Name: Shepherd's Pie with Sausage
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 lb Italian sausage; 2 tbsp butter; 2 medium carrots diced; 1/2 of a white onion; 1 stalk of celery; 2 cups of beef or chicken stock; 3 tbsp flour; 1 tsp dried thyme or 2 tsp of fresh thyme; Cracked black pepper to taste; For the Mashed Potato Topping; 4 large russet potatoes; 5 tbsp butter; 1/2 cup of milk; 1 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper

Jump to Recipe

Shepherd’s Pie With Sausage is a twist on the classic Shepherd’s pie using a delicious Italian sausage in place of lamb or beef.

I often joke on here about how awful I was when I first began my journey in the kitchen. Seeking out complicated dishes to try for a first-time cook and always coming up short. At some point, I got the memo. I needed to find meals that I could follow without having to have any particular set of skills.

Like when I thought I’d master a puff pastry on my own. Or the day I decided to filet a whole fish for a dinner party. I laugh now to think of that day in the kitchen. Lost in a sea of directions and complicated food language I didn’t have any clue about. Nothing like dinner guests coming into a fishy-smelling burned mess and being fed jarred spaghetti.

It was only after many debacles that I began looking for recipes that I could easily repeat.

This recipe for Shepards Pie With Sausage was the first one I mastered and the very first one that began being requested I make in our home. I hope your family enjoys it as much as mine does.

Why I Love This Recipe

This recipe is misleading. It seems like a more complicated dish that might take a while to make but I can honestly make this in roughly 30 minutes. That is if I make sure to get the potatoes going first. I use my mixer to whip them up, spread them on top of the mixture, and then into a hot oven for a few minutes to crisp up those potatoes.

It is so simple and the result is a delicious comforting, hearty meal that comes in one dish. I find the leftovers to be even better for lunch the next day too. So when I make this, it is two meals for us. But even if that is not the case for you, it is a keeper of a recipe that the whole family will love.

What You Will Need To Make It

For the Mashed Potatoes

4 large russet potatoes

1/2 cup of milk

5 tbsp butter

salt and pepper to taste

For the Filling

1 lb Italian sausage (hot or mild)

2 carrots

1/2 white onion

1 large stalk of celery

2 cups of stock (chicken or beef works best)

3 tbsp all purpose flour

cracked black pepper to taste

1 tsp dried thyme

2 tbsp butter

Directions

Begin by peeling and boiling the potatoes for the mashed potato topping. While the potatoes are cooking heat a large skillet. Begin browning your sausage. Dice the onion, celery, and carrots. Add them to the sausage as it browns. Sprinkle in the thyme and cracked black pepper.

meat and veggies for a shepherds pie with sausage dish

When the sausage is browned and the veggies are softened, sprinkle the flour over the contents of the pan. Mix the flour in so that it coats all the meat and veggies. Pour in half of the stock and allow it to simmer until it thickens.

mixing flour into the shepherds pie with sausage

Slowly add in the remaining 1 cup of stock. Allow the filling to simmer for a few minutes until the gravy is thickened (about 5 minutes). When ready turn off the heat and set it aside. If you are using a baking dish you can pour the filling into it and then set it aside. (If you are using a cast iron skillet you can use the same pan.)

filing for the shepherds pie with sausage dish

Finish boiling and mashing the potatoes. I like to use a mixer to do this to ensure the potatoes are creamy and free of lumps.

Top the filling with the potatoes. Melt the 2 tbsp of butter and brush the top of the potatoes with it.

You can also cut it up and place it evenly over the potatoes if you don’t have a pastry brush.

Place the baking dish or skillet under a 450℉ broiler for about 10-12 minutes or until the mashed potatoes have a golden brown crust.

Cooking Notes

Use real butter not margarine.
Make sure to watch closely when under the broiler as the potatoes can burn easily.
If you use fresh thyme for this, double the amount as dried herbs are much stronger than fresh.
If you use a lean sausage with little oil, add a tbsp or two of olive oil to the pan before beginning, this way there is enough fat in the pan to create the gravy.

Serving Suggestions

Although this dish is hearty and delicious on its own. Some good sides to go along with this dish are:

a light salad of mixed greens, a bit of feta with olive oil, salt, and cracked black pepper
a vegetable side like my Roasted Sweet Corn with Basil, or Roasted Asparagus
Dinner rolls always seem to be a hit no matter what the dish. Make a batch of these warm delicious Sourdough Dinner Rolls to accompany the meal.

Shop This Post

Blue Baking Dish Set

Cast Iron Skillet Set of 2 (10 in and 14 in)

If you try this recipe and love it, I would appreciate you coming back to give it 5 stars! Or tag me on Instagram @rox_aquaintlife

Yield: 8 servings