By These Shepherd’s Pie Baked Potatoes are a hearty comfort-food dinner for the perfect kid-friendly meal. These loaded baked potatoes are filled with savory ground beef in gravy and corn shepherd’s pie gravy.
I originally shared this recipe on October 25th, 2013. I have updated some of the content to share it with you again today.
Table of contents
Why We Love Shepherd’s Pie Baked PotatoesIngredients For Shepherd’s Pie Stuffed PotatoesHow To Make This RecipeExpert Tips and FAQs
Why We Love Shepherd’s Pie Baked Potatoes
These Shepherd’s Pie Baked Potatoes are a mash-up of loaded baked potatoes and shepherd’s pie. They’re a new comfort food classic to serve for a family-friendly dinner.
The first time I made this recipe was a chilly evening early last spring. I think it sort of happened by accident. It was dinner, and I was making shepherd’s pie with potatoes and frozen corn from our CSA. And I ran out of time. Instead of making buttermilk mashed potatoes, I ended up throwing the potatoes in the microwave to bake them. Then I just topped the potatoes with the beef and corn mixture sort-of like loaded baked potatoes.
So I have been thinking about them since. This time they were even better because I baked the potatoes in the oven, which as you know, gives them that nice crusty skin. I also topped them with sharp cheddar cheese, like a real loaded baked potato. Of course, you can bake the potatoes in under a half hour if you microwave them so that’s always an option for a busy weeknight.
More Shepherd’s Pie Recipes
Ingredients For Shepherd’s Pie Stuffed Potatoes
Baking potatoes: scrubbed (about 2 ½ pounds)Neutral cooking oil: such as Canola oil or avocado oilGround beef: ground lamb or ground turkey or chicken would be great in these tooGarlic + Onion: for the base of the beef gravySeasoning: dry thyme, salt, ground pepperDry red wine: for the sauce- omit if you do not cook with alcoholAll-purpose flour: to thicken the sauce. You can thicken with a cornstarch slurry to make gluten-freeChicken broth: for the sauce. You can use homemade chicken stock instead.Worcestershire: the secret ingredient! It adds so much flavor to the beef mixtureCorn kernels: green beans would also workTomato paste: to thicken the sauce and make it richer tastingShredded extra sharp cheddar: this is optional
How To Make This Recipe
Step 1: Bake Potatoes
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place potatoes in oven and bake until the exterior is crispy and the interior is soft and fluffy, about 1 hour.
Step 2: Brown Beef
When the potatoes have about 20 minutes left, heat 1 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef, and cook, crumbling with a wooden spoon until browned, about 5 minutes. Scrape beef mixture into a sieve and drain off fat.
Step 3: Cook Onion
Return skillet to medium-high heat, add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil, garlic, onion, thyme, salt and pepper, and cook, stirring often until the onions are browning, 3 to 5 minutes.
Step 4: Make Shepherd’s Pie Filling
Add red wine and simmer, scraping up any browned bits until the wine is almost completely evaporated, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the onion mixture, and stir to coat. Add broth, Worcestershire and the beef and bring to a simmer, stirring often, until the mixture thickens, 1 to 2 minutes. Add corn and tomato paste and simmer until the beef is cooked through, the sauce is thick and the vegetables are tender, 3 to 5 minutes.
Step 5: Stuff the baked potatoes
Transfer the potatoes to plates or shallow bowls. Split the potatoes open lengthwise with a knife. Ladle the beef mixture over the potatoes. Top with cheese if using.
Expert Tips and FAQs
This is a great meal prep meal. Bake the potatoes and keep separate. The shepherd’s pie filling can be made and kept in a separate container in the fridge. Reheat and stuff the potatoes with the filing before serving.
Keep the gravy filling separate from the baked potatoes if possible. Wrap the potatoes in foil and refrigerate. Cool the beef filling and transfer to a resealable container. Refrigerate up to 3 days. Reheat until steaming hot to serve.
Using the microwave: Heat the potatoes separately from the gravy. Heat the gravy, stirring occasionally until hot. Cut the baked potatoes open and place on a microwave safe plate. Microwave for 2 minutes per potato to heat through. Fill the potatoes with the beef mixture.
Using the stovetop and oven: Wrap the potatoes in foil so that they will not get too brown. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until hot all the way through (you can cut open with a knife to check if they are hot in the middle.) Heat the beef mixture in a saucepan over medium-heat while stirring. If necessary add a little broth or water to thin the beef mixture.
Use green beans instead of corn.
Use lamb instead of beef for traditional English Shepherd’s pie.
Use the lentil filling from our Lentil Shepherd’s Pie recipe to make this vegetarian.
Use the chicken filling from our Chicken Shepherd’s Pie recipe.
Used Baked Sweet Potatoes for a healthier twist.
We love them with simple sauteed green beans, roasted broccoli with garlic and almonds, or a simple side salad like our Garden Salad or Massaged Kale Salad.
Thanks so much for reading! If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my email newsletter to get a free weekly menu plan and the latest recipes right to your inbox. If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought!
Happy Cooking! ~Katie
Shepherd’s Pie Baked Potatoes
Author: Katie Webster
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Description
These Shepherd’s Pie Loaded Baked Potatoes are a hearty comfort-food dinner for the perfect kid-friendly meal. These loaded baked potatoes are filled with savory ground beef in gravy and corn shepherd’s pie gravy.
Ingredients
4 medium baking potatoes, scrubbed (about 2 ½ pounds)
3 teaspoons canola oil, divided
12 ounces ground beef, preferably grass-fed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, diced
½ teaspoon dry thyme
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground pepper
¼ cup dry red wine
2 tablespoons flour
1cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon Worcestershire
1 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen and thawed
2 tablespoons tomato paste
¾ cup shredded extra sharp cheddar, optional
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place potatoes in oven and bake until the exterior is crispy and the interior is soft and fluffy, about 1 hour.
When the potatoes have about 20 minutes left, heat 1 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef, and cook, crumbling with a wooden spoon until browned, about 5 minutes. Scrape beef mixture into a sieve and drain off fat. Return skillet to medium-high heat, add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil, garlic, onion, thyme, salt and pepper, and cook, stirring often until the onions are browning, 3 to 5 minutes. Add red wine and simmer, scraping up any browned bits until the wine is almost completely evaporated, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the onion mixture, and stir to coat. Add broth, Worcestershire and the beef and bring to a simmer, stirring often, until the mixture thickens, 1 to 2 minutes. Add corn and tomato paste and simmer until the beef is cooked through, the sauce is thick and the vegetables are tender, 3 to 5 minutes.
Transfer the potatoes to plates or shallow bowls. Split the potatoes open lengthwise with a knife. Ladle the beef mixture over the potatoes. Top with cheese if using.
Prep Time: 20 minutesCook Time: 1 hourCategory: Main CourseMethod: Oven and Stove TopCuisine: American
Nutrition
Serving Size: 1 potato plus 3/4 cup shepherd’s pie beef gravy
Calories: 555
Sugar: 5 g
Sodium: 627 mg
Fat: 24 g
Saturated Fat: 8 g
Carbohydrates: 62 g
Fiber: 7 g
Protein: 27 g
Keywords: shepherd’s pie stuffed potatoes, shepherd’s pie baked potatoes,shepherds pie baked potato,shepherds pie baked potato
