Shepherd’s Pie For Two
No giant casserole here! Clever beef-stuffed potatoes give you all the cozy flavors of the classic, with just the right amount for two.
Want cozy Shepherd’s Pie but don’t need enough for a casserole dish? These ground beef-stuffed potatoes give you all the comfort food taste of the classic dish with rich beef, savory veggies, and creamy mash. It’s ready fast and makes just the right amount for two.
Scroll down to read more about how it all comes together or click here to jump straight down to the recipe.
Shepherd’s Pie Made Easier
Shepherd’s Pie is a delicious dish of ground meat (traditionally lamb, but beef is popular as well), gravy, vegetables, and topped with mashed potatoes. There are many varieties but one thing they tend to have in common is time. That’s because, to make a classic shepherd’s pie like this one, you have to peel potatoes, cook potatoes, mash potatoes, cook the meat, then bake everything together. And doing all that if you’re just cooking for two people, is really way too much. That’s why I’ve come up with this easier version.
The version of Shepherd’s Pie below has you using my favorite baked potatoes cooked in the microwave hack. Then you scoop out the soft insides and mash those with a little butter and milk. Fill the scooped out potatoes with a quick-to-make ground beef mixture and top it with your mashed potatoes. Voila!
Ingredient Substitutions
Meat Substitutions: Instead of the ground beef, you can use ground chicken or ground turkey. Check out my tips for cooking ground turkey so it isn’t dry. You can also use leftover cooked meat of any kind, finely chopped up. For that variation, you’ll cook the meat in the skillet only just until it’s warmed through before proceeding.
Potato Substitutions: Instead of baking the potatoes in the microwave, you can cook them however you’d like. Try these Jacket Potatoes, which use a popular British method for making baked potatoes with a crisp skin and fluffy interior, or you can even grill the potatoes. If you have leftover mashed potatoes, then you’d put the cooked meat mixture into a baking dish and top it with those. Or, you can use cooked tater tots or shredded hashbrowns.
Vegetable Substitutions: Instead of the thawed mixed veggies, you can use any cooked vegetables that you’d like, as long as you chop them finely before adding them. My favorite additions are a mixture of roasted broccoli and mushrooms.
Print
Shepherd’s Pie For Two Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: Entrée
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
DESCRIPTION
This is an easy way to make Shepherd’s pie for two people. If you’d like, you can add 1/4 cup of shredded cheese to the potato mixture when you add the butter.
Ingredients
- 2 medium Russet potatoes
- 1/2 lb. ground beef
- 3/4 tsp. salt, divided
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup low-sodium beef stock
- 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
- 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1–2 Tbsp. milk
Instructions
- Preheat broiler.
- Stab each potato in a few places with fork. Put them on a plate and in the microwave. Cook on high 5 minutes. Test if they’re cooked by poking on both sides with a fork. If it goes in easily, potatoes are done. If not, flip and cook for an addition 1-2 minutes. Then set potatoes aside to be cool enough to handle while you cook the meat mixture.
- Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and stir to break up. Add 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, the pepper, and garlic powder. Cook stirring occasionally until cooked through, about 5-6 minutes. Drain off fat if needed.
- Sprinkle meat with flour then stir. Stir in beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, and vegetables. Stir occasionally until it comes to a simmer and thickens, about 2-3 minutes.
- Cut potatoes in half and scoop out middle, keeping a ½ inch edge. Place potato filling into bowl. To the potato add butter, salt, and 1 tablespoon of milk. Mash. Add more milk if desired.
- Fill hollowed out potatoes with meat filling. Top with mashed potatoes.
- Place on baking sheet and broil until the tops are brown, about 3-4 minutes.
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Christine is the founder of TheCookful and also of her blog COOKtheSTORY. Her passion is explaining the WHY behind cooking – Why should you cook things a certain way; Will they turn out if you do it differently; What are the pros and cons of the method? Learn more about Christine, her cookbooks, and her podcast.