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    Home » Recipes » Dinner Recipes

    Published: Dec 26, 2020 by Nicole This post may contain affiliate links.

    Easy Shepherd's Pie with Instant Mashed Potatoes

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Shepherd's Pie, or Cottage Pie, rather, is a comfort dish made with ground beef, mashed potatoes, and in this case- corn. Combined with a homemade sauce and instant mashed potatoes, this meal is filling and delicious.

    a serving of shepherds pie on a plate with more plates ad food in the background

    Shepherd's pie is a dish that I didn't know about until after I met my husband. Of course, his definition of it was "ground beef with corn and mashed potatoes on top." So that's what I did for the first few years of our marriage. Nothing else added. He ate it happily though.

    Turns out this was one of the frugal dinners he grew up eating and it helped him relive a moment of nostalgia each time I made it. But, I knew there had to be more than meat, corn, and potatoes and as time went by I continued to modify the recipe.

    While I normally use real mashed potatoes, I can't deny how big of a time saver instant mashed potatoes can be! Even more fun is using the flavored instant potato packets for even more variety.

    Jump to:
    • 🥘 Ingredients
    • 🍽 Equipment Needed
    • 🔪 Instructions
    • 🍴 Recipe Tips
    • 💭 FAQs
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments
    a baking dish full of shepherds pie with a serving removed and empty plates and forks waiting

    🥘 Ingredients

    • Ground Beef
    • Onion
    • Garlic
    • Italian Seasonings
    • Salt
    • Pepper
    • Ketchup
    • Worcestershire Sauce
    • Flour
    • Beef Broth
    • Canned Whole Kernel Corn
    • Instant Mashed Potatoes

    🍽 Equipment Needed

    BeeyondCereal is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.

    • 9x13 Baking Dish
    • Skillet
    • Measuring Cups
    • Measuring Spoons

    🔪 Instructions

    Check out how to make easy shepherd's pie with instant mashed potatoes with these simple step-by-step instructions:

    Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.

    In a large skillet, brown the ground beef and drain the excess grease. Cook the onions until clear.

    Add in the minced garlic and stir to combine.

    Add in the Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir well.

    cooked ground beef and onions in a skillet with ketchup

    Stir in the flour and mix to coat.

    flour added to skillet with beef and onions

    Slowly add in the beef broth, and stir until the mixture has thickened.

    Remove from heat.

    In another pot make the mashed potatoes, following the instructions for the 8 servings option.

    In your baking dish, spread the ground beef over the bottom of the pan.

    baking dish filled with meat and onion mixture with can of corn and pot of instant potatoes in background

    Scatter the drained corn over the top, and spread it into an even layer.

    corn spread over meat mixture in 9x13 baking dish

    Take the mashed potatoes and spread them out over the top of the corn.

    instant potates in 9x13 baking dish

    Bake in the oven for 45 minutes.

    Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

    browned mashed potatoes in 9x13 baking dish

    🍴 Recipe Tips

    for this shepherd's pie with instant potatoes, you can make the instant mashed potatoes in advance, or at the same time (in a different pot) while browning the ground beef. To top a 9x13 pan of shepherd's pie, follow the instructions on the instant potatoes for the 8 serving quantity, this should yield about 3 cups of cooked potatoes.

    Getting the browned potatoes look on top of the cottage pie is optional, but only requires about 3 minutes under a high broiler. Watch carefully because a minute too long will result in burnt potatoes.

    💭 FAQs

    Can shepherds pie be made in advance?

    Yes. You can make this dish about a day in advance and keep it covered in the fridge until you're ready to bake. Then set it on the counter to come to room temp as the oven preheats and bake as directed.

    Can I freeze shepherds pie?

    Yes, because the potatoes are already cooked, you can assemble this and freeze for a later meal or freeze leftovers without issues. Just make sure to keep it well covered and to bake within 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before heating.

    How long is shepherds pie good for?

    If properly stored in the fridge in a covered container, leftovers can last 3 to 5 days. For best results eat it sooner rather than later.

    a serving of shepherds pie with corn on a white plate

    More great dinner recipes to try

    • Pepperoni Pizza Pasta Bake
    • Cream Cheese Bacon Pasta Bake
    • Simple Meatloaf with Oatmeal
    • Easy Chicken Pot Pie
    • Cheesy Salsa Chicken and Rice Bake
    • 3 Ingredient Spinach Artichoke Mac and Cheese

    📖 Recipe

    Shepherds-Pie-With-Instant-Potatoes
    Print Recipe
    4.88 from 8 votes

    Easy Shepherd's Pie with Instant Mashed Potatoes

    Shepherd's Pie, or Cottage Pie, rather, is a comfort dish made with ground beef, mashed potatoes, and in this case- corn. Combined with a homemade sauce and instant mashed potatoes, this meal is filling and delicious.
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 45 mins
    Cooling 5 mins
    Total Time 1 hr 5 mins
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 262kcal
    Cost Recipe $10.62 / Serving $1.33
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    • 9x13 Baking Dish
    • Skillet
    • Measuring Cups
    • Measuring Spoons

