This freezer friendly Shepherd’s Pie recipe is affordable and easy-to-prepare. It’s a great make-ahead freezer meal that the whole family will enjoy. A traditional Irish Shepherd Pie is typically made with lamb but this ground beef version is just as good. You can even make Shepherd’s Pie with leftover pot roast!
You seriously can’t go wrong with this easy meat and potatoes dish. I have come to rely so heavily on Freezer Meals. A couple of weeks ago my sister came over on a Sunday afternoon, and we made a bunch of freezer-friendly meals for our families. It is so nice to have them on hand during the busy week.
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Related: Check out these 5 Healthy Slow Cooker Freezer Meals. You might also like this Freezer Lasagna recipe or my Baked Spaghetti Freezer Meal.
For this shepherd’s pie, I used my favorite freezer mashed potatoes. The link to that recipe is in the ingredient list below. It makes a little more mashed potatoes than you’ll need for this recipe, but I love having the leftovers for later in the week.
The recipe is enough for 1 9×13 baking dish or 2 8×8 square foil pans. The 8×8 pans will easily feed 4 people.
Pro Tip: If you are using your regular baking pans, line the pans with this pan liner. It makes clean up much easier. I prefer to use disposable pans. That way I do not have to worry about clean up or not having one of my pans available when I want it.
Freezer-Friendly Shepherd’s Pie Recipe
Ingredients: 1 recipe Freezer Mashed Potatoes (you’ll have a bit leftover to snack on) 1 tbsp olive oil 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped 2 carrots, shredded or finely diced 1.5 pounds lean ground beef 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 2 tsp ground allspice 1 tsp salt 3/4 cup beef stock 1 tbsp flour 1/2 cup frozen corn 1/2 cup frozen peas
Directions:
Prepare mashed potatoes. Set aside.
Meanwhile, heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil and onions. Cook for 2-3 minutes until onions start to become translucent.
Add the carrots, cooking for an additional 5 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook until no longer pink. Drain off any excess fat.
Add the worcestershire sauce, salt and allspice seasoning into the cooked meat mixture and stir until incorporated.
Sprinkle flour over the top of the mixture and pour in the beef stock. Stir together and allow sauce to bubble and thicken some.
Once the sauce has thicken add the frozen vegetables. Give it a quick stir to combine and remove from the heat.
Spread the meat mixture out evenly along the bottom of a 9×13 or 2 8×8 casserole dishes or foil pans.
Spoon the mashed potatoes over top of the meat. Use enough of the mashed potatoes to make about 1/2 inch layer on top of the meat.
Cook in the oven at 350 degrees F until heated through and the potatoes are golden brown on top, about 20 to 25 minutes. Or, prepare for the freezer by wrapping in aluminum foil and plastic wrap. Store in the freezer for up to one month. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator before baking.
Tip: Save yourself some time by using pre-shredded carrots. I always have a bag on hand for salads, and it works perfectly in this recipe.
Tip: Make this dish extra special by sprinkling with 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese before baking.
Meanwhile, heat a large frying pan over MEDIUM heat. Add the olive oil and onions. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the onions become translucent.
Add the carrots and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook until no longer pink. Drain off any excess fat.
Add the Worcestershire sauce, salt, and allspice seasoning into the cooked meat mixture and stir.
Sprinkle flour over the top of the mixture and pour in the beef stock. Stir together and allow sauce to bubble and thicken some. Once the sauce has thickened, add the frozen vegetables. Give it a quick stir to combine and remove from the heat.
Spread the meat mixture out evenly along the bottom of a 9×13 or two 8×8 casserole dishes or foil pans. Spoon the mashed potatoes over top of the meat. Use enough of the mashed potatoes to make about a 1/2-inch layer on top of the meat.
Cook in the oven at 350°F until heated through and the potatoes are golden brown on top, about 20 to 25 minutes. Or, prepare for the freezer by wrapping in aluminum foil and plastic wrap. Store in the freezer for up to one month. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator before baking.
Notes
Save yourself some time by using pre-shredded carrots. I always have a bag on hand for salads, and it works perfectly in this recipe.
Make this dish extra special by sprinkling 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese on top before baking.
You can freeze shepherd's pie before baking it. This way, you can save time by defrosting your oven-ready shepherd's pie whenever you want to enjoy it.
