10 Ways To Upgrade Homemade Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's pie, a dish that hails from the U.K., may be one of the most comforting dishes you could possibly make on a cold fall or winter night. Traditionally made with lamb (but essentially the same as the beef-based dish known as cottage pie), this casserole is layered with vegetables, gravy, and mashed potatoes, which take on a lovely, crispy texture once they spend long enough in the oven. And the best part? It's a relatively easy and inexpensive dish to make, so you can make it a part of your weekly rotation if you're really in the mood for something warm and comforting.

But why stick to the same old shepherd's pie you always make when you could switch things up and put together an elevated version of the classic? We've compiled a list of ideas that will help you upgrade your homemade shepherd's pie. Some of these ideas are simpler than others, but they'll all help you arrive at a more delicious dish. So, get ready to retire grandma's recipe for the night and instead try out one of these fun upgrades.

Shepherd's pie and poutine have a lot in common — they're both potato-based and delicious. So, why not capture both of those flavors in the same dish? That's where this recipe for shepherd's pie poutine comes in. It's a recipe that brings two seemingly disparate dishes together to create one surprisingly coherent main dish your family will ask for again and again.

You can start with frozen or homemade french fries, which you'll bake in the oven while you cook your lamb (or beef) on the stovetop. Add in some onion and seasonings, build the gravy, and add in your peas and carrots for your shepherd's pie mixture. Then, arrange your fries and cheese curds, and finally, pour the hot meat and gravy mixture over the whole dish. Top everything with some parsley for a touch of green freshness that brings everything together. The result is a dish that captures some of the finest culinary achievements of both Canada and the U.K.

Have you ever started making a shepherd's pie, only to realize that a whole casserole may be too much for your family (or yourself)? Well, if you want to create smaller portions of the same casserole you know and love, you may want to consider making shepherd's pie in muffin tins. You don't really have to do anything differently here. Just make your shepherd's pie like you usually do, but instead of layering all of the ingredients in one large casserole dish, just individually layer as many shepherd's pie muffin tins as you want.

Not only does this give you snack-sized portions of this savory casserole, but it also allows you to easily freeze the leftovers. That way, you'll always have homemade shepherd's pie on hand for those nights when you just don't feel like cooking. Another good reason to put shepherd's pie into muffin tins? Basically, it's just fun. Why eat a full-sized version of something when you can just eat several miniature versions instead? It's an easy way to switch up a weeknight classic.

If you make shepherd's pie relatively often, then you probably have your pre-pie grocery store list down to a science. There's the carrots and the peas, the onion and the garlic, and the lamb or beef that gives the dish its heartiness. Oh, and don't forget the potatoes. While you can always stick with a regular potato of your choice (we usually opt for Yukon gold), why not switch things up and use sweet potatoes in your shepherd's pie instead?

Sweet potatoes make for an interesting twist on this recipe because they do have that touch of sweetness. You're not necessarily going to want to highlight that since this is a savory recipe, but it can work to balance out the rest of the dish by adding an extra, non-savory element. It offers a slightly more complex flavor profile that'll wow even the most frequent shepherd's pie eaters, and it also gives the otherwise visually bland casserole a pop of vibrant orange color. So, skip the regular potatoes the next time you're shopping for shepherd's pie ingredients and opt for sweet potatoes instead.

While you're considering switching up your shepherd pie's potato game, you may want to skip the produce aisle altogether. Instead, head to the frozen food section to pick yourself up a package of frozen, shredded hash browns. Instead of using mashed potatoes as the top and final layer of your shepherd's pie, you can use shredded hash browns in their place. This results in an especially crispy crust that cracks and breaks as you're divvying out portions. It's the perfect solution for those who love the flavor of shepherd's pie but wish it had a bit more texture.

This hack is not only an upgrade in that it makes the dish taste better, but it also cuts down on the amount of time you're spending in the kitchen to make it. Instead of having to peel, chop, cook, and mash a bunch of potatoes to create the top layer of your casserole, you simply have to open the bag of hash browns and sprinkle some on top, ensuring the rest of the ingredients are covered in a thick layer. Who doesn't love a shortcut that also results in a more delicious bite?

Traditionally, shepherd's pie is made with a layer of ground lamb on the bottom of the dish. And while we adore the flavor of lamb, it's not always easy to find at every grocery store. Plus, not everyone is a fan of this kind of meat. If you love the idea of shepherd's pie but want to incorporate a different protein, you can always stick with classic ground beef, of course. But for those who want to make things a bit more interesting, there's always pulled pork if you want an easy and flavorful take on shepherd's pie.

