Healthy Shepherd’s Pie with Rosemary Herb Seasoning

Simply the Best Shepherd’s Pie Recipe!

Years ago my friend shared this amazing Shepherd’s Pie recipe with me, and I LOVE the copycat Pampered Chef Rosemary Herb Seasoning blend that is used to add robust flavor to the dish!

The Shepherd’s Pie I grew up with involved tomato soup and tomato paste, and I never really loved it as an adult. So when I discovered this amazing recipe, it became a regular family favorite!

Instead a tomato base, we use a simple homemade beef gravy base, which lets the best flavors, the Rosemary Herb Seasoning, shine through… it’s comfort food at it’s finest!

What is Shepherd’s Pie?

Shepherd’s pie isn’t anything too special! It’s simply a great recipe for using up some leftover ingredients, and in the early days, it was typically made in order to use up leftover roasted meat.

Whether or not you have leftovers, this is definitely one to add to your menu plan!

In this one, I prefer to make the base from scratch, rather than purchasing store bought gravy. But if that’s how you roll, go for it!

Start with the Beef and Onion

Shepherd’s Pie is typically made with lamb, but it can also be made with other various types of meat.

For this particular recipe, we’re going with beef. I’ve seen it made with chicken, turkey, and other meats. You may have heard this called a cottage pie.

The first step is simple: brown your ground beef until only a bit of pink remains.

After you drain the fat from the ground beef, add the diced onion and finish browning until the onion is tender. Some people like to just cook up the onions first, then cook the meat. This works too… you just might lose a little of the onion flavor, depending on how you drain/rinse your beef.

Next, add salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste.

Preparing the Gravy and Rosemary Herb Seasoning Mix

Like I mentioned, I like to make the gravy from scratch. I love to use Better Than Bouillon beef base. To make gravy, just follow the instructions on the cornstarch package for making gravy. Super easy and fast. 

Rosemary Herb Seasoning Mix

The rosemary seasoning is really simple to make. It’s easier to just make a big batch all at once and store for later. You can use it for seasoning veggies and other meats, any time! That full recipe is below.

But if you only want to use it this ones, we had to modify the recipe just slightly… for a single shepherd’s pie:

• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• pinch black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon dried lemon peel
• 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic

Add the ingredients it to the gravy, and then pour it all into the meat mixture like so:

Assembling the Shepherd’s Pie

You’re going to want to use a 9×13 baking dish for this, and you’ll start by lining the bottom of it with your frozen vegetables. Note that thawing the vegetables beforehand will cut down on the baking time. If you’re in a crunch, you can try using your microwave to speed up the process.

If I have extra Rosemary Herb Seasoning Mix, I will sometimes sprinkle a bit on this layer. Not necessary, but certainly won’t hurt the robust flavor!

After the veggies are ready, spoon the beef mixture over top:

How Many Pounds of Potatoes to Make 4 Cups Mashed Potatoes?

If you are making your mashed potatoes from scratch, you’ll need about 2.5-3 pounds of potatoes in order to make 4ish cups mashed (a little extra never hurts, right?). You can have them peeled or unpeeled, your choice!

Whatever you do, you’ll want the potatoes fairly hot so you can add the 4 oz of cream cheese to them. It will be easier to melt and incorporate if your potatoes are hot or fairly warm!

Need more direction on mashed potatoes? Try these amazing slow cooker buttermilk mashed potatoes.

Baking the Pie

You’re almost done! First, place your 9×13 pan on top of a larger shallow cookie sheet. This will help catch any drips from the boiling gravy.

Hold off on the cheese! First you’ll cover your shepherd’s pie with foil and bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes. Then it’s time to add the cheese!

Remove the foil, top your yummy shepherd’s pie with a nice layer of cheddar cheese (about 1-2 cups).

How to Make Your Shepherd’s Pie Faster:

If you are in a time crunch, you can do a few things to speed the process up:

• pre-cook veggies in microwave
• layer on hot meat mixture and hot mashed potatoes.
• sprinkle the cheese on top
• toss the pan in the broiler oven to melt cheese

The flavor won’t be quite as strong since it didn’t have time to meld into the veggies and simmer into the potatoes, BUT it will still taste great!

Final Thoughts

Once your beautiful shepherd’s pie comes out of the oven, I promise you your mouth will be watering! Your kitchen will smell divine at this point too. Dig in and ENOY, not only the flavors, but the oooo’s and ahhhh’s from the family!

Oh, and if you have picky eaters, I bet they’ll even like this dish! Let us know in the comments how it goes for you!

More Easy and Healthy Dinner Ideas:

• Slow Cooker Honey Parmesan Pork Roast
• Healthy Asian Lettuce Wraps Recipe
• Blackened Chicken with Avocado Cream Sauce Recipe
• Healthy Taco Bowl Recipe with Avocado Lime Dressing
• Creamy Lemon Parmesan Shrimp Recipe

Healthy Shepherd's Pie with Rosemary Herb Seasoning

Making a Shepherd's Pie is a great way to use up some leftovers, or you can simply make it for a tasty comforting dinner!

5 / 5 ( 2 Reviews )

Print Rate

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 55 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Serves: 10

Adjust Servings: 10

US CustomaryMetric

Ingredients

Ground Beef Mixture

• 1 ½ lb ground beef
• 1 small onion diced fine
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• Salt to taste

Additional Ingredients for Layers

• 1 bag frozen peas and carrots 12 oz bag
• 3 cups frozen corn
• 3 cups brown gravy I just make own with beef broth and cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon rosemary seasoning blend *see blend recipe below

Mashed Potatoes

• 4 cups mashed potatoes about 2.5 pounds raw
• 4 ounces cream cheese
• 1-2 cups cheddar cheese for top as desired

Rosemary Herb Seasoning Blend Mix

• ¼ cup dried rosemary.
• 1 tablespoon Kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried lemon peel
• 1 tablespoon dried granulated garlic

Instructions

Ground Beef Mixture

• Brown beef until only slightly pink remaining, drain off fat, then add onion and finish browning and until onions are tender.
• Add salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste.
• Prepare gravy (according to directions on cornstarch packaging)
• Add rosemary seasoning and mix well. Then add gravy to the meat mixture.

Mashed Potatoes

• Prepare mashed potatoes and add softened cream cheese to very warm to hot potatoes.
• Blend well and set aside.

Layering Shepherd's Pie

• Thaw frozen veggies if desired, otherwise add into 9x13 dish.
• Pour meat and gravy over veggies.
• Spoon mashed potatoes over the meat layer.
• Cover with foil. Place on a shallow baking dish to catch drips.
• Bake at 350°F/175°C for 40-45 minutes or until heated thru.
• Remove foil and add cheddar cheese on top. Melt til bubbly and/or crispy as desired.

Rosemary Herb Seasoning Blend

• If the rosemary is too twiggy, crush it up a bit with a blender or spice grinder and pulse a few times. Also fine to leave as is.
• Blend all seasonings by placing in a small rubbermaid container and shake to mix.

Recipe Notes

Save on baking time by thawing veggies first.
To really speed the process up, cook veggies in microwave. Then add hot meat and gravy mixture on top, and layer on hot mashed potatoes. Put the cheese on and toss the pan in the broiler oven to melt cheese.
Place a cookie sheet on the rack below your dish to catch drips.

Nutrition

Calories: 431kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 23g | Sodium: 1275mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g