What to Do With Leftover Shepherd’s Pie? 11 Ideas

Shepherd’s pie can be a bit heavy. The lamb, the potatoes, and the cheese topping are all heavy ingredients, so you may not be able to have the entire thing in one sitting. So, when this happens, you have to put Shepherd’s pie leftovers into good use. So, what to do with leftover Shepherd’s pie? 

You can use your leftover Shepherd’s pie to make empanadas, burritos, muffins, stuffed shells, moussaka, burgers, pizza, salad with leafy greens as a cornbread topping, baked tomato stuffing, or you can freeze it. 

Being that Shepherd’s pie is very often on my menu, I’ve discovered quite a few tricks to make the most of it. The most obvious solution is to freeze it, but you can also make other dishes using Shepherd’s pie as an ingredient. So in the following paragraphs, I will share some of my ideas on what to do with leftover Shepherd’s pie. 

What to Do With Leftover Shepherd’s Pie?

When it comes to preserving food leftovers, most of us inadvertently resort to freezing it. However, when it comes to Shepherd’s pie leftovers, there is an entire range of ideas on how to turn it into an entirely different meal. 

Make a Burrito

Leftover Shepherd’s pie burrito may not be what first comes to mind, but it sure should. Not only is it effortless to make, but it is also surprisingly tasty. 

All you need are tortillas, cheese, and sauce. Wrap the leftover Shepherd’s pie in the tortilla, put some cheese, and put it in a pan, in the oven, or in the microwave to warm it up. Wherever you decide to do this, don’t warm your burrito for more than five to seven minutes at medium temperature. 

In the meantime, pour some tomato sauce or whatever sauce you prefer in a saucer, dip your burrito, and enjoy. 

Make Muffins

Shepherd’s pie muffins are an excellent idea to make the most of your Shepherd’s pie leftovers. All you will need for this recipe is some milk-soaked bread. 

Just throw Shepherd’s pie leftovers on an oiled frying pan, and let it sizzle for a few minutes. You can also pour some tomato sauce or a sauce of your preference on them and let everything simmer for another few minutes or medium heat. 

Take Shepherd’s pie leftovers from the hot plate and mix them with the milk-soaked bread until they homogenize with it. Fill up the muffin molds and bake at 356 F for about 10 to 15 minutes. 

Make Empanadas 

Shepherd’s pie empanadas are a great idea if you have Shepherd’s pie leftovers and a knack for pastry-making. All you will need is some empanada dough and butter. 

You will need to heat your Shepherd’s pie leftovers in a frying pan, but instead of oil, use butter. The empanadas will absorb the excess grease, so don’t be stingy with the butter, as they should feel rich and a bit greasy. 

Once you’ve heated your leftovers, take the empanada dough, split it into the number of empanada pieces you plan to make, fill them, close them, layer the empanadas with butter, and put them in the oven. Bake at 356 F for about 10 to 15 minutes. 

Make Stuffed Shells 

Shepherd’s pie and pasta shells work great together. Shepherd’s pie’s expressive lamb aroma and potato creaminess seem to go well as a pasta filling. 

If you want to, you can precook the shells before stuffing them, but you don’t have to. Before stuffing the shells, you should soften Shepherd’s pie by letting it sizzle in a frying pat for a few minutes at medium heat. You can also enrich Shepherd’s pie leftovers with some freshly grated garlic, parsley, and butter.

After removing Shepherd’s pie from the hot plate, let it cool down before stuffing the shells. Fill the shells, and grate some cheese on them, or cover them with béchamel sauce. Bake at 356 F for about 20 to 25 minutes. 

Make Lasagna

Shepherd’s pie also goes well as lasagna filling. The creamy yet stable structure of the mashed potatoes, combined with the softness of the lasagna, will not only give you a stable consistency meal but will enrich it beyond words. 

Before layering Shepherd’s pie on the lasagna strips, it is a good idea to place them in a frying pan with some tomato sauce and oregano. This seasoning will give your Shepherd’s pie lasagna a pizza flavor, which will mash up excellently with the rest of the ingredients. 

After simmering Shepherd’s pie leftovers for about ten minutes on the stove at medium temperature, it is time to layer the previously cooked lasagna strips. Make sure you cook the lasagna strips just enough to soften them, don’t overcook them. 

After you layer the lasagna, bake them at 356 F for about 20 to 25 minutes. 