    Ingredients

    • 2 lbs ground beef ($6.74)
    • 1 med. onion, chopped ($0.70)
    • 1 clove garlic, minced ($0.05)
    • ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning ($0.05)
    • ½ teaspoon salt ($0.05)
    • ¼ teaspoon pepper ($0.02)
    • 2 tablespoon ketchup ($0.08)
    • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce ($0.02)
    • 1 tablespoon flour ($0.01)
    • ½ cup beef broth ($0.17)
    • 1 can whole kernel corn, or 2 cups frozen ($0.50)
    • 3 cups instant mashed potatoes (8servings) ($2.23)
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9x13 baking dish.
    • In a large skillet, brown your ground beef and drain. Cook onions until clear.
    • Add in the minced garlic and stir.
    • Add in the Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, ketchup, and Worchestershire sauce. Stir well to combine.
    • Stir in the flour until well coated.
    • Slowly add in the beef broth and stir until thickened. Remove from heat.
    • In another pot make instant mashed potatoes according to box for the 8 servings option.
    • In your baking dish, spread your ground beef over the dish to cover nicely.
    • Scatter the drained corn over the top of the ground beef, trying to make a nice even layer.
    • Take the instant mashed potatoes and spread them out over the top of the corn.
    • Bake in the oven for 45 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

    Notes

    Recipe Tips

    You can make the instant mashed potatoes in advance, or at the same time (in a different pot) while browning the ground beef.
    To top a 9x13 pan of shepherd's pie, follow the instructions on the instant potatoes for the 8 serving quantity, this should yield about 3 cups of cooked potatoes. Getting the browned potatoes look on top of the cottage pie is optional, but only requires about 3 minutes under a high broiler. Watch carefully because a minute too long will result in burnt potatoes.

    Make Ahead

    You can make this dish about a day in advance and keep it covered in the fridge until you're ready to bake. Then set it on the counter to come to room temp as the oven preheats and bake as directed.

    Freezing

    You can assemble this and freeze for a later meal or freeze leftovers without issues. Just make sure to keep it well covered and to bake within 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before heating.

    Storage

    If properly stored in the fridge in a covered container, leftovers can last 3 to 5 days. For best results eat it sooner rather than later.

    Nutritional Information

    Serving: 1scoop | Calories: 262kcal | Carbohydrates: 19.1g | Protein: 27.6g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2.4g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 79mg | Sodium: 557.2mg | Potassium: 730.2mg | Fiber: 2.4g | Sugar: 4.6g | Vitamin A: 63IU | Vitamin C: 3.4mg | Calcium: 46.9mg | Iron: 3.3mg
    Author NicoleDurham
    Course dinner, Main Course
    Cuisine American, Irish
    Tried this recipe?Mention @BeeyondCereal on Instagram and hashtag it #BeeyondCereal
    To view how this recipe was calculated you can visit my Pricing Disclosure Page for more information.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jo says

      January 07, 2021 at 7:24 pm

      5 stars
      I tried this Shepherd’s Pie last night and they were super satisfying!

      Reply
    2. Megan says

      January 07, 2021 at 9:07 pm

      5 stars
      Perfect for busy schedules! Can't wait to try this!

      Reply
    3. Jeannette says

      January 07, 2021 at 9:22 pm

      5 stars
      So much easier using instant mashed potatoes than regular ones. I always do love a recipe that tackles the busy work life - convenience matters! Great that this Shepherd's Pie also serves so many mouths!

      Reply
    4. Katherine says

      January 08, 2021 at 12:10 am

      5 stars
      Great idea to use instant mashed potatoes to make this a super simple comfort food meal!

      Reply
    5. Jacqueline Meldrum says

      January 08, 2021 at 12:39 am

      5 stars
      Shepherd's pie was actually a cheap dish originally made with any scraps of meat and bulked out with hardy crops such as onion and carrot, sometimes with mushrooms added and of course the mashed potatoes on top.. It never had corn in it which is definitely an American twist. It's a favourite with my husband too.

      Reply
      • NicoleDurham says

        January 08, 2021 at 10:55 am

        My husband introduced it to me with corn and it stuck haha. We love the crisp and sweet contrast to the savory flavors.

        Reply

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    I'm Nicole and I am the owner and recipe developer here at Beeyond Cereal. I love saving money and one of the best places to trim expenses is in the kitchen. With this site, we are serving up tasty and frugal homemade dishes that the whole family will enjoy.

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