Greek-Style Shepherd’s Pie

A twist on classic Shepherd’s Pie, this gluten-free entree layers Greek-style beef sauce with fried eggplant and garlicky feta mashed potatoes. Oozy, warm, fragrant, and satisfying! Make for a cozy night in. 

Think of this recipe as a mash-up between Shepherd’s Pie, Cottage Pie, and a traditional Greek Moussaka. All are associated with comfort food, but honestly, I think the word “comfort” is an understatement for this recipe. It is in a league of its own! 

This show-stopping dish features three layers of deliciousness: First comes the savory and aromatic ground beef sauce, a nod to cottage pie. This coats two layers of perfectly caramelized fried eggplant, a traditional ingredient in Moussaka. Finally, in place of the classic béchamel sauce found in Greek Moussaka, everything is finished with luscious mashed potatoes, the traditional topping in both Cottage Pie and Shepherd’s Pie. Only my version includes garlic, olive oil, and feta for that Greek twist!

When my husband and I lived in Greece, a great cook showed me this fantastic, fragrant meat sauce. She said garlic, spices, and wine would give the sauce a richness without any onions to distract from the flavor. She was right! I’ve made my beef sauce this way ever since. You’ll want to use it for your Greek Shepherd’s Pie, Bolognese, and beyond.

Table of Contents

1. Shepherd’s Pie vs Cottage Pie
2. Ingredients for this Greek-style Shepherd’s Pie
1. Produce, Meat, and Dairy
2. From the Pantry
3. Ingredient Spotlight
4. How to Make Shepherd’s Pie with Beef
1. Make the Meat Sauce 
2. Shallow-Fry the Eggplant
3. Make the Potato Mash 
5. Assemble and Bake the Pie
6. How to Avoid a Soggy Shepherd’s Pie
7. Getting Ahead
8. Ways to Mix It Up 
9. Can I Freeze Greek Shepherd’s Pie?
10. What to Serve with Greek Shepherd’s Pie
11. How to Store Leftovers
12. You’ll Also Like: Comforting Casseroles
13. Greek-Style Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

Shepherd’s Pie vs Cottage Pie

Shepherd’s Pie, a staple dish in Ireland, England, and Scotland, is a hearty casserole of ground lamb cooked in a gravy or stock with onions, peas, corn, green beans, and carrots and topped with a textured mashed potato resembling the wooly fleece of a sheep.

Cottage Pie is often mistaken for Shepherd’s Pie, but it was initially made with mutton (a mature sheep) since it was cheaper, but today it’s often made with beef. Similar to Shepherd’s Pie, it came about as a way for people to use leftover meat and vegetables to avoid waste.

I took inspiration from Shepard’s Pie and Cottage Pie and blended it with a comfort-food recipe in my Greek culture, Moussaka, which uses eggplant and ground beef to create this fusion recipe.

Ingredients for this Greek-style Shepherd’s Pie

This is certainly not a 3-ingredient dinner, but the layers of rich flavor and texture are well worth digging through your pantry and running to the store. Plus, many of these ingredients you likely have on hand, and if not they’re easy to source. 

Produce, Meat, and Dairy

• I like to use lean ground beef, as it does not release as much fat into the sauce. You could use ground lamb or a combination of both. 
• Garlic’s potent and delightful taste enhances the overall flavor profile of this recipe.
• Eggplant is shallow-fried to create a slightly golden crust, which enhances flavor and texture. 
• Fresh rosemary adds a subtle lemony and peppery note. 
• The mashed potato is half the star of this show. You want a potato with the creamiest texture possible, so starchy varieties are best. Depending on where you live, go for Russet, Idaho, Yukon Gold, or Dutch Cream. 
• Whole milk adds liquid to the mash to form the required consistency. You could use dairy-free milk or water for a dairy-free option. 
• Parmesan cheese has a great salty flavor that adds depth to the dish. You could also use Pecorino or strong cheddar. 
• Feta cheese creates a tangy and added crispness to the bake. It also adds a saltiness, which is delightful to the overall dish. 

From the Pantry

• Olive oil: I always prefer extra virgin olive oil when I cook Greek food, particularly a Greek variety like the ones at our shop.
• Salt and pepper enhance the flavor. 
• Mild paprika adds a slightly fruity yet savory note to the dish. It does not have a strong heat but rather a subtle earthy flavor. 
• Cinnamon’s woodiness and powerful yet delicate almost floral flavor shines through in this dish.
• Cloves add a pungent and warm fragrance and pair extremely well with cinnamon. 
• Bay leaf gives the ground meat a warm, floral boost. 
• Tomato puree is essential for adding moisture to the meat sauce.
• Tomato paste goes a long way in adding umami. 
• Red wine adds complexity to the sauce and a subtle sweetness as the alcohol cooks off. It’s important not to omit the wine as it plays a significant role in creating the delicious taste of this dish.
• Sugar helps balance the acidity of the tomatoes.

Ingredient Spotlight

The mashed potato layer is outstanding for this Shepherd’s Pie recipe because it omits heavy cream and butter.

Instead, extra virgin olive oil infuses the potatoes with notes of pepper and fruit, while creating a velvety, luscious consistency. The choice of high-quality extra virgin olive oil is crucial as it significantly enriches the overall taste of the mashed potatoes. To learn a little more about how to taste the nuances in olive oil you can read about it in our olive oil tasting guide.

Selecting potatoes with a high starch content is also paramount, as this ensures a light and fluffy texture and facilitates easy breakdown, Russets are my first choice and Yukon Gold is a close second.

