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Welcome to The Storied Recipe, a podcast about food, culture, and love.

After my podcast guest, Anita Parris Soule shared her father's recipe for Guinness Shepherds Pie (Cottage Pie if you use beef instead of lamb), I started thinking about what to pair with this rich, layered dish. Here are 47 of the best sides for Shepherd's Pie featuring fresh, nutritious, simple ingredients. I invite you to listen to Anita's episode, A Complicated Father's Day as you make her casserole into a full meal.

girl holds tray of carrots, celery, onion, and bay leaves for guinness shepherds pie

Shepherd's Pie, a beloved main dish renowned for its comforting flavors and wholesome character, has long held a special place at the heart of family dinners and gatherings. The amalgamation of seasoned ground meat, often graced with the distinct taste of ground lamb, and the inviting layer of creamy mashed potatoes makes for a satisfying and traditional meal. However, the question of what to serve with Shepherd's Pie to enhance its culinary charm often arises. Fear not, as we embark on a gastronomic exploration to uncover the 47 best side dishes thoughtfully curated to accompany and enrich the Shepherd's Pie experience. From crisp salads that provide a refreshing contrast to hearty vegetable medleys that harmonize with the savory goodness, this collection of side dishes promises to elevate your Shepherd's Pie serving into a memorable and complete dining affair. Join us as we delve into a world of palate-pleasing choices, each designed to perfectly complement this time-honored classic.

Side Dishes for Shepherds Pie

If you want to go beyond simply serving a Shepherd's Pie, I'm sharing great sides from 6 categories: Salads, Appetizers, Breads, Hot Vegetables, Desserts, and Beverages.

Salads

If you can make just ONE side dish to go with Shepherd's Pie, it should be a SALAD! Salads are a great way to add more vegetables and nutrients to a rich meal. The fresh and crispy nature of salad will also be a perfect complement and nice contrast to the rich and creamy texture of traditional Shepherd's Pie.

Any of these dozen salads will be a perfect side dish!

Kilt Lettuce
Cooks in 40 minutes
Fresh varieties of lettuce are topped with a delicious dressing of bacon fat and vinegar - watch out for the popping when the grease "kills" the lettuce!

3 votes 5.0 Cuisine: American
Cucumber Tomato Salad
Cooks in 15 minutes
From the colors alone, you can tell this cucumber tomato salad will be bursting with fresh flavors. The feta cheese adds a layer of tang and creaminess. Chilling time aside, this recipe is ready in a matter of minutes.

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Appetizers

With a rich recipe like Shepherd's Pie, you'll want simple, low-calorie appetizers that will leave plenty of room for your hearty main casserole. Each of these fit the bill.

Black Bean Salsa
Cooks in 15 minutes
Transform canned beans into Black Bean Salsa, an easy recipe guaranteed to please. It's fresh, colorful, and delicious, and it might just be your new favorite party recipe.

8 votes 5.0 Cuisine: American, Mexican
Parmesan Cauliflower Bites - Just 5 Ingredients
Cooks in 30 minutes
Crispy Parmesan Cauliflower Bites will be the hit of your party or dinner table! They're low-carb, keto-friendly, gluten-free and melt in your mouth delicious!

9 votes 4.8 Cuisine: American
Chickpea and Olive Appetizer
Cooks in 30 minutes
Make and share this Chickpea and Olive Appetizer recipe from Food.com.

3 votes 4.5
Marinated Mozzarella Melon Skewers
Cooks in 20 minutes
The fun, colorful, and delicious summer appetizer that we're all looking for right now!

5 votes 4.7
Oven Baked Zucchini Chips Recipe
Cooks in 140 minutes
Crispy Baked Zucchini Chips are a healthy paleo-friendly snack recipe that is loaded with flavor and crunch, yet light in calories!

13 votes 5.0 Cuisine: American
Stuffed Cucumber Bites Appetizers
Cooks in 30 minutes
This is an easy appetizer which tastes great! Make some Cucumber Bites for your next gettogether.

9 votes 4.6 Cuisine: American
Mini Falafel Bites
Cooks in 40 minutes
These mini falafel bites can be used as snacks, party appetizers or accompany a delicious mashed potato with salad meal. Check out the recipe below!

1 vote 5.0 Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Sweet Potato Puffs [Gluten Free]
Cooks in 30 minutes
These sweet potato puffs are the perfect thanksgiving appetizer or side dish! They're easy to make, full of herbs and super healthy!

9 votes 4.6 Cuisine: American
Kelewele
Cooks in 45 minutes
Kelewele is a spicy plantain snacking food from Ghana.

