You Can't Just Use Any Pan To Make Shepherd's Pie — Here's Why

A good shepherd's pie is the definition of hearty, but it must come together in a vessel that supports its needs from start to finish. According to Danielle Turner, a highly experienced chef and cooking instructor, choosing the wrong pan is one of the most frequent mistakes everyone makes when cooking shepherd's pie. Her advice is to choose a baking dish that conducts heat evenly and gives the filling enough space to burble without erupting.

If a dish is too small or shallow, the juices get hot, gather at the edges, and surge upward as the oven heat settles in. This can lead to overflow sticking to the sides of the pan or the oven floor, which can smoke and give the dish an off flavor. A pan that's too deep can cause the bubbling liquid to rise from the filling and stay trapped as steam beneath the potato layer. This causes the surface to remain pale and soft, while the center cooks unevenly, with a loose, soupy pocket beneath and a dense cap.

Because a shepherd's pie recipe starts on the stovetop, a heavier pan base is better for heat distribution. Lamb needs to brown through direct contact with the metal, so thin pans scorch quickly and create burnt patches that impact the final flavor. A heavier base allows aromatics, vegetables, and meat to cook into a cohesive foundation before the mash is layered on top. Once everything moves to the oven, the dish needs to withstand long baking without warping, circulate heat, and allow moisture to escape.

A standard 10- or 12-inch cast-iron skillet is one of the best pans to upgrade your homemade shepherd's pie because it can handle the browning phase, and it has enough surface area to give the mashed potatoes room to dehydrate and brown. The metal takes a while to get hot, but it distributes heat cohesively. The skillet's gently sloped sides encourage the pie filling to reduce rather than pool in the center.

An enameled braising pan is similar because it has a cast-iron base underneath the enamel coating. These pans sometimes come a little deeper than a skillet, with a broad footprint that allows the filling to simmer without concentrating too quickly. This creates a soft, velvety interior, and the enamel somewhat discourages sticking during the stovetop portion of the recipe. Just be careful with temperature, because enameled pans don't tolerate high heat.

Ceramic or stoneware baking dishes are gentle — they heat slowly and hold onto warmth well enough after leaving the oven. They're also in aesthetic alignment with the dish, so they make a nice centerpiece if the pie is served straight from the oven. Glass baking dishes and Dutch ovens often struggle to brown the pie properly. Whichever pan you choose, it should invite the dish to settle and thicken, giving you well-developed layers that contrast between the tender filling and the golden top.