It's simple really just to clarify cottage pie is made with beef and shepherds pie is made with lamb Neil wasn't being pedantic just pointing out facts , traditionally that's what's it's called in great ol blighty. This recipe was nice tho not taking away from that

Just made your Shepherds Pie for the 1st time and I must say it is very delicious. Thank you Vanessa for the recipe and to the brit who talked down to you.. He needs to stay in England where all the rude people live. You did great Vanessa, again Thank you.

I have tried many variations of the "Americanized" shepards pie, but being from the deep south, I make a few changes. I mix the ground beef with dry onion soup mix, then I smash it onto the bottom of the pan. (I use a lasagna pan, but for smaller pies, a pie pan is good). I bake the meat mixture at 350°F til it's browned, about 15-20 minutes. In the meantime, I prep the mashed potatoes and veggies, (whatever is on hand), layer that on the beef, then I top with a jar of beef-onion gravy, a can of fried onions and then some shredded cheddar. Then I bake it til the cheese bubbles. I serve it in slices as if it were a lasagna. My family all have hearty appetites and this works great without costing a fortune!

I am also a Brit but living in this country I have learned to conform. Yes Cottage pie is beef & Shepherds Pie is Lamb but we still prefer beef & ended up naming the beef version Shepherds pie regardless, no worries, bon appetite everyone, life's too short! (We had a war over roses, let's not have one over pies please!)

Just to help settle the 'name' of this dish, it's actually quite simple:

Shepherd's Pie - is minced lamb with mashed potatoes (The name Shepherd is a reference to sheep (or lamb))
Cottage Pie - is minced beef with mashed potatoes (The US version)
Cumberland Pie - is minced beef, mashed potatoes and cheese (and typically is topped with breadcrumbs)

Great recipe, the only thing I did different was substituted chicken for beef, and used brown sugar and turkey gravy! YUM

Original pie was minced leftovers from Sunday roast with leftover vegetables topped with mashed potatoes and gravy and baked for approx. 20 minutes at 375°F. Nowadays hamburger, onions fried. Bisto gravy added, topped with mashed potatoes, sprinkled with shredded sharp cheddar cheese, baked at 425°F for 15 minutes. Delicious modern day substitute.

Thank you for sharing this recipe; it looks just the thing when you need a quick and easy dinner. As a Brit, I take no offence etc about this being called Shepherds pie! Purests will say that it should be made with lamb, but I make it with beef and call it Shepherds pie. It matters not! Oh, one more thing, despite Neil saying that cheese is never added, I always add a grating of cheese on top. And I am not alone!
Everyone makes things slightly differently, and that is fine by me!

All pies are great. I'm Irish, by birth, and American, by his Grace. Beef, mutton, lamb, kid, chicken, duck, turkey or any other meats, some veggies and pipe on some Irish spuds. Gooooood.

I love your shepherds pie however my mother added a touch of her own. She put the potatoes on the bottom of the pan so the juices from the meat and corn would mix into the potatoes.

I will be cooking this tonight! I sounds wonderful. And by all the great reviews, I'm sure it will be. Thanks!

I made this recipe last night and I added a can of cream of mushroom soup to my potatoes like another viewer and even though the dish turned out great, my mashed potatoes was a little soupy. That was my fault though because I'm sure now I should have not added milk before the soup! Thanks for a great recipe. This is a keeper!

I make this quite a bit but I add a can of mushroom soup to the beef and instead of peas I use green beans..

I got my 13 and 14 year old involved in making this meal! We each had a part in it. And we used cream of chicken and sour cream in the mashed potatoes, used roasted red peppers in the potatoes also! To give it color! And added onions and stir fry peppers to the ground beef. It worked! And tasted great! I like to cook but add my kids to help me! So... When I say I feel like cooking... they go hide in their rooms! Then I give them a chore to help out! I think it is important that kids learn the basics. Then they will know how-to... Again thanks, I love Shepherd's Pie and variations of how to make it! Jim...

I made this recipe tonight and everyone loved it! We will be making it again.

This is a great recipe we loved! I did, however, add some flour and water to create gravy, and some bouillon paste to make it more savory.