Shepherd’s Pie Soup

Shepherd’s pie soup, a thick soupy stew of ground beef, carrots, onion, corn, and peas swimming in a rich gravy topped off with a silky smooth mashed potato island, is my ideal fall day meal.

I know I say “soup season” a lot, but truly, there’s nothing more cozy than a bowl of soup. So of course I had to turn my favorite casserole into a soup.

My first ever taste of shepherd’s pie was mind blowing. I was a super picky eater and I had a very short list of foods that I liked to eat. One of them was mashed potatoes, plain. One day, at a heritage fair, they had what looked to be containers of mashed potatoes. Of course, that’s what I wanted. Little did I know it wasn’t just mashed potatoes. My childhood best friend and I shared a pie and underneath the potatoes was a savory gravy soaked layer of minced meat dotted with corn.

That was my first taste and from there, shepherd’s pie became an obsession. Although to get technical, the pie I had wasn’t shepherd’s pie made with lamb. The food stand at the heritage fair was Quebecois and the pie they had was a traditional French-Canadian dish, pate Chinois, but you know, any meat covered in mashed potatoes can and will be called a shepherd’s pie.

The secret to a beefier soup

My recipe for shepherd’s pie soup is pretty simple, except that I used tomato paste to add some depth and color, soy sauce for umami, and Worcestershire sauce, for extra beefy umami. The soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce play off each other nicely, really upping the beefiness of the beef. A bay leaf while simmering rounds off our seasoning with some background notes of warmth and woodiness.

All of this is optional-ish depending on your shopping habits, but I think they’re all pretty important. You can sub out Worcestershire for fish sauce, which is ironically (these days) probably more likely to be in your kitchen, but I would go for the real deal.

How to make shepherd’s pie soup, step by step

1. Boil – Start off by boiling potatoes in salted boiling water. I like to cut my potatoes into 2″ pieces, start them in cold water, bring up to a boil, then drop to a simmer for 15-20 minutes. At that point, they will be fork tender.
2. Brown – While the potatoes are cooking, make the soup. In a large pot, cook the ground beef in a bit of extra virgin olive oil, breaking up, until browned. Season with a tiny bit of salt and pepper, just enough to make sure your beef doesn’t taste bland – the soup itself will have plenty of seasoning. If there’s a lot of excess fat, drain it off before adding the onions and carrots. Cook, stirring, until the onions and carrots start to soften, about 3-5 minutes.
3. Coat – Sprinkle on the flour over the beef and vegetables and stir to coat. The flour is going to thicken up the soup base and make it more of a soupy gravy.
4. Season – Once there is no more visible flour, stir in the tomato paste and cook it down a little, a minute or two. Then add soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. Slowly stream in the beef broth while stirring.
5. Simmer – Add the bay leaf and bring the soup up to a boil over medium high heat and then lower to a bare simmer until the soup thickens up to your liking. For me that was about 20 minutes.
6. Mash – As the soup is simmering and thickening, make the mash: drain the potatoes and mash until smooth, stirring in butter and milk. Taste and season with salt to taste.
7. Finish – By now the soup should be slightly thick and super aromatic. Find the bay leaf and discard. Stir in the corn and peas and continue to simmer until they are just heated through, about 2-3 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning of the soup if needed.
8. Serve – Ladle the soup into bowls and top each bowl with a scoop of mashed potato. Finish with a sprinkle of shredded cheese, if desired and enjoy.

How to serve

Shepherd’s pie soup is not a new invention and there are actually several ways people like to make it. With the potatoes blended into the soup base, chunks of potatoes in the soup base, and my personal favorite, topped with potatoes. I think topping off your bowl of soup with a scoop of mashed potatoes is most like its namesake.

Mike on the other hand preferred stirring the mashed potatoes right into the soup in the pan (we made this several times so it was easy to experiment). He felt like it made the soup creamier and it was neater to do it in the pan than in the bowl.

You can really go crazy here with extra toppings on top of the mash. If you’re a fully loaded person, crispy bacon, sour cream, and sliced green onions take this soup over the top. Otherwise, a sprinkle of shredded cheese is always a good choice.

Shepherd’s pie soup tips and tricks

Smooth and creamy mash – If you’re like me and obsessed with smooth and creamy mashed potatoes, you need to push your potatoes through a fine mesh sieve. It’s the best way to get the smoothest restaurant style potatoes. Just grab a sieve https://link.amazon/B0iEz0zFY, place it over a bowl or pot, add your very soft, cooked, slightly mashed potatoes, and use the back of a wooden spoon to push the potatoes through. Truly, it’s an extra step but it’s worth it. The way this mash just melts into the soup is amazing.

