• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • ALL RECIPES
  • Dinner
  • Dessert
  • Pumpkin Recipes
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
Self Proclaimed Foodie
menu icon
go to homepage
  • RECIPES
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT ME
  • SUBSCRIBE
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • RECIPES
    • ABOUT
    • CONTACT ME
    • SUBSCRIBE
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Dinner

    Irish Cheddar Shepherd's Pie

    Published: March 16, 2020 · Updated: February 2, 2021 · By: Krissy · 11 Comments
    This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    This Irish Cheddar Shepherd’s Pie is the perfect comfort food, tastes even better leftover, meal that your family will love.

    Shepherd's pie, with sharp Irish Cheddar mashed potatoes over a savory ground beef  and vegetable mixture with a flavorful sauce, is comfort food at its finest.

    This easy homemade dinner recipe also uses a Guinness Stout to give this delicious meal a huge flavor boost. This is definitely one of my favorite St. Patrick's Day recipes!

    shepherd's pie with irish cheddar

    Why this recipe works:

    This recipe is the perfect St. Paddy’s Day meal that your family is guaranteed to love. Shepherd's Pie is the epitome of comfort foods, made completely from scratch and topped with mashed potatoes.

    When creating this I wanted to put a fun little spin on the traditional meal. Adding a Guinness Stout to deglaze the pan and mixing in some extra sharp shredded Irish cheddar cheese gives this delicious dinner an additional Irish spin.

    How to make it:

    1. Using a large skillet, brown your ground beef with onion. After it has been cooking for about 15 minutes add the celery.
    2. Pour on some Guinness stout and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to deglaze. Throw in some butter and allow it to melt, then sprinkle it with flour and stir. Allow the flour to cook for several minutes before adding beef broth.
    3. After the beef broth is mixed in you’ll add tomato paste, Worcestershire, and salt. This meat filling is so full of flavor!
    4. You’ll want to boil your potatoes until they are soft and tender, usually about 20 minutes. Drain and mash them well with butter, buttermilk, egg yolk, salt to taste and half of the shredded Irish cheddar cheese. The egg yolk adds to the richness and creaminess.
    5. Now the frozen vegetables can be added to the meat.
    6. Next, place the mashed potatoes on top of your beef mixture in an even layer.
    7. Sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese over it and voila, your Irish cheddar shepherds pie is finished and ready to broil on low until the top is a beautiful golden brown.

    Cooking tips:

    • Save time by preparing the mashed potatoes while your meat is cooking. Homemade mashed potatoes ensure this classic meal is creamy and delicious.
    • I love to use frozen mixed veggies in this meal for the simple reason that they’re easy and convenient. My favorite veggies to use in shepherd’s pie is the organic foursome from Trader Joe’s. It has exactly what I want in the exact portions.
    • Serve warm and enjoy! This recipe keeps well for a few days if refrigerated and stored in an air tight container.

    serving of shepherd's pie recipe with irish cheddar

    Slightly different than traditional

    Traditional pies are made with ground lamb in a savory gravy, mixed vegetables and topped with mashed potatoes.

    The best recipes are seasoned to perfection and transformed into a mouth watering casserole.

    My recipe is pretty traditional except that I used ground beef instead of lamb. I also prefer to cook it in a skillet.

    Fun fact:

    Confession time: I should have called this recipe Cottage Pie, because traditional Shepherd's Pie is made with lamb and Cottage Pie is made with beef.

    You can certainly make this recipe with ground lamb if you want it to be more authentic.

    Personally, I'm not a huge fan of lamb. I've tried it several times and am just not a huge fan of the flavor. I've found that people who grew up eating lamb love it, but since I didn't eat it until I was a middle aged adult, I just don't like it that much.

    shepards pie in cast iron pan and on white plate

    Other festive St. Patrick's Day recipes:

    You'll definitely want to try these:

    • Guinness Chocolate Cake
    • Corned Beef Hash
    • Irish Soda Bread
    • Irish Cheddar Stout Bread
    • Pressure Cooker (Instant Pot) Corned Beef and Cabbage
    • Bangers & Mash with Stout Onion Gravy

    Did you make this recipe? Please leave me a comment below and let me know what you think!

    This Irish Cheddar Shepherd's Pie is the perfect comfort food, tastes even better leftover, St. Paddy's Day meal that your family will love.

    Irish Cheddar Shepherd's Pie Recipe

    Shepherd's pie, with sharp Irish Cheddar mashed potatoes over a savory ground beef  and vegetable mixture with a flavorful sauce, is comfort food at its finest.
    5 from 10 votes
    Print Pin Rate SaveSaved!
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Irish
    Prep Time: 30 minutes
    Cook Time: 45 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
    Hover to scale: 8 servings
    Chef: Krissy Allori

    Ingredients

    • 1 ½ pounds ground beef
    • 1 medium onion (chopped)
    • 2 small stalks celery (chopped)
    • 3 ounces stout beer (I used Guinness)
    • 2 tablespoons butter
    • 2 tablespoons flour
    • 1 cup beef broth
    • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
    • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 16 ounces frozen vegetables (I used Trader Joe's Organic Foursome with super sweet white corn, sweat peas, julienne sliced carrots, & green beans)
    • 2 pounds potatoes (peeled and chopped (I used half russet with skin removed, half baby Dutch yellow with skin on))
    • 2 tablespoons butter
    • ¼ cup buttermilk
    • 1 large egg yolk
    • 6 ounces Irish cheddar (grated)
    • salt and pepper (to taste)

    Instructions

    Shepherd's Pie filling:

    • Using a very large heavy bottom skillet, brown ground beef with onion. After cooking for about 15 minutes, add celery and continue cooking until meat is crumbly. Add stout and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to deglaze. Add butter and allow to melt, then sprinkle with flour and stir. Allow the flour to cook for several minutes before adding beef broth.
    • Add beef broth and stir mixture well. Add tomato paste, Worcestershire, and salt, stir well, and allow gravy to thicken while the mixture cooks, about 5 minutes. Add frozen vegetables and allow to cook until the entire mixture is nice and hot.

