Lazy Shepherd’s Pie

Prepping the ingredients ahead of time makes this recipe for Lazy Shepherd’s Pie a breeze to bake for your family. It’s a great freezer meal to pull out when you have leftover mashed potatoes! A favorite of many, this dish is as comforting as it is filling. And the cost cannot be beaten!

When it comes to comfort foods, shepherd’s pie ranks pretty high on the list. Add to that the fact that this is a frugal meal to serve a crowd, and this one is sure to be a family favorite. If you love comfort food (and who doesn’t?) be sure to check out our One Pot Marry Me Orzo recipe, or these Mini Chicken Pot Pies. For instant access to all of our latest recipes and more, be sure to join the Freezer Meals 101 Club.

Lazy Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

Ingredients for the Freezer Bag

• 1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef, browned and cooled
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup peas, frozen
• 1 cup kernel corn, frozen
• 2 Tbsp. salsa
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1/2 tsp. pepper

Ingredients to Add When You Cook

• mashed potatoes

How to Make Lazy Shepherd’s Pie

Assembly Instructions

1. Place all ingredients in freezer bag.
2. Seal and freeze.

Baking Instructions

1. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
2. Put in a casserole dish and top with mashed potatoes.
3. Bake at 350°F for one hour.

How can I know for sure the shepherd’s pie is finished baking?

The internal temperature of the dish should be 165ºF since it contains ground beef. It should be hot throughout. Use an instant read thermometer to test for doneness if you are unsure.

Can I use leftover corn or peas instead of frozen?

Yes. If you have leftover corn on the cob for instance, you can cut the corn off the cob and use it for this recipe. If you’re able to find a great sale on canned kernel corn, you can drain it and use that instead. Using frozen corn and frozen peas is a matter of convenience, and doesn’t change the recipe at all.

I hate oregano. What are my options?

I know a few people who aren’t fans of oregano. Rosemary is one my favorite herbs, and an excellent choice for this dish, as are thyme and marjoram.

Lazy Shepherd’s Pie Recipe Ideas

Plan ahead and make double the mashed potatoes you need the day before, knowing that you have a bag of Lazy Shepherd’s Pie in the freezer ready to make. Adding extra milk and butter to day old mashed potatoes helps refresh them.

You could also used mashed cauliflower to lower the calorie content of the dish. It is a more liquid consistency, so exercise caution as to how much you layer on.

If you like a more moist, saucy shepherd’s pie, add a jar of brown gravy to the ground beef mixture at the time of cooking.

You could go ahead and freeze this dish in an oven-safe container and then move it straight to the oven from the freezer. Add the mashed potatoes once the contents of the dish have thawed in the oven or add them before freezing.

Add cheddar cheese or American cheese for variety. Mix a cup or so into the ground beef mixture at the time of cooking.

Change the heat level in this dish by changing the salsa. You can experiment with different salsas to change both the flavors and heat level of the dish or even add hot sauce when serving.

Money Saving Tips: Buy ground beef in bulk when you want tacos or sloppy joes. Brown it all, and use the extra to make up a batch or two of this freezer meal. You’ll save money buying in bulk, and this dish is already incredibly frugal to feed a family of six with pennies. When you make mashed potatoes, make double what you need and save the extra to have with lazy shepherd’s pie. This saves you so much time! When you see the veggies you need for this dish (peas and corn) on sale in the freezer section, that’s the time to stock up.

How do I store Lazy Shepherd’s Pie?

Keep leftovers refrigerated in an airtight container. This will keep for three or four days. Since the ingredients were cooked before they were frozen the first time, the dish should not be frozen again.

What to Serve with Lazy Shepherd’s Pie?

A meal unto itself, shepherd’s pie can be served with any kind of bread: French bread, Italian bread, homemade bread, dinner rolls, Hawaiian sweet rolls, or sourdough.

A light, contrasting salad will also be a nice tough. I love to pick up bagged salads at the store over the weekend to pair with our freezer meals throughout the week. Oven-roasted green veggies (choose from broccoli, asparagus, green beans, Brussels sprouts) would be an excellent addition to this meal. Adding side dishes allows you to serve more people with the main dish.

Print

Lazy Shepherd’s Pie

Prep Time

25 mins

Cook Time

1 hr

Total Time

1 hr 25 mins

 

Course: Main Course

Servings: 6

Calories: 317 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef browned and cooled
• 1 onion diced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 cup peas frozen
• 1 cup kernel corn frozen
• 2 Tbsp salsa
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp pepper

For the Day of Cooking

• mashed potatoes

Instructions

Assembly Instructions

1. Place all ingredients in freezer bag.

2. Remove excess air, seal and freeze.

Baking Instructions

1. Thaw overnight in the fridge.

2. Put in casserole dish and top with mashed potatoes.

3. Bake at 350°F for one hour.