Tender ground beef and vegetables in a savory gravy and topped with fluffy golden mashed potatoes. This is a classic Shepherd's Pie. It's baked in the oven to create a bubbly, hearty casserole that tastes so familiar, even with your first-ever bite! What makes this even better is this recipe uses cornstarch to thicken the gravy so it has the bonus of being a Gluten Free Shepherd's Pie!
This simple comfort food is found on just about every American restaurant's St. Patrick's Day menu. Made from common refrigerator staples, it can easily grace your home table any time of year. This dish is pleasing to most palates, doubles well, and is made with inexpensive ingredients. To top it off, it's so easy to reheat Shepherd's pie if there are any leftovers.
Read on for all the loving details to make this easy Gluten Free Shepherd's Pie.
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Featured Ingredients
Read below for some important information about a few of the ingredients used to make gluten-free Shepherd's pie.
Beef - Traditionally, shepherd's pie would use minced (ground) lamb, but this recipe calls for beef. Feel free to substitute it if you like lamb!
Potatoes - Yellow (gold, Yukon) is my preference for just about any potato recipe because they are so creamy, and with their thin skin, there's no need to peel them. Russets are also a good choice. If you substitute with russet potatoes, you can leave the skin on, but be sure to scrub them well!
Broth - Regular beef broth works just fine, but I highly recommend using the broth from this recipe.
Cornstarch - To thicken the beef filling, I did a cornstarch slurry, equal parts cornstarch and cold water mixed. Using a slurry rather than a mixture of butter and flour (roux) keeps this dish gluten-free, but more importantly, it's easier. And if it's not as thick as you'd like, simply add more!
Tools for the job
- large pot
- large nonstick skillet
- measuring cups and spoons
- large bowl
- colander
- potato masher or hand beaters
- wooden spoon or spatula
- 8 x 8 casserole dish
How to make Gluten free Shepherd's Pie
Making the mashed potatoes
- Wash the potatoes and chop them into 2" pieces. Put them in a large pot and cover them with water. Add a tablespoon of salt. Bring to a boil and continue to boil until the potato is easily pierced with a fork, about 15-20 minutes.
- When the potatoes are done, strain out the water and put them in a big bowl. Add butter, milk, salt, and pepper, then blend them up with hand beaters or a potato masher.
Making the beef filling
- While the potatoes are boiling, start preparing the vegetables.
- Warm a high-sided, large skillet over medium heat. Add butter and oil until melted, then the carrots, onions, celery, and garlic, and cook for about 10 minutes or until the onions start to get some color.
- Then, add the ground beef by pinching off chunks and dropping them all around the bottom of the skillet. Season with salt and pepper.
- Continue to cook and break apart the beef with a flat wooden spoon as it browns.
- NOTE: If you're using an extra fatty ground beef, you can spoon off some of the fat if you'd like. I usually leave it for moisture and flavor!
- Next, add the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce. Turn up the heat a little until the liquid starts to bubble.
- Mix the cornstarch with cold water and pour it into the pot, stirring quickly as the mixture thickens. When you have a bubbling thick gravy, take it off the heat.
- Next, Transfer it to a casserole dish or another oven safe dish. Spoon the mashed potatoes all over the top, covering every last bit of the meat mixture.
- Put the dish into the oven and bake it for 30 minutes or until you see some brown bubbles sneak out from the sides of the mashed potatoes.
- Let the shepherd's pie cool for about 10 minutes before serving.
Before baking
After baking
Substitutions and variations
- Add tomato - Add 1-2 tablespoons of tomato paste to the pan after the beef browns for a tangy tomato kick. Let it toast and darken on the pan for a few minutes before incorporating it into the rest of the food.
- Extra vegetables - Stir ½ cup peas, corn, or green beans into the finished gravy before baking.
- Extra umami! - Saute 1 cup of sliced mushrooms with the onions, celery, and carrots.
- Add fresh herbs - Homey beef stew flavors always benefit from the addition of fresh herbs. Throw a few springs of thyme in with the vegetables as you saute them. The leaves will fall away as you cook, so you can pull out the empty sprigs before adding to the casserole dish to bake.
Leftovers
- To reheat gluten-free Shepherd's Pie, place in an oven-safe baking dish and cook at 350°F until fully reheated. You can also reheat in the microwave or on the stove in a covered skillet on low. If reheating on the stove, the casserole will probably deflate and mix together.
- Store leftovers in a sealed container for up to 5 days. You can freeze this casserole for up to 6 months.
- To make it for a freezer meal, assemble the entire casserole in a parchment-lined baking dish. Do not bake it. Instead, put it in the freezer for several hours or overnight. When it is frozen solid, remove the Shepherd's pie and parchment from the dish and transfer it to a zip top bag. When you're ready to eat it, place the frozen casserole wrapped in parchment back into the original dish and refrigerate for at least a few hours to partially thaw. Bake at 350°F for 1 hour or until it has fully heated through.
FAQ's
The two names have been used interchangeably for a very long time so they are basically the same thing. Some make the distinction between Shepherd's pie using ground lamb and Cottage pie using ground beef. However, you will commonly see ground beef in Shepherd's pie.
As with most casserole dishes, this one can be a stand alone meal. However, if you'd like a side dish or to stretch the meal further, serve it with a fresh green salad and Irish soda bread. Another delicious accompaniment would be roasted cabbage wedges or honey-glazed carrots.
You can also serve it alongside another classic St. Patrick's Day main dish, Corned Beef and Cabbage.
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Gluten Free Shepherd's Pie
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Experience comfort food at its finest with this gluten free Shepherd's Pie. Tender ground beef, vegetables, gravy & mashed potatoes make a flavor packed dish!
Ingredients
Mashed potatoes
- 2 lb yellow potatoes
- ⅓ cup milk
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon salt, more to taste
Meat mixture
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup diced onion, about ½ large onion
- ½ cup diced carrot
- ½ cup diced celery
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 5 tablespoons cornstarch
- 5 tablespoons water
Instructions
Mashed potatoes
- Chop the potatoes into 2" pieces and put them in a large pot. Cover with water and add the salt. Bring to a boil and continue to boil until the potato is easily pierced with a fork, about 15-20 minutes.
- When the potatoes are done, drain the water and put them in a big bowl. Add butter, milk, salt, and pepper, then mash them up with hand beaters or a potato masher. If the potatoes are finished before the meat mixture, leave them in a warm spot and cover the bowl with plastic wrap to keep them warm and spreadable.
Beef filling
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Warm a high-sided large pan over medium heat. Add the butter and olive oil. Then add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Stir and cook until the onions start to get some color, 7-10 minutes.
- Push the vegetables to the side and drop pinches of ground beef all over the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, breaking up the beef with a wooden spoon as it browns.
- When the beef is fully cooked, add the broth and Worcestershire sauce. Stir everything together and bring it to a boil.
- Combine the cornstarch and water. When the beef mixture boils, quickly stir the cornstarch and water into the pot. The mixture will thicken in a few minutes.
- Take the beef mixture off the heat and pour it into a casserole dish. Top with the mashed potatoes by dropping large spoonfuls all over the top and gently seal the mash by smoothing it with the back of the spoon all the way to the edges of the dish.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the brown gravy starts to bubble up the edges.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Main dish
- Method: Oven, stove-top
- Cuisine: Irish
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