This sweet potato shepherd’s pie is a sweet and savory twist on an old classic. It is the perfect cool weather meal, comforting and bursting with flavor.
Sweet potatoes are a fall staple in this house. They are so delicious and can be enjoyed in a number of ways. Some of my favorite recipes are my sweet potato casserole with pecans and maple roasted chicken with sweet potatoes.
When cool weather hits, I alway opt for warm comforting recipes that are both nourishing and satisfying, and this sweet potato shepherds pie checks all the boxes for me.
Flavorful ground beef and fresh veggies are topped with a sweet and creamy sweet potato topping that is hard to resist. Serve this alongside a garden salad with homemade ranch dressing or all on its own for a perfect family meal that everyone will love!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Flavorful – The sweet and savory notes in this dish blend so well together and create the best flavor.
Whole foods – This shepherds pie is made up of simple whole food pantry staples with no questionable ingredients. Its the perfect comfort food that you can feel good about!
Simple – If you need a hearty dinner on the table to feed your family, but don’t want to spend all day in the kitchen, this is the meal for you. Everything comes together in just under and hour and makes a hearty complete meal.
Ingredients
Garlic – Use a garlic press for easier mincing. You can also use jarred minced garlic from the grocery store to save on time.
Ground beef – I use ground beef for my shepherds pie, but you can also experiment with other ground meat. You can try ground turkey, ground chicken, or even ground lamb for a true shepherd’s pie.
Beef broth – I love to use homemade instant pot bone broth for added protein and nutritional benefits.
Thyme – Use fresh thyme instead of dried to take this recipe to the next level. A good rule of thumb is to use 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs for every teaspoon of dried herbs.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How to Make Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie
Step 1: Melt the butter (or heat the olive oil) in a 12-inch cast iron pan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and garlic, and cook 5 – 7 minutes until softened.
Step 2: Add the ground beef, breaking up large clumps, and cook until no longer pink. Drain any excess fat. (The easiest way to do this is to pour the contents of the pan out into a fine mesh strainer set over a heat proof bowl and allow to drain and then return the beef mixture back to the cast iron pan).
Step 3: Stir in the tomato paste, flour, Worcestershire sauce, cumin, thyme, beef broth, salt, pepper, and frozen peas. Cook a few minutes until the peas are heated through and flavors meld. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Step 4: Meanwhile, place the peeled, chopped sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan with heavily salted cold water. Bring to a boil and cook until fork-tender, about 10 – 20 minutes depending on size.
Step 5: Drain and return the potatoes to the pot. Add the butter, cinnamon, salt, and pepper, and mash until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
Step 6: Spread the mashed sweet potatoes over the vegetable and meat mixture. Fluff lightly with a fork to create peaks that will brown in the oven, then sprinkle with parmesan.
Step 7: Bake for 20 minutes until warmed through and lightly golden. For extra browning, broil for 3 – 5 minutes at the end, watching carefully to prevent burning.
Step 8: Serve warm, and enjoy!
Tips
- Broil carefully: If broiling for browning, stay close — it can go from golden to burnt in under a minute.
- Both the filling and mashed potatoes can be prepared a day in advance and stored separately; assemble and bake when ready.
- This dish reheats well so it’s great for meal prep.
Recipe FAQs
Garlic, onion, carrots and peas are some traditional vegetables that are added into shepherds pie that compliment it well. You can also experiment with adding other vegetables like green beans, bell pepper, mushrooms, corn, and broccoli.
The difference between a shepherd’s pie and cottage pie is the meat that is used. Traditional shepherd’s pie is made with ground lamb and cottage pie is made with ground beef.
After baking, let the sweet potato shepherd’s pie cool to room temperature. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 – 4 days. Freeze this shepherd’s pie tightly covered in a freezer safe dish for up to 3 months before or after baking to have a quick dinner for busy weeknights.
More Delicious Recipes from the Farmhouse
- Classic Dutch Oven Beef Stew Recipe
- Best Ground Beef Chili
- Roasted Beet Salad With Goat Cheese
- One-Pan Pork Chops With Apples
- Easy Stuffed Shells With Ricotta Cheese Recipe
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love it if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone.
Homemade Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie Recipe
Equipment
- 1 12 inch Cast Iron Skillet Any oven-safe skillet will do, or you can transfer the mixture to a baking dish before adding the topping and baking.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter , or olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 ½ cups beef broth
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 cup frozen peas
- Salt and pepper
Potato Topping
- 3 pounds sweet potato, peeled and chopped
- 3 tablespoons butter
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- Salt and pepper
- ½ cup freshly grated parmesan
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius).
- Melt the butter (or heat the olive oil) in a 12-inch cast iron pan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and garlic, and cook 5 – 7 minutes until softened.
- Add the ground beef, breaking up large clumps, and cook until no longer pink. Drain any excess fat. (The easiest way to do this is to pour the contents of the pan out into a fine mesh strainer set over a heat proof bowl and allow to drain and then return the beef mixture back to the cast iron pan.)
- Stir in the tomato paste, flour, Worcestershire sauce, cumin, thyme, beef broth, salt, pepper, and frozen peas. Cook a few minutes until the peas are heated through and flavors meld. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Meanwhile, place the peeled, chopped sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan with heavily salted cold water. Bring to a boil and cook until fork-tender, about 10 – 20 minutes depending on size.
- Drain and return the potatoes to the pot. Add the butter, cinnamon, salt, and pepper, and mash until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
- Spread the mashed sweet potatoes over the vegetable and meat mixture. Fluff lightly with a fork to create peaks that will brown in the oven, then sprinkle with parmesan.
- Bake for 20 minutes until warmed through and lightly golden. For extra browning, broil for 3 – 5 minutes at the end, watching carefully to prevent burning.
- Serve warm, and enjoy!
Notes
- Please double check amounts when using the multiplying feature in the recipe card.
- Broil carefully: If broiling for browning, stay close — it can go from golden to burnt in under a minute.
- Both the filling and mashed potatoes can be prepared a day in advance and stored separately; assemble and bake when ready.
- This dish reheats well so it’s great for meal prep.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
