Curried Shepherd’s Pie Recipe (2024)

By Craig Claiborne and Pierre Franey

Curried Shepherd’s Pie Recipe (1)

Total Time
1 hour 15 minutes
Rating
5(2,258)
Notes
Read community notes

This spiced version of the traditional English dish was developed in 1984 by Pierre Franey and Craig Claiborne for an article about budget-friendly meals. Here, the ground beef base is laced with curry powder, cumin and coriander then topped with a pile of fluffy, mashed potatoes dotted with green peas.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings

  • 6Russet potatoes, about 2 pounds, peeled and cut into 1½-inch cubes
  • Salt to taste, if desired
  • 1tablespoon peanut, vegetable or corn oil
  • ¾cup finely chopped onions
  • 1tablespoon finely minced garlic
  • 1tablespoon curry powder
  • 1teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1teaspoon ground coriander
  • 2pounds ground lean beef
  • Freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 1cup crushed, canned imported tomatoes
  • ½cup fresh or canned chicken broth
  • 1teaspoon sugar
  • 2cups cooked fresh or frozen green peas
  • ½cup hot milk
  • 3tablespoons butter

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

321 calories; 12 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 26 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 30 grams protein; 787 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Curried Shepherd’s Pie Recipe (2)

Preparation

  1. Step

    1

    Put the potatoes into a pot and add water to cover and salt to taste. Bring to the boil and cook 10 to 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork.

  2. Step

    2

    As the potatoes cook, heat the oil in a skillet and add the onions and garlic over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until they are wilted. Add the curry powder, cumin and coriander and cook briefly, stirring.

  3. Add the meat and cook, stirring down with the side of a heavy kitchen spoon to break up the lumps. Add salt, pepper, the tomatoes, broth and sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 20 to 30 minutes.

  4. Step

    4

    Meanwhile, preheat the broiler.

  5. Step

    5

    Drain the potatoes and put them through a food mill or a potato ricer back into the pot. Stir in the peas and cook briefly.

  6. Step

    6

    Add the hot milk, two tablespoons of the butter and pepper, preferably white, beating with a wooden spoon.

  7. Step

    7

    Heat an eight-cup baking dish (a souffle dish works well) and spoon the piping-hot curried meat into it. Top with the hot mashed potatoes. Smooth over the top. Dot with the remaining tablespoon of butter.

  8. Step

    8

    Run the mixture under the broiler until the top is golden brown. Serve immediately.

Ratings

5

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2,258

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Kathy Walling

Instead of stirring peas into the mashed potatoes, I put them as a layer above the meat and then put the potatoes on top of them. Beautiful looking and delicious!

Neil

Very tasty once I doubled the amount of spices in the ground beef.

Janet

This was great. I used more curry, turmeric and cumin than suggested and added some grated sharp cheddar cheese to the top.

Luddite

I find myself beginning to resent recipes that call for "imported tomatoes". Aside from the fact that they don't specify a provenance (Timbuktu, anyone?) I can't imagine that in a recipe such as this (or any other, really) domestic tomatoes wouldn't serve as well.

Diana

I have made this cottage pie twice but it was better the second time with these modifications: a) used a mix of ground beef, ground veal, sage sausage, b) reduced and thickened meat sauce by simmering longer and adding 1 T tomato paste, c) adding whisked egg to potatoes, d) topped casserole with dabs of butter and 1-2 T grated parmesan, e) baked 25 mins at 375 until top lightly golden and casserole piping hot. Much more enthusiastic reception second time around.

Brian Hamman

I made this with Pierre Franey's Pureéd Cauliflower (http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1445-pureed-cauliflower) in place of the mashed potatoes. It tasted comfortably olde timey. Great winter dish. I wimped out and used 1 tablespoon of curry but might up it to one and a half next time.

Cliff

Very nice flavor with the spices and tomatoes. However, next time I think I'll cook 3 T of flour in with the onions and garlic before I add the ground beef and broth for some thickening. And perhaps cook in an egg yolk with the potato topping. But we will make this again. In my supermarket 2 pounds of Russet potatoes was 3 potatoes. Go with the weight--the proportions between meat underneath and potatoes on top was just right.

Rebecca

Very tasty. The spices, in spite of the quantities, were not at all intrusive -- in fact I might add more hot curry. The peas in the mash were a great addition for color, taste and texture. Will do this with all future shepherd's and cottage pies. For two a half recipe made two pies -- one to eat with leftover lunch portion and one to freeze.

