My husband loves Shepherd’s Pie, and when we’re out to eat and it’s on the menu he always gives it careful consideration. So he was excited when Crock Pot Shepherd’s Pie was our Crock Pot Thursday pick. I was excited too, because I had a ton of leftover mashed potatoes to use up, and shepherd’s pie calls for mashed taters. For me, mashed potatoes are like pasta, in that I can never make the appropriate amount. I either make way too little, or more often than not, I make enough mashed potatoes to feed the neighborhood. When that happens, I make shepherd’s pie.
I know a true shepherd’s pie calls for lamb, but I used beef because I like it better. You could be a real rebel and even use ground turkey if you wanted! This dish with beef is supposed to be called cottage pie, which I am obviously not doing, and I have no idea what it would be called if ground poultry was used.
Now, I used a bag of frozen mixed veggies that had corn, carrots, peas, and green beans in it, but you can use whatever frozen vegetables you like, or if you’re like me, whichever vegetables your kids will eat.
Crock Pot Shepherd’s Pie
Crock Pot Shepherd's Pie
This Crock Pot Shepherd's Pie is a hearty meal the whole family will love!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground pepper
- 6 oz can tomato paste
- 2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 3 cups frozen mixed vegetables
- 4 cups mashed potatoes
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
- In a skillet, brown ground beef with onion, garlic, salt, and pepper, until no longer pink. Drain grease.
- Add tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce to meat mixture, and stir until combined.
- Spray slow cooker liner with cooking spray, and layer ground beef mixture in the bottom.
- Next, layer frozen vegetables on top of meat.
- Spread mashed potatoes on top of frozen vegetables.
- Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours.
- Sprinkle cheese on top of potatoes. Cover again and cook until cheese is melted, about 15 minutes.
Have I told you how much I love my casserole-sized Crock Pot? It’s perfect for dishes like this. I’ve been slow cooking way more casseroles since getting this bad boy. If you don’t have a casserole slow cooker, a trusty oval-shaped one will be just fine for this Crock Pot Shepherd’s Pie, but if you’re a slow cooker fan, you should pick one of these up.
Feedback
Linda
This made a great, hearty, and “comfort food” type dinner. I used my casserole crock pot, so it was not so deep, and the layers were just right. Loved the flavor, and it was very attractive. This made a lot of shepherd’s pie, and every bit of the leftovers were great.
Sarah
Our family enjoyed this easy version of shepherd’s pie. I made extra mashed potatoes a few days before and just put them on top. I thought the recipe I was great. I didn’t have a bag of mixed vegetables and they were about $10.00 at our local grocer so I opted to make my own with a cup of peas, corn, and green beans. It worked great. My only change for next time would be to spice up the beef a little more… I like a flavorful meat base.
Me
Everyone in my family ate this right up, and the kids even ate some of the vegetables! We were able to serve it for dinner two nights, because it’s a pretty hefty recipe.
Can I use canned or fresh veggies instead
I can’t say for sure, but fresh veggies would be better than canned, I would think. Canned might get too soggy.
Can I use regular cockpot?
By mistake, I only had a pound of hamburger and forgot to reduce the measurements, except that I don’t love onions, so I only used a quarter of a large onion. Found the mixed veggies in the Green giant steamers at $1.67 for 12 ounces. Used an eight serving portion of mashed potatoes. It was amazing!
I opt for a side salad and leave the veggies out of the Shepards pie. I spice up my meat with Rosemary and Thyme, garlic powder, minced garlic, onion powder and finely chopped half of a smallish white onion. I also start off with a little olive oil and a dab of butter. Spray my crockpot casserole with olive oil spray and after draining the fat off my meat (I wrap a wad of paper towels around a wooden spoon and sop up most but not all…I like to leave a little for flavor) dump meat in sprayed casserole dish, cover with colby jack and triple cheddar cover that with mashed potatoes and sprinkle some cheese on top of that. Few hours later…my husband wants to marry me again 🥰 I serve it with one of those Chopped Salad Kits from Walmart (Sooo delicious and crunchy and have everything you’ll need right in the bag..one is plenty for my husband and I) and serve it with garlic knots I make out of canned biscuits. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe. I love Shepards pie about as much as it sounds like your husband does.