This Gluten-Free Shepherd’s Pie is the perfect cozy comfort food! It’s packed with ground meat, tender sautéed onions, carrots, and celery, simmered in a delicious savory gravy. It uses cornstarch to thicken, giving it a smooth and saucy texture without any gluten. It's then topped with creamy mashed potatoes and baked until it’s all golden and bubbly. Mmm!
This fast and easy dinner is a popular main dish to serve on St. Patrick's Day. However, it's made with refrigerator staples, so it can easily grace your dinner table any time of year. Gluten Free Shepherd's Pie is pleasing to most palates, doubles well, and is made with inexpensive ingredients. To top it off, reheating Shepherd's pie is easy 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.
Ground meat- Traditionally, shepherd's pie would use minced (ground) lamb, but you can use ground beef, which is known as Cottage Pie.
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 made a cornstarch slurry: equal parts cornstarch and cold water stirred together. 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!
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Tools for the job
- Cutting board and sharp knife (paid link)
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Large pot
- Large nonstick skillet
- Mixing bowl (paid link)
- Colander
- Potato masher or hand mixer
- Stirring utensil or wooden spoon
- Casserole dish
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How to make Gluten free Shepherd's Pie
You're just a few steps away from the best hearty, saucy, satisfying beef (or lamb) and potato casserole!
Start by preheating your oven to 400°F.
If you have leftover mashed potatoes, you can use them. You'll need 6-8 cups. If you have a bit less, you can always build the shepherd's pie in a dish that is less wide than a standard 13x9 casserole, but deeper. (paid links)
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 2 teaspoons of salt. Bring to a boil and continue to boil until the potato is easily pierced with a fork, about 10-15 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 a hand mixer or a potato masher. I find it helpful to break apart the potatoes with the beaters before turning the mixer on. (paid links)
Boil the potatoes in salted water.
Mash the potatoes until creamy.
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.
- Push the vegetables to the side of the pan and 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 spatula or wooden spoon as it browns. I love using this Staub Spatula Spoon because it works for everything. So, there is no need to switch out to a different utensil halfway through.
- 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 all for moisture and flavor!
- Next, add the tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce, stirring to combine, and cook for a few minutes.
- Next, add the beef broth. Turn up the heat a little until the broth boils, and then remove it from the heat.
- Mix the cornstarch with cold water and pour it into the pot, stirring quickly as it thickens.
- Next, Transfer it to a 2-3 quart oven safe dish.
- Using a large spoon or spatula, drop portions of mashed potatoes all over the top of the meat filling. Then, spread it out to connect all the potatoes and seal the edges. Create waves in the potatoes while you do this, or scrape the top with a fork to leave small channels.
- 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 and the topping starts to brown.
- Let the shepherd's pie cool for about 10 minutes before serving. (paid links)
Heat the butter and olive oil in a large pan.
Saute the vegetables then brown the ground meat.
Add the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and seasonings.
Add in broth and boil.
Once boiling, remove from heat and add the cornstarch slurry, stirring to thicken.
Pour filling into a dish and top with the mashed potatoes. Carefully drop spoonfuls across the top and smooth to cover to the edges.
Hot Tip!
This Shepherd's Pie makes the best freezer meal. Stock up for yourself or gift to someone in need.
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. Broil for a few more minutes to get the crisped topping.
Substitutions and variations
- 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 adding fresh herbs. Throw a few thyme sprigs 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 baking.
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 in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can freeze this casserole for up to 6 months.
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
- 3 teaspoons salt, divided
- Black pepper
Beef filling
- 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 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper, divided
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ cup green peas (optional)
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ cup water water
Instructions
Mashed potatoes
- Chop the potatoes into 2" pieces and put them in a large pot. Cover them with water by one inch and add 2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil and continue to boil until the potato is easily pierced with a fork, about 10-15 minutes.
- When the potatoes are cooked, drain the water and transfer them to a large bowl. Add the butter, milk, 1 teaspoon of salt, and a pinch of pepper. Mash the potatoes using hand beaters or a potato masher until smooth. If the potatoes finish cooking before the meat mixture is ready, keep them in a warm spot and cover the bowl with plastic wrap to maintain their warmth and creaminess.
Beef filling
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Warm a large, high-sided pan over medium heat, then add the butter and olive oil. When the pan is heated, add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, ½ teaspoon of salt, and ¼ teaspoon of black pepper. 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 into the pan, then season with 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of black pepper. Cook, breaking up the meat with a spatula as it browns.
- When the beef is fully cooked, add the tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce. Stir everything together and let it cook for a few minutes, then add the beef broth. Bring the mixture to a boil. (If you're using peas, add them now.)
- Combine the cornstarch and water. When the beef mixture boils, remove it from the heat. Quickly stir in the cornstarch slurry. The mixture will thicken quickly.
- Pour the thickened beef filling 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. You can run a fork along the potatoes to create more edges for crispy browning.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the brown gravy bubbles at the edges and parts of the potato mash have browned.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Main dish
- Method: Oven, stove-top
- Cuisine: Irish
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