A savory beef and vegetable filling in a rich gravy, topped with fluffy mashed potatoes and melted cheddar. Frozen mixed vegetables keep the chopping to a minimum.
Ingredients
Each cost is for the amount this recipe uses, not the whole package. Pantry staples like flour, sugar, vanilla and spices cost more on your first trip, then last for many batches. Rows marked “Not priced”, like water and toppings, aren't in the total.
| Ingredient | Price used | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Potato topping | ||
| 2½ lb Yukon Gold or russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks | $0.99/lbBLS, Sep 2026 · priced as white potatoes | $2.47 |
| 4 Tbsp butter | $3.96/lbBLS, Sep 2026 | $0.49 |
| ½ cup milk, warmed | $4.11/galBLS, Sep 2026 | $0.13 |
| ½ tsp salt, plus more for the cooking water | $0.01/tspEstimate | $0.02 |
| ¼ tsp black pepper | $0.04/tspEstimate | $0.01 |
| 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese | $6.13/lbBLS, Sep 2026 | $1.53 |
| Filling | ||
| 1 Tbsp vegetable oil | $0.05/tbspEstimate | $0.05 |
| 2 lb ground beef (or ground lamb) | $6.79/lbBLS, Sep 2026 · priced as ground beef | $13.58 |
| 1 onion, diced | $1.06/lbUSDA, 2023 | $0.53 |
| 2 cloves garlic, minced | $0.06/cloveEstimate | $0.12 |
| 2 Tbsp tomato paste or ketchup | $0.09/tbspEstimate · priced as tomato paste | $0.18 |
| 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour | $0.55/lbBLS, Sep 2026 | $0.03 |
| 1½ cups beef broth | $0.07/fl ozEstimate | $0.84 |
| 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce | $0.12/tbspEstimate | $0.24 |
| 1 tsp dried thyme | $0.08/tspEstimate | $0.08 |
| ½ tsp salt | $0.01/tspEstimate | $0.01 |
| ½ tsp black pepper | $0.04/tspEstimate | $0.02 |
| 1 (12-oz) bag frozen mixed vegetables (no need to thaw) | $1.92/lbUSDA, 2023 | $1.44 |
| Total | $21.77 | |
| Per serving (8 servings) | $2.72 | |
Potato topping
- 2½ lb Yukon Gold or russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
- 4 Tbsp butter
- ½ cup milk, warmed
- ½ tsp salt, plus more for the cooking water
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Filling
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 lb ground beef (or ground lamb)
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste or ketchup
- 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups beef broth
- 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 (12-oz) bag frozen mixed vegetables (no need to thaw)
Directions
- Boil the potatoes. Put the potatoes in a large pot, cover with cold water, and add a big pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and cook until very tender when poked with a fork, about 15 minutes. Drain and let them sit in the colander for 2 minutes to dry.
- Mash. Return the potatoes to the pot and mash with the butter, warm milk, salt, and pepper until smooth.
- Brown the beef. While the potatoes cook, heat the oven to 400°F. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef and onion and cook, breaking up the meat, until browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain off most of the fat, then stir in the garlic and cook 30 seconds.
- Make the gravy. Stir in the tomato paste and flour and cook 1 minute. Add the broth, Worcestershire, thyme, salt, and pepper. Simmer, stirring, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the frozen vegetables.
- Assemble. Spread the filling in a 9x13-inch baking dish. Spoon the potatoes on top and spread them to the edges. Drag a fork across the top to make ridges, then sprinkle with the cheddar.
- Bake. Bake until the filling bubbles at the edges and the cheese is golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Let it rest 10 minutes before serving.
Tips
- Beef or lamb? Traditional shepherd's pie uses lamb. Made with beef, it's often called cottage pie. Both are delicious.
- Shortcut potatoes: Use 2 (24-oz) packages of refrigerated mashed potatoes, warmed, in place of steps 1 and 2.
- Don't use a blender for the potatoes. A masher keeps them fluffy, while a blender turns them gluey.
Storage
Assemble, cover, and refrigerate up to 1 day ahead, then bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 4 days, or freeze the unbaked pie for up to 3 months and thaw overnight in the fridge before baking.
How we priced this recipe
- BLS, Sep 2026: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Average Price Data, U.S. city average, September 2026.
- USDA, 2023: USDA Economic Research Service, Fruit and Vegetable Prices, 2023 (the latest year published).
- Estimate: Food Butler estimate of a typical U.S. store-brand shelf price, October 2026. Neither BLS nor USDA publishes an average price for these items.
Your store's prices will differ. See all recipes.