This Tater Tot Shepherd's pie is a fun twist on the classic British dish with a ground beef and veggie filling and a crispy tater tot topping. It's a simple, hearty meal that your family will request again and again.
My husband hails from the lovely British Isles and so from time to time I make a meal that feels like home for him. This however isn't really one of those recipes. To be honest, this dish would be more aptly named a Tater Tot Cottage Pie, which uses beef, rather than a Shepherd's Pie which is traditionally made with lamb. But while this Tater Tot Shepherd's Pie may not be authentic by my English mother-in-law's standards it's still pretty darn delicious.
I like the addition of fresh veggies and this is a great recipe for using up the leftover bits and bobs from your crisper drawer. However, if you would prefer to go the frozen veggies route feel free! This dish is incredibly customizable and a real kid pleaser. I hope your family likes it as much as mine!
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Equipment
For this recipe you will need:
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Cast iron or other oven safe skillet: I absolutely love my Le Creuset Cast Iron Skillet. I've had it since my wedding in 2015 and it's even better than when I got it!
If you don't have an oven safe skillet then you will simply need a skillet to prepare the filling in. Then you can transfer to an oven safe casserole dish. I find a 9 inch pie pan also works great.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Ground beef: I tend to use a 90/10 ground beef for this recipe. You could also substitute with ground turkey if preferred.
- Vegetables (Onion, carrots, mushrooms, celery, garlic) - As mentioned above, this recipe is highly customizable. These are the vegetables I prefer using in a Shepherd's pie, but you can leave some out or add different ones. This is a great dish for cleaning out your crisper drawer. If you've got a random small zucchini or even some corn, feel free to throw those in instead. You can also use frozen vegetables if preferred.
- Italian seasoning
- Tomato paste
- Beef broth: You can replace ½ cup of this with red wine if you prefer a richer dish.
- Worcestershire sauce
- Frozen peas: As with the other vegetables you can omit if you prefer. You could also substitute with frozen corn.
- Tater Tots: I recommend using a 16 oz bag of tater tots for this recipe. You will easily cover a round 9 inch baking dish. However, if you prefer more tater tots feel free to buy a larger bag and use as many as you like. You could also substitute sweet potato tots if you prefer.
Variation: Change it up with turkey & sweet potato.
For a leaner option replace the ground beef with ground turkey and the tater tots for sweet potato tots.
Step-by-Step Photos
Tater Tot Shepherd's Pie FAQs
Yes, cheese can be a delicious addition.
I recommend sprinkling shredded cheese onto the meat and veggie mixture before layering on the tater tots. If you sprinkle the cheese over the tater tots it can make them less crispy.
Nope, just add them on straight from frozen.
Absolutely. This recipe also works well with ground turkey or you can go super authentic with ground lamb. Though I've never tried it, I'm sure a vegan substitute such as Beyond would probably work as well.
Yes. You can make the filling ahead of time and store it in a freezer safe bag or container for up to 3 months.
When you are ready to eat simply thaw the mixture in the fridge overnight. Then pour into an oven safe dish and top with the frozen tater tots. You may need to add an additional 5-10 minutes of baking time if cooking straight out of the fridge.
This recipe is easy to make gluten free! Simply make sure to purchase gluten free tater tots and instead of regular flour you can use a gluten free alternative.
How to Store this Tater Tot Shepherd's Pie
- Leftovers stored in an air tight container in the fridge will stay good for 3-4 days.
- For best results reheat in the oven or air fryer. You can microwave it but keep in mind that the tots will be a little soggy.
- You can freeze leftovers for up to 3 months. Simply thaw in the fridge over night and then reheat in the oven or air fryer for best results.
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Made this Tater Tot Shepherd's Pie recipe? Let me know what you think in the comments!
Recipe
Tater Tot Shepherd's Pie
Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Oven safe skillet (if you don't have one you'll need a skillet and 9 inch pie dish or other casserole dish for baking)
Ingredients
- olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 carrots, diced see ingredient notes above for veggie substitutions
- 6 mushrooms, diced
- 1 stalk of celery, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 3 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 tablespoon flour
- 1.5 cups beef broth
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ cup frozen peas
- 16 oz frozen tater tots You can add more if desired
- salt & pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Drizzle a little olive oil in your pan and heat over medium high. Add veggies to the pan and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add ground beef and cook for another 4-5 minutes until just browned. Use a spoon or meat chopper to break it up into small pieces.
- Add the Italian seasoning, tomato paste and flour and stir to incorporate into the meat and veggie mixture. Cook for about a minute on medium heat. Stream in the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce, stirring to fully dissolve the tomato paste and flour, and cook for 1-2 minutes. Then add in the frozen peas and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and taste. Add additional salt and pepper as needed.
- Arrange the frozen tater tots over the top of the ground beef mixture. Bake at 375 F for 40-45 minutes until the tater tots are golden brown. Remove and serve hot. Enjoy!
Emily
We loved the crispy tater tot topping in this comforting dish. My family is requesting me to make this again soon! This one is going on regular rotation!
Juyali
Tots casseroles are so common in WI/MN where we live. But I grew up in South America where we don't have these dishes, so I've always been intrigued by tator tots casseroles. I am very glad I found this recipe! It's comforting, tasty and super easy!
Criss
Just tried this Tater Tot Shepherd's Pie recipe and it was amazing! So comforting and delicious!
jamjarkitchen
So glad you liked it!
Suanne Balch
It’s full of flavor-loved it! The tot edges crisped up in a cast iron pan nicely!
Swathi
Tarter tot sheperds pie is excellent. My family enjoyed it.
Genevieve
Tater tot shepherd's pie sounds delicious! This is the perfect fall comfort food!