The Cozy Cookbook is here! 
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
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- 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 very good and really makes a lot of soup. How do you think it would hold up to freezing or if not how long will ot last in the fridge?
Hi Karen! 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.
Thank you so much for your speedy reply. Great soup!
You are so welcome, I’m really happy that you enjoyed it! 🙂
I haven’t tried this recipe yet, but I can’t wait. Will leaving out the cheese be a big deal? My son has a cheese allergy and the non dairy cheese have coconut in them and I’m allergic 🤦♀️. Thanks so much!
Hi Crystal! You can skip the cheese, no biggie! ☺️
We Loved this dish.
A few things we will do next time we make it. Add another pound of potatoes and pull the extra pound out at the firm stage. Add those in at the end so they stay firm. Omit the green beans and use beef broth instead of chicken broth for some depth. Loved this recipe – thank you.
I am so glad that you liked the soup! The one thing I will say, is that although it may seem counterintuitive, using chicken broth is what actually adds depth of flavor, because it contrasts well with the ground beef! Otherwise it’s beef on beef! ❤️
You neglected to tell us when to add the Half and half
Step 7: “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.”
I made this soup tonight. It’s definitely a keeper! Whenever I make a new recipe, I follow it exactly as written. This allows me to attempt to replicate exactly like the author wanted. Then I make modifications if I think it’s necessary. I would only changed this recipe as follows:
This evening I used the immersion blender to make the mashed potatoes in a bowl in step 3. For me, I’ll only cook the potatoes in step 3. In step 8, I’d add the potatoes, butter, and sour cream. Then use the immersion blender. This will save me time and a dish that won’t need to be washed. The other thing that I’d change would be to add more mixed vegetables. I’ll have to play around with that though.
I was wondering if there was a reason to use chicken broth vs beef broth? I’ve seen chicken broth being used in other beef recipes but often I sub in beef broth. I plan to make this within the week. It looks and sounds delicious.
Thanks for any insight.
Hey Jennifer! Using chicken broth with beef might seem counterintuitive, but it’s done in order to add depth of flavor. It contrasts nicely with the ground beef. You can always use a combination of beef and chicken broth as well! (Or substitute with all beef). Enjoy!! 🙂
Thank you! I’ve seen it often enough that I figured there must be a reason. I appreciate your super fast reply and look forward to trying your recipe 🙂
You got it, Enjoy!❤️
This is actually Cottage Pie Soup as it is made with beef mince. Shepherds Pie is made with minced lamb.
Thank you Stephanie, this is discussed in the blog post 😉 I also see that you are in the UK, it’s rare to cook with ground lamb in the US- we have adapted this recipe to be used with beef and it’s still commonly referred to as Shepherd’s Pie here.
I am thinking about making this recipe. My mother doesn’t care for thick soups and most of the comments state that the soup is thick. How would you recommend thinning out the broth? Which ingredients would you increase?
Hi Cindy! You can start by using milk instead of half and half, or you can make the recipe as outlined and then add additional chicken broth at the end until your desired consistency is obtained.
I made it and I found it not to be to thick. I was thinking it was going to be. It turned out perfect
Yayyy! Thanks so much for the great review Kim, I’m so happy you liked the soup! This is one of my favorites, so cozy!
This was AMAZING!! It will definitely be going in my meal binder. I did use premade sour cream and onion mashed potatoes to save some time. I’m always looking for shortcuts. I messed up on a couple steps, but was able to make it work. It really is a great soup. I thought about using more ground turkey next time, but not sure, it’s pretty hardy, and is a thick soup already. I made biscuits on the side, and next time I may chop them up small, bake, then throw into the soup (dumpling like). That is what we all did with the whole biscuits. Thanks!!!!
I’m so happy you were able to improvise your way to success Karen! Thanks so much for the great comments and for taking the time to leave a review!❤️
Thank you for this recipe! It will become a family favourite for sure. A cosy hearty soup made with regular pantry stock. Perfect! Only thing I substituted was Greek yogurt for the sour cream as that is what we have on hand at ours. Also the gold fleshed potatoes worked well as again that what we had. Thanks again! Cheers, K
You’re very welcome Kathleen! I’m so happy you enjoyed the Shepherd’s Pie Soup! Thanks so much for the great comments and review!❤️