Transform your Sunday pot roast leftovers into this hearty and comforting Shepherd’s Pie with Leftover Roast Beef! This easy cottage pie combines tender beef, savory gravy, softened veggies, and creamy mashed potatoes. It’s topped with seasoning, fresh thyme, and melted butter – baked to bubbling golden perfection.
This cottage pie with leftover roast beef turns humble leftovers into a weeknight showstopper with minimal effort. With the meaty pot roast in gravy already waiting in the wings, you can focus your attention on making the creamy mashed potatoes and softened veggies.
This Shepherd’s pie recipe doesn’t discriminate! It works beautifully with classic pot roast, an Instant Pot pot roast version, or even Crock Pot Mississippi Pot Roast with Ranch seasoning and pepperoncinis!
Easily customize your mashed potatoes by including different spices, boiling the potatoes in broth for richer flavor, or adding a cheesy topping before baking. It’s a freezer-friendly casserole that’s perfect for large family gatherings over the busy holidays or to have on hand as a casual weekend meal alongside your favorite sides.
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🥔 Ingredients:
This easy cottage pie contains a number of basic ingredients, and all of them are easy to find at your local grocery store. Let’s talk about the most important ingredients.
- Mashed potatoes – Yukon golds are a great option for mashed potatoes because they are starchy enough to get fluffy, but still have full-body flavor. Combine these with heavy cream and butter for that classic mashed potato velvety topping!
- Vegetables – Much like any easy cottage pie, this recipe calls for a mixture of onions, carrots, and peas. Use frozen or fresh or a combination of the two.
- Leftover roast beef – Using leftover roast beef makes this shepherd’s pie an absolute breeze to whip up! It’s great with Classic Pot Roast, Instant Pot Pot Roast, or Crock Pot Mississippi Pot Roast.
For a full list of ingredients and their measurements, 📋 please view my printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Optional Garnish:
Sprinkle paprika, salt, pepper, and fresh thyme over the top of the fluffy mashed potatoes, followed by melted butter – this adds incredible depth of flavor and promotes a beautiful golden finish in the oven.
Substitutions and Variations
- Type of potatoes – Russet potatoes would also work well for this recipe.
- Low-carb – If you’re watching your carbs, substitute mashed cauliflower for the potatoes.
- Smoky cheese twist – Stir in shredded smoked Gouda into the mashed potato mixture and then top the casserole with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan.
- Vegetarian – Use lentils or mushrooms instead of roast beef to make this vegetarian-friendly.
- Boil potatoes in broth – Place the diced potatoes in a pot with 1-2 cups of vegetable broth, chicken broth, or beef broth and then add enough water to cover the potatoes. The broth will infuse flavor into the potatoes from the outset and give you that extra seasoning that mashed potatoes can sometimes lack. If you don’t want to use broth, be sure to salt your water well at a minimum.
- Tangy kick – Use sour cream instead of heavy cream for a slightly tangy flavor in your mashed potatoes.
- Cook from scratch – While I love the convenience of using leftovers to make this delicious Shepherd’s pie, you could always make your roast beef specifically for this dish, and save the rest for other meals in the week, such as Roast Beef Sliders.
🔪 Instructions:
PREP: Dice the potatoes and carrots, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 1: Peel and dice the potatoes. Place the potatoes and 1 tablespoon of sea salt in a stock pot and cover with water. Bring it to a boil and cook until potatoes are soft and can be pierced easily with a fork. Drain.
Step 2: Mash the drained potatoes, ¼ cup of butter, heavy cream and milk until smooth and creamy.
Pro Tip: For Yukon gold potatoes, you can peel them for a smoother texture before boiling or leave the skin on. For russet potatoes, I recommend peeling them before cooking.
Step 3: Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of butter, onions and carrots over medium heat in a skillet. Saute the vegetables until the onions are soft and translucent.
Step 4: Add peas and leftover pot roast to the vegetable mixture.
Step 5: Spread meat/vegetable mixture into a casserole dish. Add as much gravy as you have left in the pot. (Follow packet instructions to make extra gravy, if desired, and stir into the meat/vegetable mixture.)
Step 6: Top with the mashed potatoes.
Step 7: Sprinkle paprika, salt, pepper, and fresh thyme over the top of the casserole.