    Mashed Potatoes:

    • To make the mashed potatoes, boil the potatoes in water over high heat until very soft and tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and mash well with butter, buttermilk, egg yolk, salt (to taste) and half of the shredded Irish cheddar.
    • Add the mashed potatoes to the top of your beef mixture in an even layer. Top with remaining shredded cheddar.
    • Broil on low for about 15 minutes, until the top is golden brown.

    Notes

    Cooking tips:

    • Save time by preparing the mashed potatoes while your meat is cooking. Homemade mashed potatoes ensure this classic meal is creamy and delicious. 
    • I love to use frozen mixed veggies in this meal for the simple reason that they’re easy and convenient. My favorite veggies to use in shepherd’s pie is the organic foursome from Trader Joe’s. It has exactly what I want in the exact portions.
    • Serve warm and enjoy! This recipe keeps well for a few days if refrigerated and stored in an air tight container.

    NUTRITION INFORMATION

    Calories: 487kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 122mg | Sodium: 580mg | Potassium: 922mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 3340IU | Vitamin C: 20.5mg | Calcium: 236mg | Iron: 6.4mg
    SUBSCRIBE TO MY NEWSLETTERSign up to have my recipes emailed to you. Free!

    This post was originally created in March 2015 and has been updated with more information and cooking tips. Don't worry - I didn't change the recipe!

    « Bangers & Mash with Stout Onion Gravy
    Shrimp Scampi »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Michele

      March 17, 2020 at 1:25 pm

      Made for dinner tonight 03/17/2029, we all need some comfort and reassurance.

      Reply
    2. JR

      October 07, 2019 at 8:47 am

      I made this with venison and everyone loved it!

      Reply
    3. SHANIKA

      June 26, 2019 at 3:11 pm

      5 stars
      This Shepherd's Pie looks so delicious! YUM!

      Reply
    4. Kelly Anthony

      June 26, 2019 at 2:23 pm

      5 stars
      You had me at guinness stout and Irish cheddar cheese. I love this flavor combination especially when it is in shepherds pie.

      Reply
    5. Eden

      June 26, 2019 at 1:23 pm

      5 stars
      My family LOVED this so much, everyone went for seconds. So good!

      Reply
    6. Sophie

      June 26, 2019 at 1:01 pm

      5 stars
      I am a big shepherds pie fan and this recipe inspires me to cook something similar yet vegan. Love it!

      Reply
    7. Kay

      March 17, 2019 at 2:56 pm

      5 stars
      This was great. Thank you so much. Shared with friends. They lived it.

      Reply
    8. Jay Burnett

      February 20, 2017 at 12:14 pm

      5 stars
      Actually, Shepherd's Pie is made with lamb, while beef = cottage pie, but who cares when using a grand recipe like this? Some find all lamb too gamey so they use half lamb & half beef. Just jiggle it around a bit if you want. I will wait for St. Pat's day to have this so it'll feel "virginal" ; )

      Reply
      • Krissy

        February 26, 2017 at 8:19 am

        Your comment totally cracked me up and I totally appreciate the schooling on the Shepherd's vs Cottage nomenclature. I had no idea! I'm not a huge fan of lamb either. Thanks!!! -Krissy

        Reply
      • Made Wolfley

        March 04, 2018 at 2:51 pm

        I am going to make this with elk burger. I will let everyone know how it come out.

        Reply
        • Krissy

          March 07, 2018 at 6:09 am

          Oh wow. I can't wait to hear!

          Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Krissy

    A close up of a woman

    I love to create the BEST versions of your favorite recipes. If you love to cook, love to eat, or just have a deep appreciation for good food, you're in the right place! Stick around... I have hundreds of recipes for you to make. more about me...

    SUBSCRIBE to my newsletter

    Strawberry Recipes!

    • How to Make Strawberry Rhubarb Jam
    • Old Fashioned Strawberry Ice Cream
    • Classic Strawberry Shortcake
    • Strawberry Pretzel Salad {Strawberry Pretzel Dessert}
    online publications that have featured self proclaimed foodie

    Most Popular Recipes

    • Salmon Patties (Salmon Cakes)
    • Granny's Monkey Bread Recipe
    • Beef and Noodles
    • Cajun Shrimp Pasta
    • Country Sausage Gravy
    • Absolutely Perfect Filet Mignon
    • Best Homemade Alfredo Sauce {Easy 4 Ingredient Recipe + Video}
    • Granny's Classic Meatloaf Recipe

    Footer

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    Contact

    Privacy Policy

    Nutrition Disclaimer

    Check Out Ten Acre Baker

    Meet Krissy

    Social

    Pinterest

    Facebook

    Instagram

    You Tube

    Sign Up for free emails

    Recipes

    • Dinner
    • Dessert
    • Breakfast
    • Drinks
    • Appetizers

    Self Proclaimed Foodie is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com

    COPYRIGHT © 2022 SELF PROCLAIMED FOODIE®