A good dish for any night of the week. Prep ahead and leave it to cook while you get other things done!

Technically this is not Shepherd’s Pie because it is made with ground beef and not lamb. This recipe is actually for “Cottage Pie” but I decided to title this post the way I did because a lot of people simply don’t know the difference. Oh, and of course, feel free to make this with lamb!

The other notable thing about Shepherd’s and Cottage Pie is that there is no crust. The basic dish is ground or chopped meat mixed with vegetables and gravy, then covered with mashed potatoes and baked till piping hot through to the middle. It is hearty and full of flavor. Note that you can use a bag of mixed frozen vegetables and instant mashed potatoes if you want less prep.

Slow Cooker Shepherd’s Pie

Ingredients:

• 2 Pounds Lean Ground Beef
• Rosemary
• 1/2 Cup Red Wine (optional)
• 2 Carrots, sliced
• 1 Can of Corn
• 1 Can of Peas
• 1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup
• 6-8 Russet Potatoes
• 1 Cup Milk (to desired mashed potato texture)
• Salt & Pepper

Instructions:

1. Brown the ground beef, draining off all but about one tablespoon of fat.
2. Add finely chopped rosemary, salt and pepper, and all vegetables besides the potatoes. Mix thoroughly.
3. Meanwhile, peel, quarter and boil the potatoes in a separate pot.
4. Place meat and vegetable mixture into slow cooker. Add cream of mushroom soup and stir just a bit. It will mix in as it cooks so you can be a little lazy about this step.
5. Mash the potatoes with milk, salt, and pepper until very smooth with no lumps.
6. Spread the mashed potatoes over the meat and vegetable mixture.
7. Cook on low setting for 7 hours or high setting for 3 hours (adjust to your slow cooker’s capabilities).
8. Optional: At the end, sprinkle with Hungarian (or any mild) paprika. Garnish with chopped green onions.
9. Optional: Add shredded cheddar cheese in the last 20 minutes of cooking or offer it as a garnish when serving.

That is all there is to it! It also reheats perfectly in the cook pot if you have leftovers. Serves 8.

If you like this recipe, be sure to check out my second cookbook “One Dish Wonders” which, along with beautiful illustrations, contains recipes for other slow-cooked and one dish meals. My cookbooks and accompanying spice blends are available here!