It’s funny how a dish that originated as a means of avoiding waste has turned into a sought-out meal that people actually PLAN on making now! Especially around St. Patrick’s Day. This particular recipe was inspired by The Wholesome Dish’s Classic Shepherd’s Pie with my own alterations. In honor of the Irish holiday, I decided to put an Irish spin on this Shepherd’s Pie recipe with the addition of a Colcannon potato topping instead.
HOW TO MAKE THE MEAT FILLING
Jump to Recipe- You’re going to start by cooking the ground beef, onions and garlic in a large skillet until the meat is browned well. This could take about 10 minutes.
- You’ll then add all the flavor components which include salt, pepper, parsley, thyme and Worcestershire sauce. Cook for a few more minutes to ensure the flavor is infused into the meat.
- Next, you’ll add flour and tomato paste. These will help thicken the filling.
- Lastly, you’ll add the beef broth and all the frozen vegetables. Make sure to mix well and continue cooking until all the vegetables are tender. At this point the mixture should develop a thicker consistency.
HOW TO MAKE THE COLCANNON TOPPING
You may be wondering, what is colcannon exactly? Well, it’s basically an Irish version of mashed potatoes that includes cabbage in the mix.
- The preparation is very similar to traditional mashed potatoes: Boil some diced potatoes until tender, drain, add butter and milk and mash until creamy.
- You’ll then take an extra step of frying some chopped cabbage in butter and spices and mixing it with the creamy potatoes. The extra addition of fried cabbage is what gives this Shepherd’s Pie that classic “Irish” feel.
Once the meat filling and colcannon topping are complete, you can start assembling the Shepherd’s Pie in a baking dish. This recipe is enough to fill a 7 x 11 inch casserole dish (or 9 x 9 inch if you have that instead). The meat filling will go on the bottom, topped with the colcannon potatoes (see pictures for reference).
After baking for 30 minutes, you’ll have a delicious and incredibly hearty Shepherd’s Pie ready to devour. Full of potatoes, veggies, and meat… this dish really isn’t missing a thing!
That’s all there is to it! Making a classic Irish dish for St. Patrick’s Day will be easy peasy with this Irish Colcannon Shepherd’s Pie recipe. Read on for the full ingredient list and directions. Enjoy!
MORE DINNER IDEAS TO CHECK OUT NEXT!
Irish Colcannon Shepherd’s Pie
Course: Main CourseDifficulty: Easy8
servings10
minutes1
hour276
kcalThis Irish Colcannon Shepherd’s Pie is filled with meat, veggies, herbs and spices! Topped with an extra Irish twist in the form of cabbage-filled colcannon mashed potatoes!
Ingredients
- FOR MEAT & VEGGIE FILLING
1 lb ground beef
½ onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp garlic salt
½ tsp black pepper
1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbs flour
2 Tbs tomato paste
1 cup beef broth
1 cup frozen peas & carrots mixture
1 cup frozen corn
- FOR COLCANNON TOPPING
3 russet potatoes, peeled and diced
3 cups cabbage, chopped
4 Tbs butter, divided
1 tsp garlic salt
½ tsp black pepper
½ cup milk
Directions
- Start by boiling the potatoes in a large pot covered with water until they are completely tender
- While potatoes are boiling, start making the meat filling. Add the ground beef, onions and garlic to a large skillet. Heat on medium and cook for about 10 minutes until beef is browned
- Add the parsley, thyme, garlic salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Mix well and cook an additional 2 minutes
- Add the flour and tomato paste. Mix until tomato paste is melted and blended well
- Add the beef broth and frozen vegetables. Mix and cook until the vegetables are tender and the meat sauce has thickened (about 10 minutes)
- Pour the meat mixture into a 7 x 11-inch deep baking pan and spread evenly
- The potatoes should be done cooking at this point. Drain the potatoes and set aside for now. Return empty pot to the stove and add one tablespoon of butter. Heat on medium until melted
- Add the chopped cabbage, garlic salt and pepper to the pot. Mix and cook until cabbage softens slightly (about 5 minutes)
- Add the cooked potatoes back to the pot with the cabbage. Use a potato masher to smash the potatoes completely
- 10. Add another 3 tablespoons of butter and mix until melted. Add the milk and mix until the potatoes are creamy and cabbage is evenly distributed
- 11. Add the colcannon mashed potatoes on top of the meat mixture in the baking pan. Spread evenly making sure the whole top is covered well
- 12. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and bake for 30 minutes
Notes
- Calories & Nutritional Info may vary based on different brands and ingredients used. Nutritional Info below was calculated using Very Fit Well’s Nutrition Calculator.
Nutrition Facts
8 servings per container
Calories276
- Amount Per Serving% Daily Value *
- Total Fat
10.3g
16%
- Saturated Fat 5.3g 27%
- Cholesterol 67mg 23%
- Sodium 232mg 10%
- Amount Per Serving% Daily Value *
- Potassium 784mg 23%
- Total Carbohydrate
24.8g
9%
- Dietary Fiber 4.2g 17%
- Sugars 5.3g
- Protein 21.9g 44%
- Calcium 4%
- Iron 69%
- Vitamin D 20%
* The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
This was absolutely delicious! I will surely make it again. I used my leftover cabbage, potatoes and carrots from my St. Patrick’s Day meal…and followed the recipe. It took a bit of time – but was worth it. Thank you!!