Melt remaining butter and pour over the mashed potatoes.
Step 8: Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the gravy is bubbling from the bottom of the dish and the potatoes are beginning to brown.
SERVE: Serve individual portions of this cottage pie with leftover roast beef alongside your favorite side dishes, or enjoy as a complete and comforting meal alone.
Recipe Tips for Cottage Pie with Leftover Roast Beef
- Use a fork to create ridges on the mashed potatoes for extra crispiness.
- Only add the frozen peas after the onions and carrots have softened in the heated skillet, otherwise they will become mushy.
- Dice the potatoes into uniformly sized pieces for even cooking.
- Don’t overmix or overwork the potatoes. You want to mix them enough to remove the lumps and add a little air, but stop mixing once they are fluffy. NEVER mix mashed potatoes with an electric mixer or beater. They will become starchy and glue-like.
- If you feel that the mashed potato topping is browning too quickly in the oven, cover the casserole with foil. Likewise, if the topping is still not the desired golden color towards the end of the baking time, change your oven to the broil setting for a few minutes and watch carefully that it doesn’t burn.
Fun Fact
This dish was originally called “cottage pie” when made with beef, while “shepherd’s pie” specifically refers to the version made with lamb – because, well, shepherds tend sheep! The distinction in names emerged in the 19th century, but for decades, the terms were used interchangeably, and still are to some extent today. – Jamie Oliver
Recipe FAQs
Shepherd’s pie and cottage pie are nearly identical – the only real difference is the meat! Shepherd’s pie traditionally uses lamb, while cottage pie uses beef. Both are topped in creamy mashed potatoes and baked until golden and bubbling.
Leftover Shepherd’s pie can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat it at 350°F for 20 minutes. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months and thaw it overnight in the fridge when you’re ready to reheat and enjoy again.
Absolutely! We’re already using leftover roast beef which adds convenience. You could also make the mashed potatoes a day or two in advance and store them in the fridge, ready to soften the veggies and assemble the dish in minutes.
Alternatively, assemble the dish (unbaked) and then store it in the fridge to be baked the following day. Keep in mind that you will need to add a few minutes on to the baking time to account for the chilled casserole.
Tasty Sides for Shepherd’s Pie
If you tried this Shepherd’s Pie with Leftover Roast Beef recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you liked it in the 📝 comments below.
Shepherd’s Pie (with Leftover Roast Beef)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes
- ½ cup salted butter divided
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 1 cup carrots diced
- ½ cup yellow onions diced
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 3-4 cups leftover pot roast and gravy or 1 pound ground beef plus one packet of beef gravy
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- fresh thyme for garnish
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Peel and dice the potatoes. Place potatoes and 1 tablespoon of sea salt in a stock pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are cooked. Drain.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Mash drained potatoes, ¼ cup butter, heavy cream and milk until smooth and creamy.
- Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of butter, onions and carrots over medium heat in a skillet.
- Saute vegetables until onions are soft and translucent. Add peas and leftover pot roast to the vegetable mixture.
- Spread meat/vegetable mixture into a casserole dish. Add as much gravy as you have left in the pot. (Follow packet instructions to make extra gravy if desired and stir into the meat/vegetable mixture.)
- Top with the mashed potatoes.
- Sprinkle paprika, salt, pepper, and fresh thyme over the top of the casserole.
- Melt remaining butter and pour over the mashed potatoes.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the gravy is bubbling from the bottom of the dish and the potatoes are beginning to brown.
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Notes
- Use a fork to create ridges on the mashed potatoes for extra crispiness.
- Only add the frozen peas after the onions and carrots have softened in the heated skillet, otherwise they will become mushy.
- Dice the potatoes into uniformly sized pieces for even cooking.
- Don’t overmix or overwork the potatoes. You want to mix them enough to remove the lumps and add a little air, but stop mixing once they are fluffy. NEVER mix mashed potatoes with an electric mixer or beater. They will become starchy and glue-like.
- If you feel that the mashed potato topping is browning too quickly in the oven, cover the casserole with foil. Likewise, if the topping is still not the desired golden color towards the end of the baking time, change your oven to the broil setting for a few minutes and watch carefully that it doesn’t burn.
Nutrition
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