Chorizo Sausage Shepherd’s Pie with Ground Beef and Corn

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This easy Chorizo Sausage Shepherds Pie recipe (technically Cottage Pie) with Spanish chorizo, ground beef and creamy potatoes on top is delicious! It’s a great make-ahead family dinner for busy nights!

This easy Chorizo Sausage Shepherds Pie is a make-ahead comfort food.  It includes ground beef, which technically makes it a Cottage Pie recipe, as Sherpherd’s pie is traditionally made with lamb.  This recipe smokey, salty, and utterly delicious!  It’s a mashup of English and Spanish flavors. 

First, I’ve added Spanish Chorizo to ground beef, which has fantastic smokey paprika that gives a smokey and peppery bite.  The beef and chorizo are cooked in a rich and savory gravy filled with veggies and herbs. 

On top of all this goodness are potatoes loaded with flavor!  This recipe adds manchego, parmesan, and garlic to the potatoes so they’re incredibly creamy, cheesy, and flavorful.  In the oven, the potatoes get toasty and crispy – perfection!

A Cottage Pie recipe is similar to Shepherd’s Pie, but has ground beef vs. lamb.  But either one is also a great way to use up any leftovers you have!  You can use leftover mashed potatoes, any veggies, and really any meat that you have…shredded or ground chicken, ground beef, even shredded pork.  Want more leftover protein dinner ideas?  Check out this freebie printable: 30 Leftover Protein Dinner Ideas!

Nourishing Potatoes in Sausage Shepherds Pie

I grew up eating lots of potatoes in the midwest.  My Mom made them for dinner a few times a week.  With my kids, I have not made potatoes as much, so much of their experience with potatoes has been as fries.  Obviously, fries are not the healthiest of potato options, so we can tend to think of potatoes as unhealthy.

After completing my studies at Cornell for a Certification in Nutrition, I really started to look at natural, real foods and what they can provide us. I discovered that the potato can be nourishing and good for you. Especially when compared to other sides, like processed pastas.  Potatoes are rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.  One russet potato has 168 calories, 5g of protein, 4g of fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Potassium, and manganese.  For more benefits of potatoes, check out this article from Healthline.com!  Of course, you should consult with your medical provider for any dietary concerns.

Here are some other delicious Potato Recipes to try!

• Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole
• Patatas Bravas with Chorizo
• Sheet Pan Flank Steak, Potatoes, & Veggies
• Loaded Potato Salad with Bacon, Egg, Spinach!

Quick note!  This post contains affiliate links, which means I earn a commission (at no extra cost to you) if you purchase from them.  This commission is what helps me keep this blog afloat :).  But, I also share these links because I have used the products, genuinely love them, and want you to know exactly what I used. 

Why Chorizo?

I added Chorizo to this recipe for 2 reasons. First, my husband and I LOVE chorizo! His family is from Portugal and he spent every summer there growing up. So, he had a lot of Chorizo which is so prevalent in Spain and Portugal. His family turned me on and I’ve never looked back.

Second, I wanted to find a way to add more flavor and spice to this very traditional dish. NOT hot spice, just flavor. The paprika that is in Chorizo is perfect! It’s smokey and peppery and brings in a whole new level of deep wonderful flavor that contrasts so well with the creamy potatoes.

BUT, you can definitely leave the chorizo out! Just replace it with (1) another .5 lb of lean beef or (2) more veggies. See the FAQs below for other sausage options.

Simple Ingredients and Substitutes

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Mashed Potatoes

• Russet Potatoes – Yukon gold potatoes work well for mashed potatoes too.
• Milk – I used 1 %, but any milk is fine.
• Salted Butter – You can also use unsalted butter, just taste to see if you need to add any salt at the end.
• Manchego Cheese, shredded – Manchego is a nutty and full flavored cheese that tastes amazing with potatoes. You can use a variety of other cheeses though. Some options are mild or sharp cheddar cheese, gruyere, goat cheese, or even gorgonzola (careful to only add a little and taste). You could also use only Parmesan.
• Parmesan Cheese, grated – Parmesan brings in more nutty flavor, but also some needed salt.
• Italian Flat leaf Parsley – Truthfully, the parsley is just for color. It does get baked so the freshness gets cooked out. You can leave it out or replace it with other more flavorful herbs, such as basil, thyme, sage, or even cilantro!
• Garlic Powder – Garlic powder blends into the potatoes easier than fresh in this recipe. However, you could certainly use fresh garlic. If so, I would mash it into a paste and then mix it will the butter before adding it to the potatoes.
• Onion Powder – Onion powder just gives another layer of flavor without adding any crunchy texture. If you don’t have it, you can leave it out.

