Skillet Shepherd's Pie is pure comfort food! This easy, 1 pan dinner recipe comes together with fridge and pantry staples in no time at all.
Our kids had a snow day from school a couple of weeks ago, which we learned about after receiving three phone calls, two emails, and an app update all before 6:30am. What a time to be alive!
Back in my day, my brothers and I had to huddle around the television screen at the crack of dawn, praying for our school’s name to crawl across the bottom of the screen informing us of our district’s decision. Snow day at best, regular day at worst, 2-hour delay somewhere in between.
Hunkered in at home, I made my ultra comforting — and easy (ie, I didn’t have to run to the store for a single ingredient!) — Skillet Shepherd’s Pie for a snow day dinner.
Maybe it’s me, but anything that comes out of the oven audibly bubbling is an automatic winner in my book. Add in a thick layer of mashed potatoes brushed with garlic butter blanketing saucy meat and vegetables and I’m sold.
The fact that this gluten free shepherd’s pie goes from stove, to oven, to dinner table in a big ol’ skillet makes me all kinds of happy.
Goodbye tons dishes to clean — hello, well, literally anything else!
Recipe Notes
- Shepherd’s vs Cottage Pie. I understand that shepherd’s pie is traditionally made with minced lamb meat and anything made with ground beef is considered “cottage pie” but here in the states – or Iowa rather, I guess I can’t speak for the whole country – it’s still called Shepherd’s Pie.
- Oven Safe Skillet. To make this recipe you’ll need a large, 10+” OVEN SAFE SKILLET. Here’s the enameled cast iron skillet I have, or a more budget friendly non-enameled cast iron skillet.
- Mashed Potato Topping. While my Healthy Mashed Potatoes are delicious in this dish, I admittedly at times use Bob Evans or Simply Potatoes brand prepared mashed potatoes for the sake of convenience! These are GF though do yourself a favor and double check labels at your individual store. I’ve also included a recipe for all-potato mashed potatoes in the notes section of the recipe card below.
How to Make Skillet Shepherd’s Pie
Start by browning ground beef with chopped shallot or onion in a large, oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat.
Season with homemade seasoned salt and pepper then add minced garlic and big pinches of dried parsley, thyme, and rosemary. Saute until fragrant, 1-2 minutes.
Next add worcestershire sauce (Lea & Perrin’s is gluten-free in the states,) and tomato paste then stir to combine. Sprinkle in gluten-free flour then stir and cook for 1 minute.
Slowly drizzle in beef stock or broth while stirring to avoid lumps then simmer until the mixture has thickened, 3-4 minutes. Taste then add more seasoned salt and/or pepper if necessary.
Take the skillet off the heat then stir in frozen vegetables. I just use a standard medley.
Last step is to spoon prepared mashed potatoes on top then spread into an even layer and brush with a mixture of melted butter and garlic powder.
Use a fork to give the mashed potatoes a rustic look, which will also help the ridges brown in the oven. Again, you can use homemade or store-bought prepared mashed potatoes. You’ll need around 4 cups to top the Shepherd’s Pie, depending on exactly how large your skillet is.
Bake the Skillet Shepherd’s Pie for 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees then finish with a blast from the broiler to really brown the top. Let sit for 5 minutes before digging in and serving up.
I hope you love this hot and comforting dish – enjoy!
More Cozy Skillet Recipes
- Ground Beef Stroganoff
- Creamy Summer Veggie Gnocchi Skillet
- Easy Mushroom Risotto
- Skillet Tater Tot Casserole
- Cheesy Chicken Burrito Skillet
- Italian Rice Ball Skillet
- Beef and Veggie Enchilada Skillet
- Cheesy Gnocchi Florentine
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 shallot or small onion, chopped
- homemade seasoned salt and pepper
- 3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- big pinch each dried thyme, dried rosemary, dried parsley
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 Tablespoon gluten free worcestershire sauce
- 2 Tablespoons gluten free flour, or AP flour if not GF
- 1-1/2 cups gluten free beef stock or broth
- 1-1/4 cups frozen vegetable medley
- 4 cups prepared mashed potatoes, homemade or store bought, see notes
- 2 Tablespoons butter or vegan butter, melted
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Directions
- Place a baking sheet on the bottom rack of the oven to catch any spillovers from skillet then preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Place a large, 12" oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat then add ground beef and shallots. Season with homemade seasoned salt and pepper, then brown the beef. Add garlic and dried herbs then saute for 1 minute or until garlic is very fragrant. Add tomato paste and worcestershire sauce then stir to combine. Sprinkle in flour then stir to combine and cook for 1 minute.
