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This hearty Shepherd's Pie with Corn is the perfect comfort food for any occasion. Packed with savory ground meat, sweet corn, and a creamy, cheesy mashed potato topping, it's a family-friendly dish that will leave everyone coming back for seconds!
Looking for other easy family recipes using ground beef? Try my Beef Burrito Pie recipe, or my Taco Beef and Potato Casserole recipe, or my Instant Pot Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta recipe!
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A traditional Shepherd's Pie is made with ground lamb, and carrots and peas, but our family prefers ground beef and corn. You can choose whatever vegetables you prefer.
🩷 What you'll love about this recipe
▪️All ingredients used in this recipe are whole foods. This recipe doesn't use any processed foods.
▪️The vegetables in the beef mixture can be customized and changed up to whatever your family likes. There are no rules here.
▪️The full dinner can be made in advance, and kept in the refrigerator or freezer, and simply baked in the oven when ready to eat.
🥘 Recipe Ingredients
You’ll need the following ingredients to make this delicious easy shepherd's pie recipe.
📝 Ingredient Notes
- ground beef - I like to use as lean as possible. I add in a little butter for flavor, so you don't want it to greasy.
- potatoes - I like to use yellow or gold potatoes as a personal preference, as I think they work better for mashed potatoes.
- beef broth - beef bone broth will give you a richer, deeper flavor.
📋 How to Make Shepherd's Pie with Corn Step-By-Step
Here are some visual instructions. Full instructions with exact ingredients can be found in the Recipe Card below.
Peel and dice potatoes. I love this OXO vegetable peeler for this job. Boil potatoes in salted water (a teaspoon or so) until soft. While the potatoes are cooking, brown ground beef in a large pan or skillet. (I'm LOVING my new HexClad pans by the way!) Drain grease, if any. Add 1 tablespoon of butter, corn (drained if using a can), chopped onion and salt.
Add minced garlic, dried parsley (or fresh) and bay leaf. Cook until onion is soft and translucent. Add flour, then stir and cook for about 2-3 minutes, so the flour can absorb into the mixture, and you no longer have the "flour" flavor.
Add beef broth or beef stock to the meat mixture. If you want to add a teaspoon or two of Worcestershire sauce here to make a really flavorful gravy, you can do so. Cook until thickened, and then take off the heat and set aside. Drain the potatoes and place in a large mixing bowl. Add butter, half and half, paprika, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
Drain potatoes and place in a mixing bowl. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher until they are the consistency you prefer. It doesn't matter if there are lumps. If you want super creamy mashed potatoes, you can use a hand mixer. Add the beef mixture to a 9"x13" baking dish or casserole dish. Top the meat with the mashed potatoes. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese on top of the mashed potatoes. Please shred your own cheese! The pre-shredded cheese has additives that can prevent it from melting as nicely, or may make it grainy.
It's ready for baking!
💡 Recipe Tips
Tip 1: If you are looking to save some time, you can prepare a large bag of instant potatoes, instead of making the mashed potatoes from scratch.
Tip 2: Another time saver is using a frozen bag of mixed vegetables in the beef mixture, instead of cutting up fresh veggies.
Tip 3: Try tater tots on top of the beef mixture instead of mashed potatoes for a change up!
Time Saving Tip
Make this meal in advance! Refrigerate the day before, and bake as directed. This can also be frozen. Thaw in the refrigerator before cooking, and bake as directed.
🫙 Storage & Reheating
Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.
How to reheat Shepherd's Pie: If you are reheating a large amount, just heat up the oven per the original baking instructions (350°F) and bake until hot. If you're reheating individual servings, reheat in a microwave-safe bowl about 2-3 minutes until hot.
Freezing: Place prepared pie in a container that can be completely sealed. If this will be frozen for longer than a week, I also like to wrap in plastic wrap to ensure a complete seal.
🧂Additions & Substitutions
Additions:
- Additional vegetables such as green beans, broccoli, carrots, peas, cauliflower, etc.
- Add ½ cup Guinness beer in place of part of the beef broth.
Substitutions:
- Instead of ground beef, try ground turkey or ground chicken, or the traditional ground lamb.
- Instead of cheddar cheese, try Monterey Jack, pepper jack or Parmesan cheese.
- Rather than using whole kernel corn, try using a can of creamed corn, for an extra creamy meat filling.
❓Your questions answered
Since this recipe is already a full blown meal with meat, vegetable and a starch, I like to serve this with a slice of fresh bread and butter. Another option would be to have a small side salad along with it.
If you want to get technical, this is really a cottage pie. Shepherd's pie and Cottage pie are basically the same recipe, except Cottage pie is made with ground beef and Shepherd's pie is made with ground lamb.
Let us know if you liked this Shepherd's Pie with Corn by leaving a star rating and a comment below!
🍽️ More Easy Dinner Recipes that you'll love
💛Everything Bagel Chicken with Cream Cheese Sauce
💛Creamy Chicken Noodle Casserole
💛Smoked Sausage Sheet Pan Meal
💛Philly Cheesesteak Bubble Up Casserole with Smoked Gouda Cheese Sauce
📋 Recipe
Shepherd's Pie with Corn
Equipment
- hand mixer optional
Ingredients
Mashed Potatoes
- 2 pounds yellow potatoes peeled and diced
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons half and half
- salt and pepper to taste
Meat Mixture
- 1 pound ground beef, 93% lean
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 small yellow onion chopped
- 12 ounces corn frozen
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 large bay leaf
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 cups beef broth or beef stock
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce optional
Topping
- 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Peel 2 pounds yellow potatoes. Dice into small cubes. Boil until tender in salted water.
- While the potatoes are cooking, in a large skillet, brown 1 pound ground beef, 93% lean. Drain any excess fat. Add 1 tablespoon butter, 1 small yellow onion, 12 ounces corn, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon dried parsley, 1 large bay leaf and 1½ teaspoons salt. Cook until onion is soft and translucent.
- Add 3 tablespoons all purpose flour and cook for 2-3 minutes to get the raw flour taste cooked out. Add 2 cups beef broth and cook for about 5 minutes or until thickened. This is optional but you can add the 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce here if you'd like an extra depth of flavor.
- Transfer the meat mixture to a 8"x12" baking or casserole dish.
- After potatoes are cooked, drain thoroughly and add to a mixing bowl. Add ½ teaspoon paprika, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, 2 tablespoons butter, 3 tablespoons half and half and salt and pepper to taste. Mash with a potato masher or with a hand mixer.
- Spread mashed potatoes on top of the meat mixture. Top with 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese.
- Bake for about 25 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly, and the Shepherd's Pie is hot throughout.
Notes
- Additional vegetables such as green beans, broccoli, carrots, peas, cauliflower, etc.
- Add ½ cup Guinness beer in place of part of the beef broth.
- Instead of ground beef, try ground chicken or turkey, or the traditional ground lamb.
- Instead of cheddar cheese, try Monterey Jack, pepper jack or Parmesan cheese.
- Rather than using whole kernel corn, try using a can of creamed corn, for an extra creamy meat filling.
Teri
This is one of my family's favorite meals to eat in the winter!