Skillet Shepherd’s Pie
Skillet Shepherd’s Pie is ground beef and mixed vegetables in savory gravy topped with creamy mashed potatoes, all cooked in one skillet. It delivers classic comfort food flavor without the fuss of layering and baking in a casserole dish. Ready in about 35 minutes, or even faster if you use leftover mashed potatoes. Perfect for weeknight dinners when you want some warm comfort food.
When craving comfort after a long day, I always think meat and potatoes. And Shepherd’s Pie is the ultimate combination of the two. Especially when the whole family is super hungry and the weather’s a little chilly.
Ground beef, veggies, rich gravy, and fluffy mashed potatoes all in one skillet.
The best part? I use leftover mashed potatoes as a shortcut. That makes this dish not only easy but budget friendly, and it sneaks in extra veggies. Win-win-win.
Everything you need for dinner and one pan to clean up. No transferring to a casserole dish unless you want to.
Serve this with a salad to round out your meal. With all this extra time, whip up these no bake peanut butter bars for dessert!
More Ground Beef Skillet Recipes
- Skillet Lasagna – Italian comfort, no layering or hot oven
- Hamburger Gravy – Southern-style over mashed potatoes
- Cheesy Taco Pasta – Tex-Mex with taco seasoning
- Homemade Hamburger Helper – Better-than-boxed in 20 minutes
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See recipe card for complete information on ingredients and their quantities.
Ingredient Notes
- Ground beef: Lean ground beef. Substitute ground lamb if preferred.
- Vegetables: I like to use the frozen ones because they are easier and don’t get mushy when you cook them.
- Broth: Use beef broth or beef stock for the best flavor.
- Soup mix: Use any onion soup mix but I prefer the Beefy Onion Soup Mix.
- Mashed potatoes: Prepared mashed potatoes are easiest or make some homemade. Substitute mashed cauliflower if you want to skip the potatoes.
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How To Make Skillet Shepherd’s Pie
- Preheat oven to 375F. In a large skillet, add olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and ground beef. Cook until no longer pink. Don’t drain.
- Add in the tomato paste, salt, pepper, and spices. Stir to combine and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Sprinkle in the soup mix, broth, Worcestershire sauce, and vegetable mixture. Stir to combine. Simmer for 3-5 minutes. Remove from the heat and carefully spread the mashed potatoes on top.
- Drizzle with melted butter and bake for 20 minutes or until the top is lightly golden brown. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and serve.
For the full recipe and detailed instructions, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Variations
- Individual portions: Divide into ramekins or small bowls for single servings.
- Different meat: Switch things up with ground lamb (traditional), ground turkey, or any other ground meat. Sausage is great too!
- Cheesy top: Sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese over the mashed potatoes before baking.
- Change veggies: Use your favorite vegetable mix. Frozen mixed vegetables don’t get too soft.
- Make it fancy: Pipe mashed potatoes on top with pastry bag in swirls.
- Crockpot version: Check out my crockpot shepherd’s pie for slow cooker method.
What’s Shepherd’s Pie vs. Cottage Pie?
Fun fact: The name matters!
Shepherd’s Pie: Made with ground or minced lamb (shepherds tend sheep, get it?)
Cottage Pie: Made with ground beef. So technically, this recipe is Cottage Pie. But I’ve always known it as Shepherd’s Pie and most people use the terms interchangeably.
Scottish twist: In Scotland, they serve it with pie crust instead of mashed potatoes!
Frequently Asked Questions
Store leftovers in airtight container in fridge up to 5 days. Reheat in microwave or in oven at 350°F until warmed through.
Yes! Freeze up to 3 months. If using a cast iron skillet or don’t want your skillet tied up, transfer to casserole dish first. Bake, cool to room temperature, cover with plastic wrap then aluminum foil, freeze. Thaw overnight in fridge, then bake at 350°F for 45 minutes or until internal temp reaches 165°F.
Traditional shepherd’s pie is made with ground or minced lamb (think “shepherd”). If made with ground beef like this recipe, it’s technically cottage pie. But most people use the terms for both.
Absolutely! Ground lamb (traditional), ground turkey, or any ground meat you prefer. You can even use meatless crumbles and vegetable stock to make a vegetarian version.
Make fresh! Boil 2 pounds potatoes until tender, mash with butter, milk, salt and pepper. Or use instant mashed potatoes for shortcut.
If your skillet isn’t oven-safe, just transfer the ground beef mixture to casserole dish before topping with potatoes and baking.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Use leftover mashed potatoes: Perfect way to use them up, make fresh, or buy some already prepared.
- Budget-friendly protein: Ground beef is economical. Swap for ground lamb, turkey, or meatless crumbles.
- Customize veggies: Use your favorites like peas, carrots, corn, and green beans.
- Oven-safe skillet: If yours isn’t oven-safe, transfer beef mixture to casserole dish before topping with potatoes.
- Make it fancy: Use fork to create design on top of mashed potatoes before baking.
- Add cheese: Top mashed potatoes with shredded cheddar for extra richness
This cast-iron skillet shepherd’s pie recipe is a delicious meal for meat and potato lovers. It’s perfect all year round but mostly for St. Patrick’s Day.
If you love this recipe as much as I do, please leave us a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ five-star review in the comment section below. Thanks!
Skillet Shepherds Pie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef lean
- 1 small onion diced
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon rosemary
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1.9 ounces Beefy onion soup mix 1 packet
- 1 cup beef broth
- 2 ½ cups mixed vegetables frozen
- 4 cups mashed potatoes prepared
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- On the stove top in a large (12 inch) oven safe skillet, add the olive oil and heat over medium heat.
- Add the diced onion and ground beef. Cook until no longer pink.
- Add in the tomato paste, salt, pepper, garlic powder, rosemary, and thyme. Stir to combine.
- Cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Sprinkle in the soup mix, stir, and pour in the broth, Worcestershire sauce, and mixed veggies.
- Stir to combine and simmer for 3-5 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and carefully spread the mashed potatoes on top.
- You can leave it smooth or use a fork to make a design on the top.
- Drizzle with melted butter and bake for 20 minutes or until the top is lightly golden brown.
- Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and serve.
Nutrition
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