In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, I thought I’d put a new twist on a classic Irish recipe: shepherd’s pie. This easy one-pot meal isn’t really a pie, it’s a casserole made from ground meat and veggies in a rich brown gravy, topped with a fluffy layer of mashed potatoes.

But casseroles can get a bit ho-hum after a while. To make it more interesting, I decided to split it up into individual portions in a muffin tin, kind of like my Mini Meatloaf Cupcakes. That way, instead of just a big scoop of meat and potatoes, everyone gets their own little “pie” all to themselves.

To help these mini pies hold their shape, I gave them a bottom crust made from refrigerated crescent roll dough, cut into circles with a biscuit cutter. To assemble the pies, you press one circle into each section of the muffin pan, fill it with the meat and veggies, and top it with a scoop of potatoes.

These Mini Shepherd’s Pies have a beautiful golden bottom crust, a delicious savory filling, and a lovely pillow of potato over the top. They’re a tasty treat for St. Paddy’s Day or any day you’re feeling a little Irish.

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Can you use other meat in this besides ground beef?

Absolutely. In fact, ground lamb is actually a more traditional filling for a shepherd’s pie than ground beef. (If you’re a purist, you can call a pie made with ground beef “cottage pie” instead.)
For a less traditional but still tasty version, try ground turkey. You can also substitute your favorite veggie crumbles to make a vegetarian-friendly “shepherdless” pie. MorningStar Farms Grillers Veggie Crumbles are a good choice.

Can I make my own mashed potatoes for the topping?

Of course! If you have an Instant Pot, you can do them super fast with this mashed potatoes recipe. Just leave out the chives.

How do you get those pretty swirls of mashed potato on top?

Use a piping bag (the kind made for cake decorating) with a large tip. I used a star tip to get that ridged effect you see in the picture. If you’re a little fuzzy on how to use a piping bag, you can find all the info you need at Kitchn. But if you don’t have a piping bag or don’t feel comfortable using one, don’t worry – these mini pies will taste just as good with a simple scoop of mashed potato on top.

Can you make these ahead and freeze these?

Yes! Load up the muffin cups, potato topping and all, and then wrap the entire muffin pan in foil and pop it in the freezer. Once the pies are completely frozen, you can take them out of the pan and pop them in a zip-top freezer bag.
Then you can take out however many you want, and load them back into the muffin cups, spritzed with cooking spray so the pies don’t stick. Tent the pan with foil, also sprayed with cooking spray, and bake for 20 minutes, then take off the foil and bake another 8 to 10 minutes.

How to Make Mini Shepherd’s Pies

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray standard 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray. Set aside.
Heat skillet over medium heat, brown hamburger. After browning the hamburger add garlic, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and frozen vegetables heat thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Unroll crescent rolls, using a 3 inch biscuit cutter, cut 12 circles. Place one circle into each muffin tin, press up the sides.
Place 1-2 tablespoons of ground beef & vegetable mixture into each muffin cup.
Top with a scoop of mashed potatoes, or using a piping bag with a large tip tip mashed potatoes on top.
Bake for 15 minutes until the dough is golden brown. Allow to cool before serving. Top with chopped parsley.

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