Shortcut mash – That being said, if you’re short on time, use instant mashed potatoes. Not the kind that are flavored where you just add milk. Look for potato flakes with just one ingredient: potatoes. They should have no preservatives or artificial flavors. Follow the instructions and add milk, butter, and salt to taste.

Extra creamy – If you love creamy soups like Mike does, use 5 cups broth and 1 cup heavy cream.

Herbs – if you’re a herb lover (or an adult, unlike me) fresh herbs add a nice extra dimension of flavor. Adding rosemary or thyme early on will add depth, and/or finishing with parsley will add a hint of freshness.

Make ahead

This is a great make ahead meal as it both stores well in the fridge and freezer. You can make the recipe exactly as is and then store in the fridge (up to 2 days) or freezer after cooling. Just be sure to keep the soup and mashed potatoes separate unless you want them to combine into one.

How to reheat

• microwave – portion out the soup and mashed potatoes into a bowl and microwave for 2-3 minutes, depending on microwave power.
• stovetop – heat the soup in a pot over medium heat, while stirring occasionally. If needed, loosen with a bit of water. Heat the mashed potatoes in a separate pot, over medium heat, stirring in a splash of milk and a bit of butter.
• from frozen – let the soup and mashed potatoes thaw in the fridge overnight, then heat as per the instructions above.

FAQ

Can I make this with chicken, pork, turkey, lamb?

Shepherd’s pie soup can be made with any ground meat and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Any and all grounds meats taste great in this soup. Best of all, if you happen to use ground lamb, you’ve made authentic shepherd’s pie soup!

Can I use chicken stock?

If you don’t have beef stock and don’t want to get beef stock, chicken stock/broth is great. Your soup may be a bit lighter brown, but flavor-wise, it will taste good.

Can this be gluten-free?

The only gluten sources in this whole soup are the flour, soy sauce, and Worcestershire. You can switch out the flour for a cornstarch slurry (2tbsp cornstarch stirred into 2tbsp water, add during simmer), soy sauce for tamari, and Worcestershire comes in GF versions these days (or just omit/use fish sauce)

My soup came out too thin, what can I do?

Make a flour butter roux in a separate small pan, then add it to your soup. Just melt 1 tbsp butter, then add 1 tbsp flour and stir until it cooks and becomes a paste. Then simply stir it back into your soup and it will magically thicken. Keep in mind that adding mashed potatoes when you serve will also thicken the soup really nicely, so you don’t even have to worry about this.

What to serve with shepherd’s pie soup?

Soup and salad is always a good combination! Here are some salads that I think will go nicely with this soup:

This was a really yummy soup. Whenever I say stuff like that Mike laughs at me because I’m essentially praising myself. But, I mean, it was good 🙂

happy souping!
xoxo steph

Shepherd’s Pie Soup Recipe

Shepherd’s pie soup topped off with a silky smooth mashed potato island is my ideal fall day meal.

Serves 6

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

• 1.5 lb potatoes cut into 2″ pieces
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lb ground beef lean preferred
• 1 cup onion diced
• 1 cup carrots diced
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 6 cups beef broth low sodium preferred
• 1 bay leaf
• 15 oz corn ~1 can
• 1 cup frozen peas

• Peel and quarter the potatoes and place in a large pot of salted water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then turn the heat down to medium and simmer until the potatoes are very soft and cooked through, about 15-20 minutes.

• While the potatoes are cooking, start the soup. Heat 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat. When hot, add the ground beef and cook, breaking up in to pieces. Season with salt and pepper to taste. When browned, there should be about 1-2 tbsp of fat in the pan, drain off any excess if needed.

• Add the diced onion and carrots to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start to soften, about 3-5 minutes. Turn the heat down, sprinkle on the flour and stir to coat, cooking briefly, about 1-2 minutes.

• When there is no more visible flour, stir in the tomato paste, soy sauce, and worcestershire sauce.

• Slowly stream in the beef broth while stirring. Add a bay leaf, bring to a boil on medium-high, then turn the heat to low and simmer while you make the mashed potatoes.

• Once the potatoes are cooked through, drain well and mash. Stir in the butter and milk. Taste and season with salt.

• Stir the corn and frozen peas into the soup and keep on low heat until they are just warmed through, about 5-8 minutes. Taste and adjust the soup with salt and pepper if needed.

• Ladle the soup evenly into bowls and top each bowl with an island of mashed potatoes.

Nutrition Facts

Shepherd’s Pie Soup Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 408
Calories from Fat 168

% Daily Value*

Fat 18.7g29%

Saturated Fat 8.5g53%

Cholesterol 67mg22%

Sodium 560mg24%

Potassium 929mg27%

Carbohydrates 39.1g13%

Fiber 5.9g25%

Sugar 9g10%

Protein 23g46%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.