Make Moussaka 

Since Moussaka and Shepherd’s pie already have much in common, you can easily turn your Shepherd’s pie leftovers into a tasty Moussaka. You will need an eggplant and béchamel sauce for this recipe. 

You can heat Shepherd’s pie for this recipe, but you don’t have to; if you, however, decide to heat it, use the oven, the microwave, or the stove, at medium temperature and not more than ten minutes. 

Place Shepherd’s pie leftovers on a baking tray, layer the sliced eggplant over it, and top everything off with béchamel sauce. The original Moussaka recipe requires a layer of sliced potatoes over the meat, but since Shepherd’s pie already contains potatoes, you don’t have to add extra. However, you can add an extra potato layer over the eggplant layer and pour the béchamel sauce over it if you want to. 

The next step is to bake at 356 °F for about 25 to 30 minutes. 

Make Salad With Leafy Greens 

Whichever vegetables you choose, you won’t be wrong, but I’d suggest you use spinach, scallions, arugula, and lettuce. 

Don’t heat your Shepherd’s pie leftovers for this recipe, but if it is fresh out of the fridge, you should leave it on the counter for 15 minutes before making the salad. Wash the vegetables and cut them into medium-sized pieces. You don’t want them cut too finely, but not too rough either. 

Season the leafy greens before adding Shepherd’s pie. I’d suggest you season with salt, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar or balsamic crème. Mix the vegetables and then add Shepherd’s pie and mix gently. 

Let the salad sit so that Shepherd’s pie absorbs the flavors from the seasoning, and enjoy your tasty and healthy meal. 

Make Burgers

Shepherd’s pie burgers are a bit of a meticulous job but rewarding nevertheless. They are very easy to make, but you have to spend time and effort separating the meat from the mashed potatoes. 

Therefore, you should separate the meat while Shepherd’s pie is cold. After you’ve separated the meat, put it in a bowl and add some olive oil. Mix until it softens and homogenizes. 

You can also add seasoning of your choice, but I wouldn’t recommend anything other than parsley, as it has already been seasoned. Make burger patties, place them on a frying pan, and let them sizzle for three to five minutes on each side. 

Place the patties in burger buns, layer them with the mashed potatoes, add a sauce of your choosing; I’d recommend some ketchup and mayo, and have fun. 

Make Cornbread Topping 

Whether you buy or make the cornbread from scratch, you should bake before topping. Place your Shepherd’s pie leftovers in an oiled skillet and let it sizzle for a few minutes on medium heat. 

Cover Shepherd’s pie with cornbread and cover it with a plate. Let the bread and Shepherd’s pie set for a few more minutes on the stove, then take them off the hotplate. Turn the skillet over so that the bread is on the plate. 

You will perfectly top your cornbread with your Shepherd’s pie leftovers. 

The procedure is the same if you decide to use the oven also. Bake at 356 °F for about 20 to 30 minutes. 

Make Stuffed Baked Tomatoes

Tomatoes and Shepherd’s pie mash amazingly together. You simply need to empty the tomatoes and fill them with Shepherd’s pie for this recipe. You can fill in the pie cold; no need to warm it up. 

After you’ve stuffed the tomatoes, you can add them inside of the tomatoes you previously removed. Season as you like and bake at 356 °F for about 15 to 20 minutes. 

Freeze It 

Freezing your leftover Shepherd’s pie is the most obvious solution. Place it in an airtight container, and our Shepherd’s pie will be safe for up to one month. When you decide to have it again, you can reheat it. 

How Long Is Shepherd’s Pie Good For?

In the fridge, your Shepherd’s pie is safe for 3 to 4 days. Keep it in an airtight container, or wrap it in plastic foil. The main thing is to prevent air from getting inside. 

In the freezer, your Shepherd’s pie will be good for up to a month. 

Can You Reheat Leftover Shepherd’s Pie?

You can reheat leftover Shepherd’s pie on the stove, in the oven, or in the microwave. If you reheat it on the stove, use an oiled skillet and heat it at medium temperature until you are happy with the results. 

Set the timer to three minutes at medium temperature if you use the microwave. You can add more time, but do not set it for more than three minutes in another cycle. 

If you decide to reheat your Shepherd’s pie in the oven, preheat the oven for 15 minutes before putting the pie in. Bake at 356 °F for up to 15 minutes. 

If you reheat your Shepherd’s pie straight from the fridge, let it rest for 10 minutes on the counter before reheating it.