Hellofresh Shepherd's Pie Recipe: The Perfect Fall Meal

Originating from Britain, this shepherd’s pie recipe (or cottage pie, as it’s known in its homeland) is one that every cook should try sometime. Tender and juicy vegetables topped with a layer of creamy and smooth potatoes; this will be your go-to dish for the next family gathering.

This is a copycat of Hellofresh shepherd’s pie recipe, and instead of a casserole, like the original recipe, this one is served directly from the pan. This recipe also swaps lamb with ground beef. It requires lots of ingredients, to be prepared in a complex process. But when we say it’s worth it, we mean it. Let’s take a look.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Equipment
• Storage and reheating
• Tips
• Hellofresh Shepherd's Pie Recipe

Ingredients

• Yukon Gold potatoes — 1 pound.
• Ground beef — 1 pound.
• All-purpose flour — 1 tbsp. 
• Sour cream — 2 tbsp. 
• Yellow onion — 1, diced.
• Garlic powder — 1 tbsp. 
• Cheddar cheese — 2 cups.
• Carrot — 1 large.
• Celery — ¼ cup, diced fine.
• Beef stock — 2 cups.
• Butter — 2 tbsp.
• Thyme — ½ tbsp.
• Crushed tomatoes — ⅓ cup.
• Salt and pepper — to taste.
• Vegetable oil — 1 tbsp.

Instructions

1. Turn your broiler to high heat.

2. Finely dice the celery. Peel and halve the carrot. Remove the thyme stems and chop the leaves.

3. Fill a large saucepan with water, add a pinch of salt, and bring to a boil. Add the potatoes to the saucepan.

4. Cook until tender, which should take about 20 minutes.

5. When done, mash the potatoes with butter, thyme, and sour cream. Mash until the texture is smooth.

6. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.

7. Heat some oil in a large skillet. Add the vegetables; carrot, celery, and onion.

8. Cook until tender, and season with salt and pepper.

9. Add garlic powder and thyme, and cook for another minute.

10.  Add beef on top of the vegetables, breaking it into pieces.

11. Cook until the meat is browned. Make sure both sides are cooked equally.

12. Add flour and stir occasionally, combining well.

13. Add tomato paste, water, and beef stock. Bring to a boil and cook until the mixture thickens.

14. Place the mashed potatoes on top.

15. Top with cheddar cheese.

Substitutions

• Ground beef — Shepherd’s pie originates from England, (which is also known as cottage pie up there) and the original shepherd’s pie contains ground lamb. Not surprisingly, ground beef dominates almost every shepherd’s pie recipe. But if you’re one of those people who prefer to stay true to the original version, feel free to substitute ground lamb for ground beef.

• Sour cream — The creamy and mashed potato layer is a huge part of this shepherd’s pie recipe, and sour cream is the secret ingredient behind it. But that doesn’t mean it’s irreplaceable, so even if you’re short on sour cream, no worries! You can simply swap cream cheese with sour cream, and you’d still end with a smooth and creamy potato layer. But keep in mind that it has a thicker texture, so you’d need to add an extra cup of water to the mix. Cottage cheese can also be a good substitute.

• All-purpose flour — No all-purpose flour? No problem! Bread flour has a much higher protein content, so it’s stronger. This might result in a little bit of dryness, but it’s nothing that can’t be solved with a splash of water. If you’re substituting bread flour for all-purpose, go with a 1/1 ratio.

• Beef stock — Though the original Hellofresh shepherd’s pie recipe uses beef stock, there are lots of substitutions if you happen to be short on it. Though the beef stock has a more dominant flavor, the chicken stock will do the job as well. Some shepherd’s pie recipes go with Worcestershire sauce, which delivers a layer of complex and deep flavor. Keep in mind that the Worcestershire flavor will dominate your shepherd’s pie. If you’ll be using Worcestershire sauce instead of beef stock, go with a 1/1 ratio, but don’t forget to add an extra cup of water.

• Crushed tomatoes — Though the Hellofresh shepherd’s pie recipe opts for crushed tomatoes, those who don’t like its watery texture or the tomato chunks that come with it can easily replace them with tomato puree. If you have time and energy for it, you can also use fresh tomatoes. Simply peel them, dice them, and add them to a food processor. If nothing else is available, use pasta sauce.

• Cooking oil — Although olive oil is the go-to cooking oil and is the most commonly used one, a Hellofresh shepherd’s pie recipe can be made with any kind of cooking oil. If you don’t mind the saturated fat content, coconut oil can be a good choice. With a high smoke point, canola oil would also do the job.

Variations

• Gluten-free — You can make this Hellofresh pub-style shepherd’s pie recipe gluten-free! Your options instead of flour range from buckwheat flour, almond flour, chickpea flour, and many more. Make sure to check the beef stock, which may also contain gluten. You can buy your beef stock gluten-free.

• Dairy-free — For a dairy-free hello fresh shepherd’s pie recipe, we’ll be swiftly replacing butter, sour cream, and cheddar cheese. For butter, you can go with vegan butter. Coconut oil and coconut butter are also good substitutes. If you’re feeling bold, you can even experiment with mashed banana or mashed avocado. When it comes to sour cream, you have a few options, which include vegan yogurt and vegan sour cream. Though cheddar cheese is simply the best topping ever, almond cheese makes a good case, too.

Equipment

• Measuring spoons and cups.

• Medium-sized saucepan.

• Skillet. (Preferably stainless steel)

Storage and reheating

• Wrap your leftovers correctly using aluminum foil, and store them in the fridge.

• When reheating, remove the foil and place it in the oven at 375 degrees.

Tips

• Don’t overcook — Keep an eye on your skillet, and use a stainless one, if possible.

• The potatoes — The potatoes should be similar in size and weight.