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.

Shepherd's Pie in a cast-iron skillet, with a portion presented on a plate sitting in front of the pan. Text overlay says "Cast-Iron Shepherd's Pie". Similar photos of the recipe from various angles are used throughout but with different text overlays unless otherwise described.

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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!

How to Cook Shepherd's Pie

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.

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.,).

Comfort Food Classic Recipe - Shepherd's Pie

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:

More Cast-Iron Recipes

Looking for more dishes to make in your cast-iron skillet? Check these recipes out next:

Cast-Iron Skillet Shepherd's Pie Recipe

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.

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Cast Iron Shepherd’s Pie

Michelle Ordever
This cast iron Shepherd’s Pie Recipe is the ideal mid-week meal, created using ground lamb, potatoes, and mixed frozen veggies. Yum!
No ratings yet
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course Lamb Recipes
Cuisine British
Servings 4 -6
Calories 962 kcal

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:

  • 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
  • cup sliced frozen carrots thawed

Garnish

  • Smoked paprika
  • Fresh chives chopped

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.


    Veggies on Shepherd's Pie Ground Lamb Filling
  • Top with an even layer of the mashed potatoes and sprinkle with some smoked paprika.


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  • 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!

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Notes

*you can use ground beef if you prefer, but it would then be classed as a Cottage Pie!

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 962kcal | Carbohydrates: 77g | Protein: 57g | Fat: 47g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 20g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 193mg | Sodium: 727mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 9g

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.

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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:

There are 500+ Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog for you to enjoy – please feel free to check them out too.

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