Tim

Double the spices regardless of your heat tolerance. It's far too bland when made with the posted amount. Turmeric makes a nice addition. A few pinches of paprika on top presents nicely.

david shepherd

Re the flour add; instead, try just letting the beef/tomato mixture simmer a while longer to reduce and thicken. This intensifies the flavor of the jus the preparation results in.

Diane

As written, everything is hot when you put it in the casserole so you just want a bit of color on the top. You can dot with butter, or brush with melted butter (my preference) and pop it in a very hot oven ~400 for 10 minutes or so until the top is to your liking. Hope this helps.

Rebecca

I made this with half the beef, a carrot, a celery stalk and garam masala in place of the spices. Used pureed rutabaga to top. It was delicious!

Martha

The original Shepherd's (leftover roast lamb) and Cottage (leftover roast beef) pie calls for the addition of HP or A1 sauce instead of the curry flavor. Taste it as you add until you have the flavor you like. Not like curry at all, so it should satisfy the curry hater in your house.

Torrey

This was so tasty! I did the meat in my cast iron skillet and once the potatoes were ready I simply added them atop the meat and into the oven it went, which saved a dish. Will definitely be making this again. I shared some with a neighbor and he said “holy traditional English dinner Batman”

SusanH

That would just be a regular Shepard's pie. Look up any recipe.

yas

Doubled the spices and it still could have used more. 2 lb of mince can handle a lot of seasoning. Used a full can of crushed tomatoes, added some tomato paste per other suggestions. Needed a long simmer to reduce the liquid. Added a layer of carrots and peas under the mashed potato, should have added them to the beef as it finished cooking.

Rebecca

I always cook the recipe to the letter the first time, and this one was a big hit! My husband’s favorite dish is cottage pie, and he really loved this version! I think next time I may add a little more spice, but it does have a lovely flavor and I like the peas in the mash. He has requested that I add this dish to our frequent rotation.

bb

I'm sure this has been said below, but this recipe should actually be called cottage pie - Shepard's pie is traditionally made with lamb - looks delicious and will try the sliced version :)

Ben The Vet

Great recipe, but here in the UK _shepherds_ pie is made from lamb (shepherds keep sheep). The same but made with beef is inexplicably called 'cottage pie'.

additions

1 1/2 T garam masala2 tsp cumin and coriander

Rebecca

Overall really good, could be a little better. Perfect to use up leftover mashed potatoes, alternated blobs of potato with mashed butternut squash. I did increase the spices but still needed a little something. Next time I'll add a little tomato paste for depth of flavor and cook the meat mixture longer, it was a little watery.

TaiL

I really enjoyed this and think it's an excellent basic recipe. I also think there are a ton of edits that could be made to this. There was too much liquid, and I had to drain it a bit. The spices are too mild, even for the most delicate palate. This makes about 10 servings. Plan to do some garlic/tomato/onion sauce to top it with, so we'll see.

Rachel

Made this tonight. After reading all the notes, added some carrot and celery with the onion, doubled the spices, and added tomato paste with the beef. Also mixed the peas in with the meat because it sounded better. This was incredible! The entire family went for seconds including my 7 year old. And even with the seconds we have enough leftovers for another dinner Will be adding to our saved recipes for sure!

heather markey

Winner

Jackie

I used only one pound of beef, about double the amount of onion, and more spices. Delicious.

MM

I’ve made this recipe a few times and it’s always a huge hit! I do basically double the amount spices as some other commenters mentioned. Overall very delicious

Sarah

Add tomato pasteCarrotExtra spices

pierce

Use more aromatic veggies

Rigo Rodriguez

This is cottage pie. Shepherds tend to sheep, not cattle.

Athena

I’m another one of those annoying comments, sorry. Added tomato paste, deglazed with beer & beef stock, added two blocks of Japanese curry roux instead of the curry powder, added white cheddar and double butter to the potatoes. Dynamite.

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Curried Shepherd’s Pie Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep shepherd's pie from falling apart? ›

How do you keep shepherds pie from falling apart? The eggs in the mashed potatoes help keep the pie together. You should also make sure to spread the potatoes and press down a bit.

How is shepherd's pie originally made? ›

And, by doing so, the humble shepherd's pie was born. Originally, the dish contained a pastry shell at the bottom, top, or both. Over time, this morphed into potato slices at the bottom and top of savory minced lamb meat, until it eventually became a topping of mashed potatoes.

