Slow Cooker Shepherd’s Pie
Enjoy a hearty and comforting meal with this Slow Cooker Shepherd’s Pie. It is easy to make and a meal the whole family will love!
A MEAT AND POTATOES CROCK POT DINNER
Get ready for a comforting and hearty meal with this Slow Cooker Shepherd’s Pie (a.k.a. Cottage Pie for all the food police – ha!) Ground beef and onion are simmered in a flavorful gravy mixed with veggies and herbs. Topped off with mashed potatoes, this cozy casserole will warm your belly, make your house smell delicious, and make sure everyone is full (plus, it’s an easy peasy version of the classic!) Put it in your slow cooker and let it cook for hours so that all the flavors can meld together perfectly. Enjoy Slow Cooker Shepherd’s Pie for St. Patrick’s Day or any time of the year!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Absolutely and it’s a very simple way to make this recipe. Once you’ve got it all started, it’s a lot less hands on than making it traditionally in the oven and still just as delicious.
It’s usually because too much liquid from something was added. If using canned vegetables, it’s best to strain out the liquid. Make sure you measure out the water appropriately and use the tomato paste which helps thicken things up.
Making sure that your ground beef and veggie layer is thick and as compact as possible. It will really help prevent your taters from sinking in (although, no matter what you do, you’ll still get a little sinkage but it doesn’t affect the taste at all!)
Technically this is a Cottage Pie recipe since it is made with ground beef. Traditional Shepherd’s Pie is made with ground lamb. However, Americans have adapted the recipe so often to be made with ground beef (since ground lamb is not common here) and still call it Shepherd’s Pie. That is what most Americans expect when they enjoy a serving of this tasty casserole but feel free to make it with ground lamb if you prefer.
Certainly! You can try adding some shredded cheddar cheese, or be a little more adventurous and try sharp cheddar, mozzarella, Monterey Jack, or Gruyere cheese on top of the mashed potatoes layer!
We also like to melt the cheese on top sometimes. To do this:
1. Add 1-2 cups of shredded cheese, depending on how cheesy you want to make it, on top of the potatoes when it’s done cooking.
2. Place the lid back on for 5-10 minutes until the cheese has melted, then serve.
Yes, it’s important to pay attention to what specific directions your brand and packaging says to use. My potatoes said to use 2 cups of boiling water but yours may specify a different amount. Follow whatever your directions on the package say.
If you like more potatoes, you can double the potato amounts and have a thicker potato layer.
Additionally, you can make homemade mashed potatoes to top the dish with if desired.
Yes. This way, we know the meat is cooked thoroughly and evenly (and therefore safe to eat.) Also, cooking it beforehand also keeps additional grease from releasing into the crock pot while cooking. No one wants a greasy Shepherd’s Pie.
Leftovers should be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Keep them longer by using the freezer. Reheat leftovers in the oven or in the microwave.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- lean ground beef – I prefer to use a lean ground beef but you can use a fuller fat beef since we’re cooking the meat first.
- sweet onion
- garlic – I always prefer fresh garlic but you can definitely use the jarred stuff if you prefer.
- frozen mixed vegetables – use your favorite combination of frozen vegetables.
- brown gravy mix packets – as I mentioned above, this is an easy peasy version of the original so I did use convenient products for that reason. You can certainly make a homemade brown gravy for this.
- tomato paste
- Italian seasoning
- instant mashed potatoes – you can make homemade mashed potatoes if you prefer. As I stated above, my goal was to make this a super easy version of the original so I went with instant.
- boiling water – this will be for the mashed potatoes.
HOW TO MAKE SLOW COOKER SHEPHERD’S PIE:
Add the ground beef and onions into a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook and break up the beef into crumbles. Continue to cook until the onions are softened, and there is no pink left in the beef, about 10 minutes. Drain any excess grease. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds.) Take off the heat. Spray an 6-8-quart oval slow cooker with cooking spray and place the meat mixture into the slow cooker.
Add the frozen veggies, water, gravy mix, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, and pepper into the cooker, and stir well to combine. In a large bowl, stir together the instant mashed potatoes and water until thickened.
Smooth out the mashed potatoes on top of the meat mixture. Add a sprinkle of dried parsley flakes if using.
Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours then serve immediately.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Slow Cooker Shepherd’s Pie (+Video)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 1 medium sweet onion, small diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 12 ounces frozen mixed vegetables
- 2 cups water
- 2 (.87 ounce) packets brown gravy mix
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
For the topping:
- 4 ounce packet instant mashed potatoes
- 2 cups boiling water
- dried parsley flakes (optional)
Instructions
- Add the 2 pounds lean ground beef and 1 medium sweet onion, small diced into a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook and break up the beef into crumbles. Continue to cook until the onions are softened, and there is no pink left in the beef, about 10 minutes.
- Drain any excess grease. Add the 4 cloves garlic, minced and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds.) Take off the heat.
- Spray an 6-8-quart oval slow cooker with cooking spray and place the meat mixture into the slow cooker.
- Add the 12 ounces frozen mixed vegetables, 2 cups water, 2 (.87 ounce) packets brown gravy mix, ¼ cup tomato paste,1 teaspoon Italian seasoning and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper into the cooker, and stir well to combine.
- In a large bowl, stir together the 4 ounce packet instant mashed potatoes and 2 cups boiling water until thickened. Smooth out the mashed potatoes on top of the meat mixture.
- Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours and serve immediately. Add a sprinkle of dried parsley flakes, if using, then serve!
Video
Notes
- You do not want to overcook this, it may burn along the edges.
- The package of instant potatoes I used called for 2 cups of boiling water, if your package lists different directions, then make it as your package states. If you like a lot of potatoes, you can double the topping. Obviously you can make homemade mashed potatoes as well.
- Please see my Frequently Asked Questions section above for the answers to the most common questions and for substitutions.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Excellent. Loved the gravy and it was very easy to make. My wife and kids really enjoyed this one.
This was so good. I loved that this wasn’t dry and there was plenty of gravy. It kept it from being dry like a lot of shepherds pie recipes are. Also, to the people that comment that this is cottage pie – yes we know but literally no one searches for cottage pie here in the U.S. – we all Google shepherds pie and nearly ALL of us eat it with ground beef here in America and NOT lamb. Take your foodie judgement somewhere else. We all know already! LOL Thank you Brandie!! Love all of your recipes. They are always a hit!
can you reduce the amount of water to 1 cup and gravy mix to 1 packet?
It was quite soupy with 2 cups and 2 packets.
I don’t see why not. When I initially made it, folks thought it was a little dry so I upped the gravy