How to Make Shepherd’s Pie with Beef

Here are the steps to make this Greek Shepherd’s Pie with beef, broken down into sections: 

Make the Meat Sauce 

• Render the beef. Coat a large pan in olive oil and heat over medium. Add 2 minced garlic cloves and swirl until sizzling, about 1 minute. Add 1 pound ground beef and use a wooden spoon to break it up and brown it. Cook the meat until the juices have evaporated and the oil surfaces, about 10 minutes. 
• Season the meat. Add 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon paprika, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon ground clove. Cook for 1 minute, then add 2 tablespoons tomato paste and cook for 3 more minutes. 
• Finish and simmer. Add 1 (15 oz can) tomato puree, 1 cup red wine, 3/4 cup water, 1 cinnamon stick, 6 whole cloves, 2 bay leaves, and 2 teaspoons sugar. Cover and simmer over low heat for 35–40 minutes, ensuring the juices are mostly evaporated. If there’s too much liquid, keep cooking until it’s evaporated. Set the sauce aside to cool.

Shallow-Fry the Eggplant

• Get ready. Slice 2 small globe eggplants into 1-inch thick slabs.
• Heat the oil. Coat a nonstick frying pan with a thin layer of olive oil (about 2 tablespoons) and heat over medium. 
• Brown and crisp the eggplant (in two batches if your pan is small): When the oil is shimmering, add the eggplants, sprinkle with 2 teaspoons chopped rosemary and season with a good pinch of salt. Drizzle a couple more tablespoons of olive oil over the eggplants. Cook for a few minutes on both sides until the eggplants are soft and golden. They will shrink in size. Add more oil if they start to dry out. Transfer the fried eggplant pieces to paper towels and aside.

Make the Potato Mash 

• Boil the potatoes. Peel and slice 6-7 medium potatoes, place in a large pot, and cover with cold water. Season generously with salt and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to let the potatoes simmer until they’re soft when pierced with a fork, about 35 minutes. Be careful not to overcook them, as they will become mushy. 
• Mash the potatoes. Drain and add the potatoes to a large mixing bowl. Add 2 minced garlic cloves. Use a potato masher to mash while the potatoes are still hot.
• Flavor the potatoes. Add 1/3 cup olive oil and 1/2 cup whole milk. Continue mashing until well combined, then gradually add more milk (up to an additional 1/2 cup) until the mashed potatoes reach a creamy, lump-free consistency. Be sure to add the milk slowly to control the texture and adjust as needed. Mix in 1/4 cup grated parmesan, taste, and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Cover and set aside. 

Assemble and Bake the Pie

• Get ready. Preheat your oven to 425°F. 
• Layer. Remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaves from the meat sauce. In a 9 x 13-inch baking dish, spread half of the sauce to cover the bottom of the dish. Then layer half of the eggplant over the meat and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the parmesan cheese on top. Repeat this process with the remaining meat sauce, eggplants, and 2 tablespoons parmesan. 
• Top. Spread the mashed potatoes over the top. Finally, crumble on the feta cheese and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese. 
• Bake, broil, and serve. Bake in the hot oven for 30 minutes, or until the top turns golden. Then switch it broil, for 6 to 10 minutes. You want the potatoes golden with a few crisp edges. Broilers are all different, keep a close eye on it to avoid burning. Yours might be done after 4 or 5 minutes. Use a spatula to divide and serve hot. 

How to Avoid a Soggy Shepherd’s Pie

Though it’s a rustic dish, no one wants Shepherd’s Pie to look like a sloppy mess. It should have two distinct layers: one with ground meat and fried eggplant and the other with mashed potato. To achieve this, remember these 3 tips:

1. Cook the meat sauce enough to reduce the liquid. If the sauce is too juicy, it will seep into the potato mash and lose its distinct layers. It will also spill out of the baking dish when cooking.
2. Allow the meat sauce to cool a little before adding the mashed potato over the top. Otherwise, the mash will sink slightly. 
3. Avoid the temptation to add too much milk to the mash. A rich and decadent mash will have a good texture that does not sink or seep into the mince when you place it on top.

Getting Ahead

I think you’ll be surprised at how easy this Shepherd’s Pie recipe is, despite the three layers. Still, you can make it a bit easier on yourself by preparing some of the components ahead of time:

• Peel the potatoes the night before and place them in a bowl of water in your fridge until you are ready to boil them.
• The meat sauce can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to two days. If you’d like to prepare it even further in advance, you can store it in the freezer for up to a month. When you’re ready to use it, simply thaw, reheat, and use as needed.

Ways to Mix It Up 

You can alter this recipe according to your diet and preferences. Some ideas:

• Make it lactose-free: Use lactose-free milk or unflavored nut milk of choice. Omit the cheese.
• Make the mashed potatoes a bit milder: Flavor with nutmeg instead of garlic, or simply omit the garlic.
• Add a layer of sweetness: Use pumpkin or sweet potatoes for the mash.
• Swap out the veggies: Add other vegetables in place of the eggplant, such as peas or corn.
• Mix up the meat: Use a combination of beef and lamb or just lamb. The meat does not have to be ground. You can use larger pieces of beef or even leftover shredded or roast lamb—a great way to repurpose leftovers! Adjust the cooking time depending on the meat you’re using. 

Can I Freeze Greek Shepherd’s Pie?

Yes! You can freeze Shepherd’s Pie. To freeze:

• Assemble the unbaked pie and allow it to cool completely. 
• Cover with aluminum foil or cling wrap and place in the freezer. 
• Freeze for up to 2 months. 
• Defrost overnight in the fridge, then remove the foil or cling wrap and bake as instructed in the recipe.

What to Serve with Greek Shepherd’s Pie

Serve with Maroulosalata (Greek Lettuce Salad) or Traditional Greek Salad and crusty bread. It is so hearty that you won’t require anything else.

How to Store Leftovers

You can store leftover cooked Greek Shepherd’s Pie in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven at 350°F until heated through. 

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