How do you make shepherd's pie not runny? ›

Why is my shepherd's pie runny? Generally, this is caused by using too much stock. If you follow this recipe's measurements you'll have the right amount but don't forget to reduce the meat filling long enough so it's not runny.

How do you thicken shepherd's pie meat? ›

Sprinkle flour over ground meat in pot, then stir in. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and simmer until sauce is reduced and thick, about 20 minutes.

How do you stretch ground beef for shepherd's pie? ›

Stretch your ground beef with any of these cheap fillers:
  1. Cooked or uncooked oatmeal, or rolled oats.
  2. Breadcrumbs.
  3. Cooked barley or bulgar wheat.
  4. Quinoa or couscous.
  5. TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein)
  6. Grated or finely chopped vegetables like carrots, celery, garlic, onions, sweet or hot peppers, potatoes, squash, or zucchini.
Dec 24, 2022

Why is flour used in shepherds pie? ›

This shepherd's pie recipe uses 2 tablespoons of flour to thicken the gravy but if you feel like the meat mixture is too watery, add in another tablespoon and stir to combine. You may also try simmering the mince mixture for longer so that the stock reduces down and thickens.

Why is my shepherd's pie soggy? ›

A good shepherd's – or indeed cottage – pie, needs a solid, but fluffy top: too much milk or butter, and you'll end up with a sloppy puree instead. Make sure you steam the potatoes dry before mashing, and season generously; I like Bareham and Hopkinson's nutmeg as well as the usual salt and pepper.

Why do Irish people eat shepherd's pie? ›

It's called cottage pie in the U.K. because they use beef and in Ireland since the shepherds tend sheep, it's shepherd's pie. No doubt, the English put out an excellent cottage pie, but in Ireland it used to be a delicacy since the Irish couldn't afford beef they repurposed any unused veggies and meat.

What is a shepherds pie called when it is made from beef? ›

Cottage pie is made using the same or very similar ingredients to shepherds pie. Nationally Cottage pie is made with Beef mince and Shepherds pie is made with Lamb mince. The name "cottage pie" was first used at the end of the 18th century.

Why does my potato sink in shepherds pie? ›

Residual moisture from the potatoes will drip into the beef below as it cooks, and too much of it will cause the potatoes to eventually sink. Aside from ridding your potatoes of excess moisture before you mash them, it also helps to cool the beef down, BBC Good Food shares.

How long does homemade shepherd's pie last? ›

Shepherd's pie can typically last in the fridge for about 3-5 days if stored properly in an airtight container. Make sure to let it cool down before refrigerating it, and always ensure that it's reheated thoroughly before consuming it again.

How do you thicken shepherd's pie without cornstarch? ›

Arrowroot Powder – If you're following the Paleo Diet then Arrowroot Powder is a great alternative to using cornstarch to thicken gravies and sauces.

What is the best thickener for pie filling? ›

All-purpose flour is an easy solution, as you're sure to have it in your pantry. Since it's lower in starch, you'll use more of it than you would higher-starch thickeners. Quick-cooking tapioca makes filling bright and clear, but also gives it a stippled and somewhat sticky texture.

What if you put too much flour in sauce? ›

Too much flour, for instance, can result in a gummy consistency (particularly when left overnight in the fridge). Reheating with additional liquid can often help soften things up.

Why is it called shepherds pie? ›

Shepherd's pie was attributed to a similar Scottish dish that used lamb or mutton rather than beef. Shepherd's herded sheep, hence the name. The textured, mash potato topping also resembles the woolly fleece of a sheep.

Why does my meat pie fall apart? ›

The pie dough is too dry!

The butter should stay firm so it doesn't soften and combine with the flour. Wondering why can't you use a spoon? The trick here is to hydrate the flour with just enough water to get the dough to stick together.

Why did my pie fall apart? ›

Too much flour = dry pie dough. Once mixed, your dough should stick together when you pinch it between your fingers. If it doesn't, you need to add more moisture. Even if you think your pie dough resembles the Sahara desert, show some restraint when adding more water.

Why did my pie filling split? ›

You overbaked the pie

Eggs, when cooked, thicken and set the custard, but when overcooked the egg proteins will tighten up quickly and create cracks.

How do you stop a pie gap? ›

Prick the crust all over with a fork, like you would shortbread; or cut some slashes or crosses. Make a lattice, if you like. But whatever you do, don't bake your fruit pie with a solid, sealed-down top crust: you're just asking for the that "gap in pie" result.

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