Shepherd’s Pie
Shepherd’s pie (or cottage pie, which uses beef mince instead of lamb) is cheap, filling and tasty, so it’s no wonder we love it in this nation! We’ve got some expert tips and small steps you can take to move your shepherd’s pie from good to great, and increasing veg slowly over time.
Shepherd’s pie (or cottage pie, which uses beef mince instead of lamb) is cheap, filling and tasty, so it’s no wonder we love it in this nation! We’ve got some expert tips and small steps you can take to move your shepherd’s pie from good to great, and increasing veg slowly over time.
Why is shepherd’s pie so great?
Shepherd’s pie is a classic for a reason – it is tasty, filling and affordable.
Mash is a great vehicle for some extra veg, and with a smaller portion of meat and some added veg, becomes a balanced meal that will fill you up, too. See some tips for which veg are great to add to mash, the sauce, or on the side of this supper, below! Pies like these are also easy to batch cook – making a double batch and freezing one means you have a meal that only needs cooking through all ready and waiting.
Our Simple Shepherd’s Pie recipe below is just that – a basic mix of meat (or veggie alternative) + sauce + mash + maybe some peas or carrots. If you are just starting out, this is the place to start! If you already have the basics and want to work on slowly improving your recipe using our Step by Step method, try our Next Steps Shepherd’s Pie.
Kids who engage with healthy foods are more likely to eat them, so to set yourself up for success, we’ve included tips to get kids involved in the second recipe to keep things simple.
Simple Shepherd’s Pie
Ingredients:
Minced meat or veggie alternative (about 300-400g for 4 people)
A jar of tomato sauce
Mashed potatoes (homemade, leftover or pre-prepped – whatever works for you)
Frozen peas or frozen sliced carrots (optional)
Not made a shepherd’s pie before, or not ready to try the next steps? Start here!
Method:
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Preheat your oven to 200C/gas 6.
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Cook the mince in a little oil in a frying pan until browned. Stir through the jar of sauce and let it simmer for a few mins to heat through. If using frozen peas or carrots, add them to the sauce and simmer until cooked (the packet will tell you how long this should take).
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If making mash, boil peeled and chopped potatoes until soft, then drain and mash with a little salt & pepper and oil, butter or milk if you feel it needs it.
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In a casserole dish, pour the meat sauce, then top with the mashed potatoes. Bake in the oven for 20-30 mins, until golden and bubbling
There is no need to go any further with this recipe until you are confident with it and feel up for the next step.
Once you have the basics it’s time to slowly improve your recipe using our Step by Step method to a bit better.
There are three ways to step-by-step your way to better shepherd’s pie – start where you feel most comfortable and if in doubt, start with a few veg.
Remember, the MOST important thing is that the family enjoys the meal! These changes and swaps can take as long as is needed. Small simple improvements over time may not even be noticed!
add veg
Aim for 2 handfuls of veg per person in the long-run, but it’s better to go slow and get there than to rush to the finish line and find no one is there with you. For the best chance of success, start with a veg you know the family likes, don’t try to hide it, and build up over time. Starting with frozen veg can also mean less waste, keeping costs down, and being able to add a small amount simply.
We’ve added our top suggestions and how and when to add them to the recipe below.
better sauce
Swapping a ready-made sauce for a homemade sauce can often help the budget as well as the salt and sugar content. If making your own sauce is 20 mins you can’t spare, adding a tin of chopped tomatoes or passata is an easy, cheaper, instant way to a healthier sauce. Add flavour with a pinch of salt, maybe some Worcestershire sauce and/or some mixed dried herbs to taste.
reduce meat
Try a tin of cooked lentils (drained and rinsed) to replace half (or all of) the meat, added for the last couple of mins of cooking before assembling and baking. If you think it will be turned down, try starting with just half a tin and perhaps even blending it into the sauce and just reduce the meat while adding more lentils slowly each time you make the meal.
