Philly Cheesesteak Shepherd’s Pie is a comforting dinner version of Philly Cheesesteak with beef, peppers, mushrooms and cheese topped with mashed potatoes. With its flavors and Irish-inspired shepherd’s pie base, it’s a perfect dish to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day!
There are just certain types of Dinner Recipes that instantly make you feel cozy and warm. Shepherd’s Pie is definitely one of those, and putting a delicious Philly spin on it brings new flavors to an old standard.
PHILLY CHEESESTEAK SHEPHERD’S PIE
If you’re a fan of Philly Cheesesteak then you’ve come to the right place! We love taking the standard Cheesesteak ingredients and reimagining them into delicious, family-friendly dinners. Some reader favorites are Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes, Philly Cheesesteak Beef Stew, and Philly Cheesesteak Grilled Cheese. Now, you can add this simple Shepherd’s Pie to the list.
When it comes to making Philly Cheesesteak-inspired dishes, the key is to keep the base ingredients the same. This recipe uses beef, bell peppers, mushrooms, and melty Velveeta cheese to make the cheesesteak filling mixture. Keeping these main ingredients gives the recipe that iconic Philly flavor, even though it is baked into mashed potatoes instead of served on a crispy roll.
MASHED POTATOES
When it comes to making the mashed potatoes for this recipe you have a few options. You can go the super simple route and mix together some powdered mashed potatoes, but it’s practically just as easy to make them from scratch. Easy Mashed Potatoes come together with just a few simple ingredients and they come out so much more fluffy, buttery, and flavorful. If you want the mashed potatoes prepped ahead of time, try our Slow Cooker Mashed Potato recipe.
MORE PHILLY CHEESESTEAK RECIPES
WHAT EXACTLY IS A SHEPHERD’S PIE?
Traditionally, shepherd’s pie is made with ground lamb. That’s how it gets its name and what sets it apart from other cottage pies. The name cottage pie refers to any kind of meat pie that is topped off by mashed potatoes. So, technically this would be a Philly Cheesesteak Cottage Pie.
However, nowadays these pies are made with ground beef more often than lamb. Because of that, the term shepherd’s pie and cottage pie have become more interchangeable. This is especially true in the US where lamb isn’t served as often. Whatever you call it, the mixture of savory ground meat and creamy mashed potatoes is absolutely delicious!

Create a free account to Save Recipes

VARIATIONS ON PHILLY CHEESESTEAK SHEPHERD’S PIE
- Meat: You can always exchange the ground beef in the recipe for other ground meats. Ground chicken, ground turkey, or traditional ground lamb will all taste amazing. Although, they won’t taste as much like a Philly Cheesesteak.
- Add-ins: There are plenty of different vegetables you can add to the meat mixture. Try peas, corn, green beans, celery, or green onions.
- Sweet Potatoes: You can change the flavor of the entire Shepherd’s Pie by exchanging classic mashed potatoes for Mashed Sweet Potatoes.
MORE COMFORTING DINNER RECIPES
HOW TO STORE PHILLY CHEESESTEAK SHEPHERD’S PIE
- Serve: Don’t leave Philly Cheesesteak Shepherd’s Pie at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
- Store: To store the Shepherd’s Pie, let it cool down to room temperature then cover it tightly in plastic wrap or tin foil. It will keep well in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Freeze: To freeze the dish, transfer to a freezer-safe container and store for up to 2 months. To reheat the pie, transfer back to a baking dish and cover with foil, and cook it for an hour at 350 degrees.


Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 pound ground beef , 85/15
- 1 yellow onion , chopped
- 1 green bell pepper , chopped
- 8 ounces mushrooms , chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 8 ounces Velveeta cheese
- 3 cups mashed potatoes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Add half the butter to a large skillet on medium-high heat and brown the beef well, getting a nice sear on it before stirring each time, about 5-6 minutes.
- Remove the beef and add the remaining butter, onions, bell pepper, and mushrooms and cook until they just start to caramelize, about 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Season with salt and pepper and add the beef back into the mixture along with the water and Worcestershire sauce and mix it together well.
- Pour it into a baking dish, top with the cheese, then the mashed potatoes, and bake for 30 minutes.
What size casarole dish would you use for this. It looks delish and will try it this week!
9×13 Baking Dish
Hello! I would like to substitute Velveeta cheese for real cheese in your Philly Cheesesteak Shepherd’s Pie recipe. What amount of real cheese can be substituted for the Velveeta? Also, would American or Cheddar taste better in the recipe?
Hello Lori, I would keep the same amount of cheese as instructed but you can defiantly change the flavor of the cheese. As for which would taste better, I would say that’s a personal choice. I hope you like it, let me know how it goes.
Can I use sliced American cheese, instead of Velveeta? We’re not Velveeta fans…
Thanks!!
Hi! I haven’t tested out out so I am not sure how it would turn out, but it is worth a try!
Very tasty and very easy! Thanks for another great recipe Sabrina!
Should the Velveeta cheese be shredded or sliced before being used to top the meat mixture?
Its easier that way!
I would like to try this but with a puff pastry instead of potatoes. Your thoughts?
If you decide to try this recipe with puff pastry, please let us know how it turned out! You may want to check out my Mini Chicken Pot Pies recipe (https://dinnerthendessert.com/mini-chicken-pot-pies/).
This is an interesting take on Shepherd’s Pie. We’ve made different recipe before, and the bottom part gets a little soggy with our instant potatoes. But, I see that you’ve suggested ways to make the mashed potatoes from scratch. So that might keep the meat mixture from getting as mushy, as it stays in the frig during the week. This looks like a really great and different recipe. Thanks for sharing.