Cast Iron Shepherd’s Pie Recipe – A Classic Comfort Food Dish!
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This cast iron Shepherd’s Pie Recipe is the ideal mid-week meal, created using ground lamb, potatoes, and mixed frozen veggies.
There’s just something warming and comforting about a hearty family meal cooked in a cast-iron skillet, so this is a recipe to add to your rotation!
For more seasonal food, check out The Ultimate List of Autumn Recipes for the Fall Season! Right-click and open a new tab to read next.
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Shepherd’s Pie Recipe
The full ingredients list and instructions are found in the printable recipe card at the end of this post. I highly recommend reading the blog post all the way through so that you don’t miss any tips or substitution suggestions and ensure that you have all the ingredients and equipment required and understand the steps and timings involved.
Shepherd’s Pie is a British comfort food classic and one of my personal favorites! It is very similar to Cottage Pie – the only difference is that is made with ground beef, whereas a Shepherd’s Pie recipe is made using ground lamb.
The pie is made up of a layer of ground beef cooked with onions and some veggies (usually peas and/or carrots, but I like to throw in sweetcorn too!) and topped with a layer of mashed potato before being browned off in the oven.
This kind of dish is one that everyone has their own version of, some people don’t include vegetables, some only include peas, some have a thick gravy, others just a thinner sauce.
My guilty pleasure is to add some grated cheese on top and cook the pie until the cheese is melted, golden and bubbly! I also have a squirt of tomato ketchup because I’m classy like that!
Shepherd’s Pie is a classic for a reason, and perfect to enjoy as the summer gives way to autumn and you need some good old-fashioned comfort food in your belly!
Ingredients & Equipment Used In This Recipe
While most ingredients can be bought in grocery stores, for your convenience, any specialized or notable ingredients (and equipment) needed for this recipe have been listed below and linked to Amazon or other stores if available online.
It does not include staple ingredients such as oil, salt, sugar, etc., as you’re likely to have those in your kitchen. The complete list of ingredients with measurements is found in the recipe card.
- Protein – Ground Lamb/Lamb Mince
- Fresh Produce – Potatoes (Russet/Marie Piper), Garlic, Rosemary, Chives, (Frozen) Corn, Peas, Carrots
- Dairy – Heavy Cream (Double Cream), Unsalted Butter
- Chicken Broth/Stock – use lamb stock if you can find it
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Smoked Paprika
- 10.25” Cast Iron Skillet – this pie is cooked directly in the skillet and finished in the oven
Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog use both cup measurements and/or weighted measurements. American cups and kitchen food scales are handy pieces of equipment to have in your kitchen as it means you’ll be able to make all of the different recipes on my blog. I try to give American, imperial, and metric measurements in my recipes. Please note, you can mix cup measurements with weighted measurements, but never mix imperial (pounds, ounces, pints, etc.,) with metric (kilograms, grams, litres, etc.,).
More Recipes Using Lamb
One of the hero ingredients in this dish is (ground/minced) lamb, so here are some more recipes using the same:
- Lamb, Spinach & Feta Filo Pie
- Grilled Lamb & Halloumi Wrap
- Lamb Koftas with Roasted Mediterranean Vegetables
More Cast-Iron Recipes
Looking for more dishes to make in your cast-iron skillet? Check these recipes out next:
- Cast Iron Chicken Provençal with Tomatoes & Olives
- Cast Iron Ribeye Steak with Green Herb Sauce
- Cast Iron Carne Asada Bowl
Recipe Tips
- For best results, use a plastic spatula to cut and serve this dish. If using metal, as shown, be careful not to nick the protective seasoning on your skillet while cutting.
How Do I Make Shepherd’s Pie?
Check out the printable recipe card below with full ingredients and instructions. Any demonstration photos do not print out to save your ink.
Cast Iron Shepherd’s Pie
Ingredients
For the Topping
- 2 lbs 900g Russet or Maris Piper potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 4-5 large cloves garlic peeled and smashed
- Water to cover
- Pinch of salt
- ½ cup chicken stock preferably organic
- ¼ cup heavy cream double cream
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
For the Pie Filling:
- 1½ lbs 680g ground lamb*
- 2 tsp fresh rosemary leaves finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
- ¾ cup frozen corn kernels thawed
- ¾ cup frozen peas thawed
- 1¼ cup sliced frozen carrots thawed
Garnish
- Smoked paprika
- Fresh chives chopped
SUGGESTED PRODUCTS
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6.
- Place potatoes and garlic in a large pot and add water until the potatoes are completely covered, with an additional inch or two on top.
- Bring to a rapid boil over high heat for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender. Remove from heat, drain, and set aside.
- While the potatoes are boiling, add the lamb, rosemary, and Worcestershire sauce to a 10” cast iron skillet set over medium heat.
- Season with salt and black pepper, to taste, and stir to combine. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently until the lamb is completely browned and broken into small pieces.
- Remove the skillet from heat and carefully drain any excess fat from the skillet, if necessary. Set aside.
- Add chicken stock, heavy cream, and butter to the boiled potatoes. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste, and mash with a hand masher or whip with a hand mixer until smooth. If necessary, add a little extra chicken broth to reach the desired consistency. Set aside.
- Evenly spread the thawed corn, peas, and carrots across the browned ground lamb in the cast iron skillet.
- Top with an even layer of the mashed potatoes and sprinkle with some smoked paprika.
- Place the skillet in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until heated through and the potatoes are nicely browned on top.
- Remove from oven and cool slightly. Serve immediately garnished with fresh chives. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate and will depend on the quality of ingredients used and serving sizes. If you need exact calories and macros, please do your own calculations.
Make It A Full Meal
You’ve made the main dish, but what about the rest of the courses?
Here are additional recipes to make a full meal for a dinner party or special occasion:
- Appetizer: Savory Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms
- Soup: Winter Vegetable Soup
- Salad: Roasted Golden Beet Salad with Goat Cheese
- Side Dish: Creamy Cauliflower Cheese Casserole with Bacon
- Beverage: Apple Cider Dark and Stormy Cocktail
- Dessert: Pumpkin Spice Baileys Cupcakes Recipe
There are 500+ Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog for you to enjoy – please feel free to check them out too.