Next Steps Shepherd’s Pie
Ingredients:
Minced meat or veggie alternative (about 200-300g for 4 people)
1 tin cooked lentils, drained and rinsed
Worcestershire sauce and/or 1 tsp dried mixed herbs (optional)
1-2 tins chopped tomatoes or 1 jar/pack of passata (or use about 500g homemade tomato sauce)
Mashed potatoes (use about 4 large white potatoes, peeled and chopped then boiled until soft, drained and mashed – options to add other veg to the mash in recipe)
Frozen peas and/or frozen sliced carrots (other ideas for great veg additions in recipe – aim for 1-2 handfuls of veg per person)
We suggest you do this in stages, slowly, and go as far as works for your family, here’s how your final recipe might come together…
Method:
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Preheat your oven to 200C/gas 6.
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Cook the mince in a little oil in a frying pan until browned. Stir through the Worcestershire sauce and/or dried herbs if using, and the chopped tomatoes/passata/sauce. Let it simmer for a few mins to heat through. Add lentils if using, along with any frozen veg, and simmer until cooked (the packet will tell you how long this should take). Great frozen additions include: peas, sweetcorn, sliced carrots, mixed veg, Mediterranean veg mix, sliced peppers or mushrooms. If using fresh veg, add it to the pan with the mince and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until softened (usually about 5-10 mins for most diced fresh veggies). Great fresh additions include: diced carrot, celery and/or onion, sliced mushrooms and diced peppers. You could also use fresh washed leafy greens like spinach or kale leaves – just add with the lentils and/or frozen veg and simmer until wilted.
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Meanwhile, make the mash by boiling peeled and chopped potatoes until soft, then drain and mash with a little salt & pepper and oil, butter or milk if you feel it needs it. You could add more veg here by replacing half the potatoes (which don’t count towards your 5-a-day) with a couple of handfuls of frozen or fresh cauliflower florets or peeled and diced root veg like: sweet potatoes, celeriac, parsnips, etc. Boil with the potatoes until soft. Alternatively, you could add a tin of creamy butter beans to the cooked drained potatoes with a little milk or butter before mashing.
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In a casserole dish, pour the meat sauce, then top with the mashed potatoes. Bake in the oven for 20-30 mins, until golden and bubbling
Engaging Kids
Kids who engage regularly with veg through veg-themed activities, such as arts and crafts, sensory experiences, growing and cooking are shown to be more likely to eat the veg they engage with. Encouraging kids to engage and play with veg is the handy first step to them developing a good relationship with veg and life-long healthy eating. Find out more here.
Kids in the kitchen
Get younger kids mashing up the potatoes (and any veg or beans added to it) and spooning it over the meat sauce in the dish.
Older kids might be ready to learn how to chop some fresh veg to add at the start of the meal, stir everything together in the pan, and layer it all in the dish!
Master these skills:
Tasting, Mixing, Bridge chopping, Claw chopping
Activities
Use arts & crafts as a stepping stone to interacting with the veg themselves. While you make your shepherd’s pie, why not set a child up with:
Find more arts & crafts and puzzles & games on our website.
Sensory
Why not start with a carrot and/or a corn cob that you place in a clean sock or two and ask your child to see if they can describe the veg just through touch. Does it feel bumpy or smooth, pointy or round? What do they think it might be? Does it remind them of something? See if they want to chuck some into the shepherd’s pie after having engaged with them.
Watch Ruth Platt’s video on sensory activities with carrots for more inspiration, or get more tips, games and videos over on our Sensory page.
Serving
Why not let your child design a beautiful menu? Set them up with some paper and pens and see if they want to write and draw it out in layers like the pie, and perhaps even come up with a silly name for it? Make sure to praise them for their involvement as you serve it up and use the name they use on the menu, it may encourage them to try some!
Get more ideas over on our Roles for Kids page.
Family Favourite Recipes
Use our step-by-step methods to slowly improve these favourites, too…
DO you have a question you’d like one of our experts to help you with?
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