Shepherd’s Pie Hand Pies
The classic casserole gets a buttery update!
you're making mealtime meaningful.
Hearty beef with vegetables and spices, topped with creamy mashed potatoes- is there anything as comforting as a homemade shepherd’s pie? The only way it could get better is with a flaky crust and luckily these Shepherd’s Pie Hand Pies have all that wrapped up in a neat package. It’s a yummy way to enjoy this classic but this recipe also has another benefit: it’s a great way to use up leftovers!
The main star of the show is the ground beef. Technically if you use ground beef it’s a cottage pie and is no longer a shepherd’s pie, which is traditionally made with lamb. But, most people know the beef version of shepherd’s pie so we’re going with that.
The base of the filling starts with carrots and onion and towards the end we’re adding peas as well. But, this dish is a great way to use up leftover bits and bobs in your fridge. Green beans, corn, and pepper are all great veggies to go with the beef. Use up what you’ve got be it leftovers, frozen, or canned. All of them work well for this!
The same goes with the mashed potatoes. If you’ve got leftovers this is the ideal way to use them up. You can also use instant if you like. Since there’s also a crust on these you only need a bit of potato for each hand pie.
You can add some cheese or tomato sauce or bbq sauce or whatever spices you like to make these little pies your own custom dish. This is something I love about shepherd’s pie: it’s so easy to change it up.
Use pre-made pie crusts to save time or use your favorite homemade crust recipe for this one.
The last step once these are filled and the edges pressed down with the back of a fork is to brush them with some melted butter before baking.
These are tender, flaky, succulent, and filled with flavor. It’s shepherd’s pie- but better!
These Shepherd’s Pie Hand Pies are a fun way to make this classic dish even more delicious, something we didn’t even know was possible.
Shepherd's Pie Hand Pies
Yield(s): Makes 12-15 pies
30m prep time
42m cook time
300 calories
you're making mealtime meaningful.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups mashed prepared potatoes
- 1 teaspoon black pepper, divided
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 lb 90/10 ground beef
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 4 pie crusts, rolled to ⅛” thick
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
Preparation
- Add ¼ teaspoon pepper to mashed potatoes and set aside. Heat oil in large skillet over medium. Add onion and carrots to pan. Cook for 4 minutes, then add beef and cook until no longer pink. Add garlic.
- Season beef mixture with salt and pepper then add Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, flour, water, and peas. Cook for two minutes, stirring often until thickened. Stir in parsley and thyme.
- Preheat oven to 400˚F. Cut dough into 4”x3” rectangles. Or cut "6x4" rectangles. Place a dollop of mashed potatoes in one rectangle then top with beef mixture, leaving a border along the edge to seal. Dip finger in bowl of water and run it along the edges. Place second rectangle on top or fold over if using longer rectangle. Press all the way around to seal the two pieces together.
- Place on lined baking sheets and brush with melted butter, paying attention to the edges. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Serve with gravy, ketchup, or horseradish.
Recipe adapted from Cooking and Cussing.