Get my Cookbooks! Shepherd’s Pie Soup
This creamy Shepherd’s Pie Soup is made with traditional Shepherd’s Pie ingredients, including mashed potatoes, cheese, ground beef, and vegetables! You’ll love watching this classic comfort food transform into a delicious soup with creamy broth that your family will love.
Be sure to try my Broccoli Cheese Soup and Baked Potato Soup recipes next!
Shepherd’s Pie Soup
And just like that, a star is born. Shepherd’s Pie Soup might not be something that we hear about every day, but once you try it, you’ll be hooked for life.
Ever since I started making my Baked Potato Soup recipe, I’ve been obsessed with the thick and creamy potato-based broth. I started wondering what modifications I could make to transform it into a completely different recipe, while holding on to that potato flavor that I love so much.
This soup has all of the components of Shepherd’s Pie: Creamy mashed potatoes, ground beef, vegetables, and cheese. And believe it or not, it makes a truly comforting and delicious soup. (And if you’re tempted to mention that this is actually cottage pie soup, please read my wikipedia definition below regarding the evolution of this dish and it’s ingredients.)
I absolutely love to blend the mashed potatoes right into the broth. Not only does it thicken the soup, but it makes it perfectly freezer friendly, without worry of the potatoes falling apart when they are reheated.
Check out how to make it, my PRO tips, and more- let’s do it!
How to Make It
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Cook and crumble the ground beef over medium-high heat until cooked through. Drain grease. Remove from the pot and set aside.
Gently boil the potatoes in salted water until very fork tender. Drain, then gently mash with butter and sour cream. Set aside.
Cook the onions in butter until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
Whisk in flour, use a silicone spatula to stir as the flour cooks for 1 full minute to remove the raw flour taste.
Add the chicken broth. Use a silicone spatula to loosen any beef remnants from the bottom of the pot, this will add flavor.
Add the half and half, Worcestershire sauce, and seasonings. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer.
Stir in the potatoes until well-combined into the broth. If possible, use an immersion blender to blend until creamy. (See product link in PRO TIPS section below.) You can also transfer it to a blender in batches.
Add the ground beef and frozen vegetables and allow them to heat through, about 5 minutes.
Remove from heat. Gradually sprinkle with shredded cheese and stir until combined. Make sure the base of the soup isn’t too hot or the cheese won’t melt creamy and smooth. The soup will continue to thicken as it sits.
Taste, season with salt/pepper if desired and serve!
Low Carb Version
- Substitute all or half of the potatoes with cauliflower for less carbs!
Pro Tips
- Shred the cheese from a block so that it melts well. Bagged shredded cheese contains cellulose which prevents it from melting well. Heluva Good Orange Sharp Cheddar is my brand of choice as it melts really well and has great flavor.
- Make sure the soup isn’t too hot when you add the cheese. Otherwise the fat from the cheese will separate and you’ll have a grainy consistency.
Tools For This Recipe
(Amazon affiliate links)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.
- Kitchen Scale – This is handy to weigh the potatoes, I use it all the time.
- This is the immersion blender I use for SO many soups and sauces, it makes it really easy to blend right in the pot without having to transfer a hot liquid to a blender.
- A 3.5 quart dutch oven is perfect for making this soup.
What To Serve With Shepherd’s Pie Soup
Shepherd’s Pie vs. Cottage Pie
Shepherd’s Pie originated in 1849 and contained sliced meat as opposed to minced. It’s important to note that the type of meat in the original dish (beef, lamb, etc.) was not specified. It’s signature characteristic was sliced meat topped with mashed potatoes and baked.
The dish has since evolved to include different varieties of minced meat, those varieties depend greatly on the region it’s being prepared in.
Countries outside of the US commonly prepare Shepherds Pie with lamb, while the US often prepares it with ground beef. While Cottage Pie is used to describe this dish as being prepared with ground beef, it’s also common to hear it referred to as Shepherd’s Pie in the US.
Per Wikipedia:
“Shepherd’s pie, cottage pie, or hachis Parmentier is a ground meat pie with a crust or topping of mashed potato of English origin. The recipe has many variations, but the defining ingredients are ground red meat cooked in a gravy or sauce with onions, and topped with a layer of mashed potato before it is baked”
Storage
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. This soup does freeze and reheat well.
Tools For This Recipe
(Amazon affiliate links)
- Immersion Blender: This makes the soup super creamy and is much easier than transferring to a blender.
- Kitchen Scale: I use this to measure out 2 lbs. of potatoes for this recipe.
- 3.5 quart Soup Pot: The perfect size for this recipe.
Try These Next
-
- Tuscan Chicken
-
- Ground Beef and Noodles
-
- Broccoli Cheese Soup
-
- Broccoli Pasta
-
- Mushroom Chicken
-
- Copycat Longhorn Parmesan Crusted Chicken
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Tried This Recipe?
Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Shepherd's Pie Soup
Ingredients
- 4 large russet potatoes, equal to 2 lbs.
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup sour cream
- 1 lb. Ground Beef, 85% lean
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 Tablespoons salted butter, separated
- ¼ cup flour
- 4 cups Chicken broth
- 2 cups half and half
- 3/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground sage
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 ½ cups mixed frozen vegetables
- Salt/Pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Prep Work: Shred the cheese from a block, measure out the sour cream and half and half. Let them all sit out at room temperature.
- Cook the Beef: Cook and crumble the ground beef over medium-high heat until cooked through. Drain grease. Remove the ground beef from the pot and set aside.
- Boil & Mashed Potatoes: While the meat cooks, peel the potatoes and cut them into thirds. Add to a stock pot and cover the potatoes with 1 inch of water. Add the salt and boil gently for 10-15 minutes or until very fork tender. Drain, then gently mash with 1 Tablespoon of butter and sour cream. Set aside.
- Prepare the broth: Melt 2 Tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
- Whisk in flour, use a silicone spatula to stir as the flour cooks for 1 full minute to remove the raw flour taste.
- Add the chicken broth in splashes, stirring continuously. Use a silicone spatula to loosen any beef remnants from the bottom of the pot, this will add flavor.
- Add the Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, mustard powder, and sage. Slowly add the half and half. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
- Stir in the potatoes until well-combined into the broth. If possible, use an immersion blender to blend until creamy. You can also transfer it to a blender in batches.
- Add the ground beef and frozen vegetables and allow them to heat through, about 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Gradually sprinkle with shredded cheese and stir until combined. Make sure the base of the soup isn’t too hot or the cheese won’t melt creamy and smooth. The soup will continue to thicken as it sits.
- Taste, season with salt/pepper if desired and serve!
Notes
Pro Tips:
- Shred the cheese from a block so that it melts well. Bagged shredded cheese contains cellulose which prevents it from melting well. Heluva Good Orange Sharp Cheddar is my brand of choice as it melts really well and has great flavor.
- Kitchen Scale - This is handy to weigh the potatoes, I use it all the time.
- This is the immersion blender I use for SO many soups and sauces, it makes it really easy to blend right in the pot without having to transfer a hot liquid to a blender.
- A 3.5 quart dutch oven is perfect for making this soup.
This was delish! Even better, I was able to use some leftover mashed potatoes, and this was way better than I could have imagined! I put in way more frozen mixed vegetables than it called for (I used the entire 10 ounce bag) and it still could have handily taken more. It was comforting, cozy, and every good thing you want in a soup!
Nice work Teri! Such a great use for leftover mashed potatoes! Thanks so much for the great comments and for taking the time to leave a review!💖