Freezer-friendly · Recipe
Shepherd's Pie
Foil-tray shepherd's pie, freezer-ready.
Ground lamb and beef simmered with carrot, celery and peas in a rich stock gravy, topped with buttery mashed potato and melted cheddar. Assembled straight into foil trays, this is a proper batch-cooking dish - fill several trays at once and freeze what you don't eat now.
Freezer notes
Can you freeze Shepherd's Pie?
Yes — Shepherd's Pie freezes well: freeze it both, it keeps up to 3 months in the freezer, about 3 days in the fridge.
How to freeze Shepherd's Pie
Works either way: assemble unbaked in foil trays - meat filling, mash, cheese - cover tightly with foil, and freeze flat for up to 3 months; this keeps the mash from turning watery on reheating. Or bake fully, cool, portion into trays, and freeze the same way if you'd rather just reheat.
How to reheat Shepherd's Pie
From unbaked frozen: bake covered at 375°F / 190°C for 60-70 minutes, then uncover and bake a further 15-20 minutes until golden and hot through the centre. From baked-and-frozen: bake covered at 350°F / 175°C for 40-45 minutes, then uncover for the last 10 minutes to re-crisp the top.
The one thing a label can't tell you is when you froze it. Label it properly — or let Expireless hold the date for you.
Ingredients
- 450 g ground lamb
- 450 g ground beef
- 180 g onion
- 180 g carrot
- 100 g celery
- 2 cloves garlic
- 30 g tomato paste
- 350 ml beef stock
- 10 ml Worcestershire sauce
- 120 g frozen peas
- a few sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 pcs bay leaf
- 20 ml vegetable oil
- to taste salt and pepper
- 1000 g potatoes (for mash)
- 60 g butter
- 100 ml milk
- 120 g cheddar cheese, grated
Method
- Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat and brown the lamb and beef, breaking it up with a spoon, for about 8 minutes. Drain off any excess fat.
- Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic and cook for 5-6 minutes until softened. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute more.
- Pour in the stock and Worcestershire sauce, add the thyme and bay leaf, and simmer uncovered for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened and coats the meat. Stir in the peas for the last 5 minutes, season with salt and pepper, then discard the bay leaf.
- Meanwhile, boil the potatoes in salted water for 15-20 minutes until tender. Drain well and mash with the butter and milk until smooth, then season with salt.
- Divide the meat mixture between foil trays, spread the mash over the top, rough up the surface with a fork, and scatter over the cheddar.
- Bake at 400°F / 200°C for 25-30 minutes until golden on top and bubbling at the edges. If assembling ahead for the freezer, stop here and freeze the trays unbaked instead.
Equipment
- oven
- foil trays
- large pan
- pot
- potato masher
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 600 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 36 g |
| Fat | 36 g |
| Carbs | 30 g |
Estimated. These numbers are calculated from the ingredient list, not lab-measured — treat them as a ballpark, not a label.
Cook once, eat twice
The date you froze it is the part you'll forget
Expireless remembers when a dish went into the freezer and tells you before it's past its best — so a batch you cooked on purpose doesn't turn into a mystery bag.
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