Old Fashioned Dutch Oven Shepherd’s Pie Recipe
Dutch Oven Shepherd's pie with beef is incredibly comforting with a great balance of meat, veggies, and creamy mashed potatoes as the source of carbs!
While traditional Shepherd’s pie is made with ground lamb, this dish is just as addictive with ground beef, and a lot more inexpensive to make, too! Serve your Shepherd’s pie at family gatherings over the holidays, for an easy midweek meal, or to take to your next potluck!
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT SHEPHERD’S PIE
Traditional Shepherd’s pie originates from Ireland from the 1700s and 1800s when sheep herding was a primary focus of local farmers.
The wives of these farmers developed this hearty dish as a way to use up leftover meat (lamb) and vegetables. Considering the occupation of the farmers back in the day and how this dish came about, it’s safe to say that the true term for the recipe is “Shepherd’s pie,” while some do refer to it today as “Shepherd’s pie”.
Classic Shepherd's pie is made with ground lamb, while cottage pie is made with ground beef. That said, many recipe adaptations do allow for the use of ground beef for Shepherd's pie.
WHAT MEAT IS BEST TO USE IN SHEPHERD’S PIE?
If you want to make a traditional Shepherd’s pie, then ground lamb is the meat to use. Of course, there’s nothing stopping you from using other types of ground meat, such as ground beef, ground pork, ground ostrich, or even ground turkey.
Keep in mind that if you use lean ground lamb or beef, or a naturally lean meat such as turkey, the flavor will be somewhat reduced due to less fat content.
WHY DOES MY SHEPHERD’S PIE HAVE LIQUID IN IT AFTER COOKING?
Extra liquid can be present in this dish if you’ve used broth as part of the cooking liquid, and the meat selected doesn’t soak up the broth that well.
Using frozen vegetables in a Shepherd’s pie that haven’t been thawed and dried can also add to the excess liquid in this dish.
If you find that you do have excess liquid once the meat has cooked, angle the pot slightly and carefully remove some of the liquid by the spoonful and discard.
STORAGE AND FREEZING TIPS
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days or freeze it for up to 2-3 months.
- Frozen leftovers can be thawed in the fridge and reheated in the microwave or the oven (covered with foil for most of the reheating time).
- You can make and assemble the Shepherd’s pie in the Dutch oven and then store it in the fridge for 2-3 days ahead of time, if the pot fits in the refrigerator.
- Make sure to allow the Dutch oven pot to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes so that it doesn’t go into the oven cold from refrigeration; otherwise, this can affect the cooking time.
WHAT CAN I SERVE WITH SHEPHERD'S PIE?
Shepherd’s pie is a satisfying meal all by itself with meat, veggies, and carbs! That said, if you’re looking for some side dish ideas to serve with your Shepherd’s pie, then consider garlic-cheese bread, leafy garden salad, or garlic lemon asparagus.
Dutch Oven Shepherd's Pie
Ingredients
Method
- Start by peeling your potatoes and dicing them into 2-inch cubes. Add to a pot or enameled dutch oven, and fill with water until potatoes are just covered. Over medium heat, bring to a boil for about 20 minutes. You may need to turn the heat down as the potatoes begin to cook to prevent the water from boiling over. I have my cover loosely on the dutch oven to allow some heat to escape and to watch the boiling of the potatoes. The potatoes are done when they are fork-tender and no longer crunchy. Drain the potatoes and place back into your cooking pot.
- While the potatoes are cooking, add your ground beef to a dutch oven and begin to brown over medium heat. This should take about 10 minutes. Add the Lipton French Onion Mix to the beef as it begins to cook as well as the minced garlic. Ladle out grease from the ground beef as needed.
- Once the beef is done cooking, add a layer of vegetables. For this recipe, I used 2 cans of drained sweet corn.
- To the drained potatoes add the butter, cream cheese, milk, salt, and pepper. Mashed or whip the potatoes until your desired consistency.
- Layer the potatoes on top of the vegetables and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until pockets of golden brown form on top. Sprinkle with scallions or parsley.
