If You're Looking For A Cozy Costco Prepared Meal, You Can Safely Leave This One In Stores

Fall is upon us, which means a return to coziness in all things. That's why, in addition to breaking out our favorite sweaters and returning to the embrace of pumpkin spice, many will be thinking about suitably cozy comfort meals fit for the season. Unfortunately, if you're a Costco shopper, shepherd's pie is one prepared meal you can safely leave in stores.

Kirkland Shepherd's Pie is a fan-favorite that returned to Costco this August and remains available as of this month. But despite its popularity with some customers, it made our list of Costco prepared foods to avoid. "The texture is the downfall of this mammoth-sized meal," Tasting Table's correspondent wrote, "with many shoppers lamenting the mealy potato topping, overcooked veggies, and mushy meat filling." Taste-wise, our critic reported that some Costco patrons found the filling to be "oddly sweet," which is not exactly what you expect from a traditionally savory dish like shepherd's pie.

Another problem with the Costco shepherd's pie is a matter of authenticity. Despite its labelling, it is in fact a cottage pie. The distinction is that a cottage pie features beef — which is what you'll find in Costco's pie — while a genuine shepherd's pie will be made with ground lamb. If the pie tasted better, we might be willing to overlook this error. Regrettably, our critic wrote: "This shepherd's pie just doesn't deliver, leaving your [taste buds] clamoring for more depth of flavor, more texture, more everything."

Opinions among those who have tried Costco's shepherd's pie are mixed, but there are certainly those who agree with Tasting Table's assessment. "I thought it was the grossest thing I've ever had," wrote one commenter on Reddit. "Absolutely disgusting," wrote another. Some specifically took issue with the pie having a pastry base. "It's a real spoiler. No one else makes shepherd's pie with a pastry base for a reason," complained one Redditor.

However, not all reaction to the pie was so negative. "The Shepherd's Pie is GOATed, especially if you add some cheese on top halfway through the baking process," raved one fan on Reddit. Even the pie's more divisive elements have some admirers, as another Reddit commenter opined: "My favorite part of any pie is the crust, so I actually really like it."

While the temptation of a prepared meal is understandable, convenience can mean little if it isn't accompanied by good quality. Safer bets for Costco shoppers looking for a prepared meal include rotisserie chicken, meatloaf with mashed potatoes and glaze, and stuffed bell peppers with ground beef and rice. If you really have your heart set on pie, your best bet is to follow our simple shepherd's pie recipe and make it yourself. It might take a little extra effort, but the result will be a cozy fall dinner that's absolutely worth the elbow grease. Our apologies to shepherd's pie purists, though — it does include beef.