Beef Filling

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil – The olive oil is for sauteing the veggies. You can use the same oil you used for the chicken.
• Carrots, diced – You can use whole carrots with the skin on or peeled. I peeled for this recipe. You can substitute with diced baby carrots or parsnips. You can also use frozen diced carrots, but then I would wait to add them until right before you add liquids.
• Celery, diced – I like to use the stalk and the leaves. You can leave the celery out if you desire. You can also substitute with green pepper.
• Scallions (green onions) – Scallions have a mild onion flavor and melt into the filling so beautifully. You could also use yellow onion, white onion, red onion, or shallots. If you don’t have fresh scallion or onion, you can also use a tablespoon of onion flakes or onion powder.
• Fresh Garlic cloves, minced – Fresh is best in this simple recipe, but you can buy the pre-minced garlic sold in a small jar or use dried garlic flakes or garlic powder.
• 1 lb Lean Ground Beef, raised w/o antibiotics
• Spanish Chorizo – You can use either the dry-cured Spanish chorizo or the refrigerated pre-cooked (fully cooked) links. You can also use raw sausage, just make sure to cook it through in the skillet. Make sure to remove and discard the casing. You can also use Italian sausage, andouille sausage, or other sausage that you have.
• Thyme, dried – I like dried because I always have it on hand, but you can also use fresh thyme. Other herbs that you can use are rosemary, sage, oregano, or basil.
• Tomato Paste –
• Worcestershire sauce – Worcestershire is my secret ingredient that really brings that deep flavor, reminiscent of a beef stew. if you don’t have this, you can substitute Soy sauce.
• Chicken Broth – You can also use stock or beef broth or stock or vegetable broth or stock. You can also use water mixed with a beef or chicken bouillon cube or beef base or chicken base.
• Cornstarch – Cornstarch is mixed with cold water to create a cornstarch slurry. This is the thickener for this soup. You don’t have to thicken the soup if you don’t have cornstarch. You can leave it as a thin broth.
• Corn kernels – You can use fresh cut off the cob or frozen.

No Special Equipment Needed

You need a large skillet/frying pan for making the veggies, meat, and sauce. I use my absolute favorite 12″ Ceramic Pan, which is great because food really does slide right off with minimal oil and I don’t have to worry about food sticking and burning.  It comes with a glass lid, which is perfect for watching your dinner cook!

You also need a 3-quart Casserole Dish, or baking dish, for baking and a sheet pan for setting the casserole dish on in case the shepherd’s pie bubbles over.

Prep Steps for Chorizo Sausage Shepherds Pie

We are all extremely busy and making dinner during the week can be overwhelming. Here are the steps you prepare in the day(s) in advance and store in the fridge as your meal Kit… (See the recipe below for more details) 

Please don’t let the number of ingredients in this Chorizo Sausage Shepherd’s Pie Recipe scare you off, I promise it’s super easy!  Everything goes into the skillet and then the casserole dish, so there are really 3 major steps.

1. Make the Mashed potatoes
2. Make the filling
3. Combine everything in the casserole dish & bake

Make the Mashed Potatoes

Peel the potatoes and keep them in cold water until all are peeled and cut. Cut them into small 1 inch size pieces so they cook faster. Put potatoes into a large pot of water (with an strainer insert if you have it). Add 2 tablespoon of Salt to the water. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil (about 8-10 minutes). Boil for 5 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.

While the potatoes are cooking, chop the parsley, dice the carrots, dice the celery, slice the scallions.

If used dry-cured chorizo, you can dice it up. If pre-cooked links, then you can remove the casing from the chorizo and break it up into small rough pieces with your hands, fork, or knife.

When the potatoes are soft and slide off the fork or break apart easily, drain the potatoes and add back to the pot for smashing. Add 1 cup of milk and smash with a potato masher. Add garlic powder, onion powder, ground black pepper, manchego cheese, and parmesan and stir to combine. Taste for seasoning and add a teaspoon of salt or more if needed. Finally stir in a tablespoon of chopped parsley.

Make the Filling

Preheat a large (12 inch) skillet or saute pan over medium heat.  Add 2 teaspoon Olive Oil and the carrots and celery. Stir to coat in oil and then spread out into an even layer, cooking for about 4-5 minutes.  Add the scallions, garlic, beef, and broken up chorizo. Mix everything and cook the beef until it is all browned or cooked through (no longer pink).

While the beef is cooking, make the cornstarch slurry by mixing 2 tablespoon of cornstarch with ¼ cup cold water.

Add the salt, pepper, thyme, tomato paste, and Worcestershire Sauce. Mix to combine.  Add the chicken broth and the cornstarch slurry. Stir until it starts to thicken, then cover and simmer on low for 8-10 minutes.

Spread the filling out into a 3-quart casserole dish and mix in the corn kernels.  Now start to spread the mashed potatoes around the top starting with the outside and working your way into the center.

TIP!  IF you want those beautiful toasty parts on the potatoes, make sure you create peaks and valleys in the potatoes with your spoon.  If the potatoes are completely smoothed out, you won’t get those delicious browned points. 

At this point, you can store the casserole in the fridge or move on to baking it. 

Cook Your Chorizo Sausage Shepherd’s Pie

Bake the casserole in a 400 F degree oven on the center rack sitting in a large sheet pan.  The sheet pan is to protect your oven by catching any of the filling that may bubble over.

When the top is starting to brown, take the Shepherd’s Pie out and let is rest for about 5-10 minutes. 

You can toss a quick side salad during this time. Serve and enjoy! 😍 Carrie

Chorizo Sausage Shepherds Pie FAQs