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Shepherd's Pie
Gracious Cooking

Shepherd's Pie with Tomato Sauce

5 from 2 votes
This non-traditional take on Shepherd's Pie combines mashed potatoes, ground beef, veggies, and a tomato sauce made of tomato soup and ketchup for a savory dinner the whole family will love. It sounds weird, but it's delicious!
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Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: United Kingdom
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Mashed Potatoes
  • 2 and ½ pounds russet potatoes see notes
  • 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
  • ½ cup milk
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 1 and ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the Filling
  • ½ large onion, diced or 1 small onion
  • 1 cup diced carrots
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 can Campbell's Tomato Soup
  • ½ cup ketchup
  • ¼ cup water
  • 1 Tablespoon light brown sugar
  • ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¼ to ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
  • ½ cup frozen peas
  • ¾ cup frozen corn kernels

Equipment

  • 1 12 inch skillet
  • 1 9"x13" baking dish

Method
 

For the Mashed Potatoes
  1. Fill a large pot with enough water to cover the potatoes by at least 2 inches. Don't turn on the heat yet.
  2. Peel the potatoes, rinse them, cut them in half the long way, and cut them into ½ inch half-moon slices.
  3. Place the sliced potatoes in the pot, and turn the heat on to high.
  4. Once the pot comes to a full boil, cook the potatoes for 10-15 minutes, or until fork-tender. This means that they are easily pierced with a fork.
  5. Drain the potatoes into a colander, then put them back into the hot pot for a minute to dry out a little.
  6. Pour the potatoes into a large mixing bowl. Add 4 Tablespoons of butter and begin mashing with a potato masher.
  7. Add the milk, sour cream, salt, and pepper. Continue mashing until your desired consistency is achieved. Set aside.
For the Filling
  1. Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Add a little bit of olive oil (or a neutral oil). Add the carrots and sauté for 3-5 minutes.
  2. Add the diced onion to the pan, and sauté until the onions are translucent.
  3. Add the ground beef and cook until browned. Drain fat if desired.
  4. Add the tomato soup and ketchup to the pan. Stir to combine. Add ¼ cup water.
  5. Add the brown sugar, sea salt, black pepper, and red wine vinegar to the pan. Stir to combine and let the filling come to a simmer.
  6. Stir in the frozen peas and corn, and taste for seasoning. Adjust seasoning if necessary.
Assemble the Shepherd's Pie
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Lightly spray a glass 9"x13" baking dish with baking spray. If you don't have any, don't worry about it. It helps with sticking a little, but isn't strictly necessary.
  3. Pour the beef and vegetable filling into the baking dish. Smooth the filling into an even layer.
  4. Dollop large spoonfulls of mashed potatoes all over the filling. Carefully spread the potatoes into an even layer with a rubber spatula, being careful not to disturb the filling.
  5. Lightly scrape the surface of the potatoes with a fork to create texture.
  6. Lightly brush the top of your Shepherd's Pie with 2 Tablespoons of melted butter, if desired.
  7. Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes, then turn on the broiler at 500 degrees for 5-7 minutes, or until you have some browned spots on top. Make sure it doesn't burn! Broilers can be sneaky.
  8. Let cool for 10-15 minutes, and enjoy!

Notes

Shepherd's Pie makes great leftovers! Store covered in the fridge for up to 5 days.
I like a lot of mashed potatoes in this recipe, but feel free to use fewer potatoes if you want a thinner layer of mashed potatoes on top. Just reduce the other ingredients in the mashed potatoes accordingly.
To Freeze: Make and assemble the shepherd's pie with tomato sauce through step 6. Wrap the top of your casserole dish with a layer of parchment paper to keep the potatoes from sticking to the foil. On top of the parchment paper, wrap in 2 layers of heavy duty aluminum foil. Label with the date and the following instructions: To reheat, thaw in the fridge overnight. After thawed, bake on the middle rack of the oven preheated to 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 minutes, or until bubbly. Broil at 500 degrees Fahrenheit for a few minutes if desired for a browned top.
It really is best if this dish thaws before baking, otherwise it will cook unevenly.