- Gradually add splashes of beef broth while stirring to avoid lumps then simmer, stirring often, until mixture has thickened, 3-4 minutes. Taste then add more seasoned salt and/or pepper if necessary. Remove skillet from heat then stir in frozen vegetables.
- Spoon mashed potatoes on top of meat and vegetables then spread into an even layer. Combine butter and garlic powder in a small dish then use a pastry brush or spoon to brush or drizzle the garlic butter on top. Run a fork around the mashed potatoes like recipe photos.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until dish is bubbly. Place under broiler set to high to get the top golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- I recommend my homemade Healthy Mashed Potatoes for this recipe. If you want to use store-bought, Bob Evans and Simply Potatoes brand prepared mashed potatoes are great too. Check packaging to ensure they are gluten free before buying.
- Homemade All Potato Mashed Potato recipe (makes 4-1/2ish cups): Peel then chop 2lbs Yukon Gold or Russet potatoes and add to a large pot of cold water. Bring to a boil then cook until potatoes are tender, 8-12 minutes, and then drain. Add 1/3 cup (5 Tablespoons) butter or vegan butter, 1/2 cup milk (any kind), salt, and pepper to the pot then add potatoes and mash until smooth. Alternatively you could rice the potatoes into the pot with the milk and butter then stir to combine. Measure out 4 cups then use remaining potatoes for something else. Mashed potatoes can be made several days ahead of time.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
Why is it called cottage pie when made with beef?
Shepherds guard and herd sheep and not cows ;-)
And thanks for the recipe!
can I use a can of VEG-ALL drained ?
Hi Joyce! If you’ve used that as a ground meat replacement in the past and enjoyed it, it could work in this recipe!
This looks like an amazingly easy skillet dinner! Can’t wait to enjoy it with my family this week!!
This is delicious, I don’t care what you call this recipe. I substituted the ground beef with ground Turkey.
could you make this ahead and cook it that evening in oven?
Sure! I’d let the skillet with the food inside sit at room temperature for 30 mins before baking. You might need to tack some extra cooking time on too.
Yum!! I think you posted a Shepherd Pie recipe years ago that included “faux potatoes” made from cauliflower. I started making this dish with half potatoes and half cauliflower in the topping. So good!
Oh yeah – still a favorite around here too – so glad it’s stood the test of time for you! :D I’ve taken to adding a ton of frozen riced cauliflower to this recipe to amp up the vegetables!
Y’all need to realize that this is not shepard’s pie, that is made with lamb. This is cottage pie. I know it’s a nit, but people will look at this recipe (and the name) and have another reason to make fun of Iowans. “Look at these fraking Iowans. Don’t even know what shepard’s pie is! What does IOWA stand for? Idiots out wandering around!”
If’n you want to make Iowa proud, do it proper. Don’t let the bloody bastards a chance to call us doughnuts!!
I made this last night, and it is delicious. I did not have frozen veggies, so I subbed 1 can corn and 1 can green beans, I also added cheese to the top before putting into the oven over the garlic butter. My dad and son really enjoyed it, lots of flavor. My dad asked next time to cut down a bit on the garlic, personal tastes, but will be making this one again!
Yum – you know I love the addition of cheese! We made this this past week too!
Can you freeze the Shepard pie?
Absolutely fabulous! This was the best Shepherd’s Pie I ever had. Definitely a keeper. Thanks Kristin.
I have made this twice and it is so comforting and delicious! My whole family loves it. Great leftovers too.
I’m so glad to hear it, Janet! This is a favorite of my family’s as well!
By the way….love that cast iron pan you served it in. Great Presentation!!
Hi Kristin, Did you use beef in place of Lamb due to cost? I have made this several times and find that the Lamb has more flavor in it and as one person stated about some of the Shepherds Pies being a bit boring due to lack of flavor. I find the lamb, chives in Potatoes and some onions that have been caramelized will provide more of a punch for this wonderful recipe. Just curious.
Great of you to notice. Shepard’s pie is made with lamb. IGE is not making Shepard’s pie, this is cottage pie.
Have a great day!
This. Was. Amazing! Thank you for the recipe. I did a 50/50 split of ground beef and lamb. (It was on sale ?). Perfection. Will be making this again for sure. Wish I could upload a picture. Looks just like yours. ???