweeter!
• When making the roux for your cheese sauce, start with the whisk, but switch to a wooden spoon—preferably one with a flat edge. That way, you can scrape up any bits that stick to the pan before it scalds or burns.

You'll find more helpful tips and variations in the body of the post.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 737kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 49g | Saturated Fat: 24g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 134mg | Sodium: 1042mg | Potassium: 1064mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 2694IU | Vitamin C: 83mg | Calcium: 324mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Sign up for the emails and never miss another recipe!!

I'M IN!

We'll never share your email or send you spam. Pinkie swear.

First published April 4, 2016. Last updated October 6, 2023 for editorial improvements.