Pulled pork may be far from traditional when it comes to shepherd's pie, but believe us when we say that this may just be the best kind of meat to include in the dish. There are a few reasons why this combo works so well. First of all, pulled pork is already infused with flavor, which means you're not going to end up with a bland bottom layer. Secondly, pulled pork breaks into small pieces, which is essential in a casserole — you don't want to be dealing with big chunks of meat. And finally, flavor-wise, pulled pork can stand up to the intense flavors of gravy. Give it a try, and you may never return to lamb again.

At its core, shepherd's pie is a simple dish. There are only a few components, and they're all layered on top of each other. That makes this dish quite versatile, since it's easy to swap out one or two ingredients and replace them with something similar (yet different). One of the easiest components to swap out is the mashed potatoes. Potatoes come in so many different forms that you should feel free to experiment with which ones work best in your shepherd's pie recipe.

We happen to think that tater tots are an elite shepherd's pie topping. First of all, they crisp up nicely, which makes that crunchy, crispy topping so much easier than it is with plain mashed potatoes. Additionally, this swap makes the dish much less time-intensive, ensuring that you can get dinner on the table easily, even on the busiest nights of the week. And, on top of that, tater tots are just fun. Add them to your next shepherd's pie and see what you've been missing out on.

One easy way to make any dish more delicious is to pair it with a high-quality wine. Of course, different dishes call for different kinds of wine, and when it comes to shepherd's pie, you're dealing with a lot of rich, intense, and powerful flavors all in one dish. That means you need to find a rich, intense, and powerful wine to pair with it for best results. There are a wide variety of options that could work here, but perhaps the easiest pairing for shepherd's pie is a bold red wine.

Cabernet sauvignon is a great example of a bold red wine. This grape is known for producing wines with a pleasant acidity, which will help cut through the dish's rich flavors. Additionally, this wine has high levels of both alcohol and tannin, which provide it with enough structure to hold up to the hearty casserole. Merlot, too, is a solid choice since it has some of the same qualities as cabernet sauvignon, but it tends to be a bit softer and less intense than cab sav, so it might be more your style if cabs tend to be too heavy for you. Syrah or malbec could also pair exceptionally well with shepherd's pie.

You've heard of shepherd's pie, but you may not have heard of fisherman's pie, a related (but admittedly very different) dish. As the name suggests, this dish nixes the traditional meats and instead calls for seafood. Typically, cod, salmon, and prawns are used, but you can get creative here with whatever type of seafood you happen to have on hand. Using a mix of different types of seafood, though, makes for a more interesting dish. You'll need to poach that seafood in some milk, which will create a béchamel sauce to adorn the fish before you layer it with other ingredients.

Unlike shepherd's pie, you won't find many vegetables in a traditional fisherman's pie, but you can always add them to the mix if you want to up your veggie intake. Onions are a great neutral option that add a lot of flavor. Next come the mashed potatoes, which play the same role as they do in a shepherd's pie. Then, you just cover the whole dish in cheese, putting it in the oven just long enough that it starts to melt. Fisherman's pie may be a bit lighter than shepherd's pie, but it's still a hearty, filling dish that's perfect for cold, dreary days.

Potatoes may seem like the most important part of a shepherd's pie, but we're here to tell you that there's a world in which they are superfluous. If you're the kind of person who always, always chooses pasta over potatoes, then we have good news for you: You can swap out the potatoes in your shepherd's pie for instant ramen noodles. Yes, you heard us right. This may be far from a traditional twist on this classic dish, but if you like noodles, it seriously upgrades the standard.

This hack is about as easy as it gets. Omit the potatoes completely, boil a pack of ramen noodles, and spread them over the top of the dish. These noodles crisp up easily, which means you don't have to worry about a soggy casserole like you might if you were using potatoes. Once this crisping is complete (just make sure that your noodles don't burn), serve your shepherd's pie as you normally would. You'll get a more interesting textural experience, all while saving a ton of time prepping those potatoes.

Shepherd's pie is an undeniably simple dish. You're not using a slew of dried spices to add flavor to the casserole — it's mostly just centered around the basic flavors of the ingredients. That simplicity makes for a delicious dish, to be sure, but when you want to infuse a bit more flavor into the finished product, you may want to consider using keema for a spicier, more complex shepherd's pie.

Keema is an Indian dish that, like shepherd's pie, uses a base of ground lamb. That lamb is slowly simmered with a collection of spices, like garam masala, turmeric, ginger, serrano peppers, and more. Generally, the dish is served with vegetables and naan or pita, but you can also use that flavorful meat mixture as a base for your shepherd's pie. This will result in a casserole that's more intensely flavored than the original but that feels surprisingly coherent, considering it comes from two different cultures.