Easy Skillet Shepherd’s Pie With Tomato Sauce

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Need an easy dinner recipe? Then you’ll love this skillet shepherd’s pie made with tomato sauce, and ground beef topped with a layer of creamy mashed potatoes.

Shepherd’s pie is a classic comfort food for me, growing up it’s a dinner we ate often. This delicious recipe is an easy dinner idea for busy weeknights that can be made ahead of time and then popped into the oven until heated through.

My family usually made this recipe in a casserole dish but I changed it to a cast iron skillet shepherd’s pie years ago, I love one pot meals and this is pretty close to that if you are using leftover mashed potatoes. A large skillet that’s 12 inches wide will work perfectly.

Ingredient Notes

Ground Beef – I use lean or medium ground beef in this recipe but you can also use ground pork, or half of each. Although it will change the taste a little any type of ground meat will work in this recipe.

Onion – One large yellow onion is perfect.

Garlic – I love to use fresh cloves of garlic minced but if you don’t have any on hand a little garlic powder also works great.

Tomato Sauce – Yes traditional shepherd’s pie is made with a gravy filling but growing up we always used tomato sauce and it tastes amazing!

Mashed Potatoes – You can use leftover mashed potatoes or make them fresh both options work great. I keep them simple for this recipe just russet potatoes, butter, cream, and a little salt and pepper. You can use Yukon Gold potatoes if you like. White potatoes like the russets will give you a fluffier mashed potato while the Yukon golds will be more creamy.

Frozen Vegetables – This recipe uses 4 cups of frozen mixed vegetables you can use any type of vegetables that you like. My favorite is corn, peas, green beans, and carrots.

Seasonings – Salt, black pepper, parsley, and basil help to add some extra flavor to the sauce mixture.

How To Make Skillet Shepherd’s Pie

This recipe is a great way to use up leftover mashed potatoes but if you don’t have any fresh is great too.

Peel and quarter the potatoes and place them in a large pot, fill it with cold water and bring to a boil over high heat for 15-20 minutes. When tender drain the potatoes, then add milk, butter, salt, and pepper to taste and mash with a potato masher until your potatoes are light and fluffy.

While the potatoes are cooking warm your cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, add a little vegetable oil if you are using lean ground beef to help keep it from sticking. Then add the ground beef to the skillet and cook until it’s browned about 5 minutes.

Add the salt, pepper, and diced onions and saute for 5 minutes or until the onions start to soften.

Next, add the garlic and mixed vegetables to the ground beef mixture and saute for 7 minutes or until they have started to soften.

Pour in the tomato sauce and add the dried parsley and basil. Stir to combine everything into a nice meat sauce. Bring the meat mixture to a boil, then turn down to medium heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

The last step is to spoon your mashed potatoes over the meat filling. I like a nice thick potato topping so use a good 8 cups of mashed potatoes. Then spread it around to coat the top well.

Place into the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the filling is bubbling around the edge, and the potatoes are golden brown.

If the potatoes start to brown too much but the casserole hasn’t heated through yet, cover it loosely with aluminum foil to help keep the top from burning.

If you would like the top darker put it under the broiler for 1 to 3 minutes but watch it close so it doesn’t burn.

Storing Leftovers

Transfer any leftovers into an airtight container and store in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.

More Easy Dinner Ideas

• Stuffed Zucchini Boats
• Easy Slow Cooker Chili
• Taco Twist Casserole

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