These mini shepherd’s pies (aka cottage pie) are a fun individual lunch or dinner option, especially for parties and events. Kids love these little pies because they are cute and made with crescent roll dough to hold the filling inside. This recipe uses onion, garlic and mixed vegetables, but those can be omitted if your children do not like vegetables. You can also use pre-made mashed potatoes instead of homemade for a quicker shortcut.
You may also enjoy oven baked shepherd’s pie (cottage pie) or Amish mashed potato casserole.
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Mini Shepherd’s Pies
Ingredients
Mashed Potatoes: *see note
- 2-3 large cubed potatoes peeled and blemishes removed
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2-4 oz. cream cheese
- 3 tablespoons milk may need more or less
Meat and Vegetable Filling:
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2-3 garlic cloves minced (optional)
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 1 cup mixed peas and carrots (carrots should be peeled and diced)
- 1/3 cup ketchup can add as desired, *see note
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
Base:
- 2 cans refrigerated crescent roll dough in single sheets
Toppings:
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Diced chives optional
Instructions
Mashed Potatoes:
- Cook potatoes until soft, then drain and add butter and cream cheese. Mash until the lumps are reduced, then add milk sparingly and continue mixing with a handheld mixer until the consistency is creamy, but stiff enough to hold its shape while piping and baking.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Filling:
- Saute mixed vegetables in olive oil until softened, then add beef, onion and garlic. Continue cooking until the beef has fully browned, then add garlic powder, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. You can add more ketchup if needed, as long as the mixture isn't too wet for the crescent roll base to hold during baking.
Assembly:
- Grease a 12-capacity muffin tin with cooking spray, then roll out the crescent roll dough into sheets (may need to use flour for the rolling process). Shape the dough using a 3-inch biscuit cutter, then fit each circle of dough into the bottom of the muffin tins creating a shell for the ground beef mixture. Divide the beef mixture between each shell.
- Pipe mashed potatoes on top using a piping bag and piping tip of your choice or by scooping the mashed potatoes on top with a spoon. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top of each shepherd's pie.
Baking:
- Bake in the preheated oven for around 20 minutes, or until the crescent roll crust is golden on the bottoms and edges and filling is hot. Add diced chives if desired, then allow to cool slightly before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
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Ingredients needed for these mini shepherd’s pies: salt and pepper, single sheet crescent roll dough or pizza crust, mixed peas and carrots, shredded cheddar cheese, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup or pizza sauce, mashed potatoes (with cream cheese, milk and butter), salt and pepper. Minced garlic and diced onion not shown and optional.
Step 1: Cook potatoes, then drain and add butter and cream cheese. Mash until the lumps are reduced, then add milk sparingly and continue mixing with a handheld mixer until the consistency is creamy, but stiff enough to hold its shape while piping and baking.
Note:
If using piping bags, be sure to mash/mix the potatoes well to prevent lumps from clogging up the piping bag attachment.
Step 2: Saute mixed vegetables in olive oil until softened, then add beef and brown along with minced garlic and onion. Stir in garlic powder, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. You can add more ketchup if needed, as long as the mixture isn’t too wet for the crescent roll base to hold during baking.
Step 3: Grease a 12-capacity muffin tin with cooking spray, then roll out the crescent roll dough into sheets (may need to use flour for the rolling process). Shape the dough using a 3-inch biscuit cutter, then fit each circle of dough into the bottom of the muffin tins creating a shell for the ground beef mixture. Divide the beef mixture between each shell.
Step 4: Pipe mashed potatoes on top using a piping bag and piping tip of your choice or by scooping the mashed potatoes on top with a spoon. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top of each shepherd’s pie.
Final steps: Bake in the preheated oven for around 20 minutes, or until the crescent roll crust is golden on the bottoms and edges and filling is hot. Add diced chives if desired, then allow to cool slightly before serving. Enjoy!
Storage notes:
These shepherd’s pies are best when fresh, but we found the leftovers were nice to reheat for a quick lunch later in the week. Keep leftovers refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Thank you for stopping by and I hope you have a lovely day! Feel free to pin or print this recipe using the icons in the recipe card, but please leave a comment and recipe rating in exchange. Thank you! -Marilyn Stoltzfus Peight
