Slow Cooker Shepherd’s Pie
8 Comments Nov 03, 2022
Updated Aug 29, 2024
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Slow Cooker Shepherd’s Pie is the perfect way to enjoy a classic comfort food your whole family is sure to love. It’s made with ground beef, carrots, peas, and a few other common ingredients all packed with a helping of mashed potatoes on top. This is sure to become one of your favorite recipes!
If your family loves casserole-type meals like this, then you may want to try my Slow Cooker Hamburger Potato Casserole.
Table of Contents
Can you make Shepherd’s Pie in a crockpot?
Typically cooked in the oven, this meat pie cooks wonderfully in the slow cooker. If your days are busy like mine, having slow cooker recipes like this crock pot shepherd’s pie can be a lifesaver. The prep time is reasonable with a cooking time that allows you to get things done and have it on the table for dinner.
You’ll love having an easy recipe like this crock pot shepherd’s pie on hand. Technically, this would be crockpot cottage pie since it’s made with ground beef.
In the UK where shepherd’s pie originated, it would be made with ground lamb. Lamb isn’t very popular in the US so this classic comfort food goes by shepherd’s pie on this side of the pond.
Recipe Ingredients
- Ground Beef: Lean ground beef or ground lamb works best for this recipe. Lean meat will yield much less grease.
- Peas: Canned peas make part of the dump-and-go process easy.
- Potatoes: Russet potatoes are peeled, quartered, and turned into mashed potatoes on top of the shepherd’s pie.
- Carrots: Diced into bite-size pieces.
- Yellow Onion: Also diced and adds a nice flavor to the meat pie.
- Wet Ingredients: Milk (for the potatoes), Worcestershire sauce, and beef broth create a great base flavor for this pie recipe.
- Seasonings: Salt and pepper, minced garlic, and thyme.
Step-by-Step Directions
Step One – Peel, quarter, and boil potatoes until soft.
Step Two – Drain the water and add butter.
Step Three – Use a potato masher to mash potatoes.
Step Four – Add milk and continue mashing until smooth.
Step Five – In a large skillet, brown ground beef for about 5 minutes. There will still be a bit of red meat.
Step Six – Add diced onion and minced garlic. Stir.
Step Seven – Add in diced carrots.
Step Eight – Pour in the can of peas. Stir.
Step Nine – Pour the beef mixture into the slow cooker.
Step Ten – Spread the mashed potatoes on top.
Step Eleven – Cover and cook on LOW for 4 hours.
Step Twelve – Allow the shepherd’s pie to cool slightly, then serve.
Recipe FAQs
No, it will make your mix layer far too liquidy.
Shepherd’s pie is versatile when it comes to side dishes. A couple of suggested options are Yorkshire pudding or green beans. Most vegetable side dishes work well also, like garlic broccoli, sugar snap peas, a green salad or glazed Brussels sprouts.
Yes. Add them just like you would a can of peas.
You can add extra vegetables into the meat mixture such as green beans (frozen green beans too), cheese, and mushrooms. You can add tomato paste if you want a tomato based meat mixture.
Some people like to add condensed cream soup like cream of mushroom soup or cream of celery soup. You can even add cheese!
Sure. You can make crockpot shepherd’s pie with ground turkey too.
Instant mashed potatoes will work. Make them according to the package instructions (additional ingredients may be required).
You’ll need to use 1/8 teaspoon of garlic powder in place of each clove.
You can start by adding more salt and pepper to taste. Onion powder is another good seasoning.
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Slow Cooker Shepards Pie
Ingredients
Mashed Potatoes
- 1 ½ pounds russet potatoes, peeled and quartered (approx. 4-5 medium potatoes)
- ½ tsp. sea salt
- ¼ tsp. pepper
- ¼ cup salted butter, (½ stick)
- ¾ cup whole milk
For the Shepherd Filling:
- 2 pounds lean ground beef, (or ground lamb)
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 medium carrots, chopped (this is about 1½ cups choppped)
- ½ cup beef broth, low sodium
- 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp. dried thyme leaves
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 14 oz. can peas, strained (or 1 cup frozen peas)
Instructions
- Boil potatoes in a large stock pot on high heat until fork soft. While they are cooking prepare beef.
- In a large saucepan add beef and cook for about 5 minutes on medium-high heat. Strain all the fat, then add the 1 tsp. salt, onion and garlic and cook until beef has no pink pieces.
- Add carrots, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, thyme and ¼ teaspoon ground pepper and bring to a boil. Allow it to simmer on low until most of the liquid is gone.
- While the beef is simmering, mash your potatoes with ½ stick salted butter, and ½ teaspoon of salt and pepper (or more if desired).
- Pour in milk and mix well and set aside.
- Once the beef mixture has almost no broth left pour in a can of peas and stir to combine.
- Add the beef mixture to the slow cooker, then evenly spread the potatoes on top.
- Cook on low for 4 hours and allow to cool slightly, then serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
It was so yummy and so delicious my whole family liked it. thank you
I’m making this tomorrow! Thanks for the recipe.
Step 7: You put diced potatoes by accident. Supposed to be carrots.
Thank you!
Used Sunset Seasoning to taste a little at a time instead of the spices.
Put creamed corn on the potatoes.
Delicious!
Thank you for the recipe. I was hoping i could make the pie in the slowcooker, as in the summer it is 50 million degrees in our apt.
So to those above that are slamming the recipe, go spread your miserableness somewhere else!
I make this recipe all the time with the exception of using the slow cooker. I just pop in in the oven for 20 minutes Everything is already cooked so I don’t see the point in this recipe
It’s not a shepherds pie it is a cottage pie I spent 7 years as a sous chef working my way up from a dishwasher. Shepherds pie must have lamb. A cottage pie has beef. Please correct your mistake. This is false advertising.
Oh man here I thought the average Joe had too many problems to give a shit. Oh way that’s right. We do. Go fuck yourself and your false advertising claim you wannabe Gordon Ramsay schmuck.