Seasoned ground beef cooked with onions, topped with a layer of creamed and whole corn and another layer of creamy mashed potatoes sprinkled with paprika. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Remove the lid and bake for 60 to 75 minutes.
If you baked a casserole in a Pyrex dish and wanted to freeze the leftovers, don't transfer the still-hot dish to the freezer. Instead, let the casserole cool to room temperature, then cover the dish, and store it in the freezer.
Shepherds pie will last five days in the refrigerator and two months in the freezer. It can be reheated in the oven or microwave. Shepherds pie can be stored in a Tupperware container, sealable plastic bag or an airtight, freezer safe container.
Freezer Instructions: After baking, let pan cool to room temperature, then cover tightly with foil and place in the freezer for up to 2 months. When ready to eat, reheat the shepherd's pie (still covered with the foil) for 1 hour in a 350ºF oven.
You can freeze Meat Pies either baked or unbaked. Either way, when you want to bake the Pies, you can bake them off frozen. They will, however, take a little longer to bake then the time stated in the recipe.
Schmidt tells us that, for best results, you can keep mashed potatoes in "a freezer set to 0°F or colder" for "up to one year." At this temperature and for this length of time, frozen mashed potatoes can be thawed and reheated without losing texture or flavor (and without risking the transmission of foodborne bacteria) ...
When oven is preheated, remove frozen pie from freezer; cut a few slits in top crust and place in oven. Do not thaw pie because no one wants a soggy pie. Bake 25 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F; bake 40 to 50 minutes longer or until crust is golden brown and apples are hot and soft when pricked with a fork.
The answer is yes. But pay attention to the way you thaw and, conversely, the way you freeze. Most foods previously frozen, thawed and then cooked can be refrozen as long as they have not been sitting at room temperature for more than two hours.
Allow Pyrex to Come to Room Temperature Before Changing Its Temperature. This goes for transferring Pyrex from the fridge or freezer to the oven, or vice versa. Allow Pyrex to come to room temperature before immersing in water or placing in the freezer, refrigerator, microwave or pre-heated oven.
Whether you have mixing bowls, serving pieces, bakeware, storage containers, or other types of Pyrex (which also includes CorningWare and Corelle), you've probably wondered whether it is safe to put in the freezer. The short answer is yes—but there are a few rules you should follow.
Can I put glass in the freezer? Only if it says freezer-safe (usually tempered glass). Otherwise, it can crack and that's no fun. Also make sure to remember that liquids expand, and glass has no wiggle room, so if you're freezing in a freezer-safe glass container, you still want to leave a little room at the top.
Wrap cooled pie in a layer of plastic wrap, followed by a layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Label with contents and date; place in freezer. For best quality, serve within 2-3 months; however, shepherd's pie will remain safe indefinitely, stored at 0° F. When ready to eat, thaw for about 24-hours in the refrigerator.
Alternatively, leave to cool completely before placing the lids on and vacuum sealing the containers. Cooked cottage pies will also keep fresh for 5 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer. When reheating cottage pies, preheat the oven to 160ºC / 320ºF then place your pie in the oven for 20-30 mins.
Anything over that and you risk food poisoning. Freshly baked shepherd's pie will keep for about 3 to 5 days in the fridge; refrigerate covered with aluminum foil or plastic wrap. To freeze: wrap shepherd's pie tightly with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap, or place in heavy-duty freezer bag.
Most pies will freeze well from a raw or cooked state. However, custard filled pies do not tend to freeze well. When freezing a fruit pie, you'll see the best results if you freeze a combination of cooked fruit filling in a raw pastry. Raw fruit filling can become watery on thawing and may require additional thickener.
Classic shepherd's pie is made with ground lamb, gravy, mashed potatoes, and veggies like peas, corn, celery, and carrots. Why is my shepherd's pie soggy? Avoid a soggy pie by simmering the meat mixture for at least 8 minutes. Be sure to cook down the mixture to remove excess moisture.
Homemade pies are a delicious dessert that can be prepared ahead of time, frozen and then baked when you want a very special dessert. It is much better to freeze pumpkin and fruit pies before baking rather than after. The texture of pies suffers substantially if frozen after baking.
5. Make ahead instructions: Assemble pie but don't bake it. Cool mashed potato topping then either refrigerate (4 days) or freeze (3 months). Thaw if frozen (it will take way too long to bake from frozen) then bake as per recipe.
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