4 votes 5.0 Cuisine: African
Tiropitas (Greek Cheese Pies in Filo Pastry)
Cooks in 1 hour 30 minutes
Tiropitas, or Greek Cheese Pies, are crispy, creamy, salty, parcels of bliss. Five easy ingredients inside an easy-to-fold package of filo (phyllo) dough.

4 votes 4.8 Cuisine: Mediterranean

Bread Recipes

Bread is *always* on the menu at our house. The first 3 options will work especially well if you're sharing a Guinness Shepherd's/Cottage Pie for St. Patrick's Day.

Mini Bread Rolls (With Yeast and Potatoes)
Cooks in 3 hours 10 minutes
Soft mini bread rolls are enriched with potatoes for a hearty flavor, creamy texture, and subtle sweetness. The most adorable mini dinner rolls!!

4 votes 4.5 Cuisine: Classic
Basil Pesto Spiral Pull-Apart Dinner Rolls
Cooks in 2 hours 20 minutes
The zip of fresh herbs, saltiness of Parmesan, and the richness of oil permeate the perfectly soft dough for a rich and flavorful roll.

4 votes 5.0 Cuisine: British
30-Minute Garlic Parmesan Dinner Rolls
Cooks in 30 minutes
30-Minute Garlic Parmesan Dinner Rolls, the perfect bread recipe to serve with any meal. Great for holidays, so simple to make. Cheesy, garlicky goodness!

15 votes 5.0 Cuisine: American
Grandma's Irish Soda Bread
Cooks in 55 minutes
Irish Soda Bread is a quick bread that does not require any yeast. Instead, all of its leavening comes from baking soda and buttermilk. This Irish Soda Bread recipe is my grandmother's and has been cherished in my family for years. It's dense, yet soft and has the most incredible crusty exterior.

497 votes 4.8 Cuisine: Irish
The Best Garlic Bread You'll Ever Eat
Cooks in 20 minutes
This is the BEST homemade garlic bread you'll ever make. It has fresh herbs, tons of flavorful roasted garlic, and is perfectly toasted. This easy garlic bread recipe is delicious served with your fav pasta dishes & comfort foods, and is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser!

53 votes 5.0 Cuisine: American
Easy Crusty French Bread
Cooks in 2 hours 30 minutes
Easy dutch oven bread ready in just a few hours - no overnight rise needed.

708 votes 4.8 Cuisine: American
Steakhouse-Style Pumpernickel Bread Recipe
Cooks in 240 minutes
My Outback Steakhouse-inspired, lightly-sweet and perfect with butter, Steakhouse-Style Pumpernickel Bread recipe is one you'll make all the time.

4 votes 4.5 Cuisine: American
Garlic Cheddar Beer Bread
Cooks in 55 minutes
Whip up a loaf of this Garlic Cheddar Beer Bread in practically no time - and with NO yeast!

14 votes 4.9 Cuisine: American

Cooked Vegetables

If you want a healthy side dish, go for something very simple - hot vegetables roasted, sauteed, and topped with fresh herbs. Here are a few suggestions.

Fresh Green Bean Recipe
Cooks in 15 minutes
This delicious green bean recipe is a perfect healthy side dish. They are cooked in one pot with garlic, olive oil and a little spice. It is one of the best green bean recipes because it is both quick and delicious!

144 votes 4.9 Cuisine: American
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Cooks in 35 minutes
Learn how to cook Brussels sprouts with this easy recipe! Bright, fresh, and delicious, it's the perfect holiday side dish.

198 votes 5.0
Oven Roasted Root Vegetables
Cooks in 70 minutes
These roasted root vegetables are totally addicting! Easy, healthy and colorful side dish with root vegetables, garlic, herbs and olive oil.

7 votes 4.8 Cuisine: American
Cinnamon Roasted Butternut Squash
Cooks in 40 minutes
Easy Maple Cinnamon Roasted Butternut Squash. Cubes of butternut squash tossed with maple syrup, cinnamon, and rosemary, roasted to caramelized perfection.

8 votes 4.9 Cuisine: American
How to Cook Frozen Corn (the RIGHT way)
Cooks in 15 minutes
Want to know the secret to making frozen corn taste delicious? Kick your corn side dish up a notch with How to Cook Frozen Corn (the RIGHT way)!

14 votes 5.0 Cuisine: American

Desserts

I suggest choosing a simple dish with simple ingredients for your desserts. These are all great options to complement the rich flavors of the pie.

Easy Homemade Apple Strudel Recipe with Puff Pastry
Cooks in 1 hour
Flaky puff pastry encircles chunks of juicy apples, rum-soaked raisins, and crunchy walnuts in this old-fashioned Apple Strudel recipe - authentic, yet made more easily and quickly with puff pastry.

3 votes 5.0 Cuisine: Eastern European
Old Fashioned Lemon Icebox Pie
Cooks in 3 hours 30 minutes
This old-fashioned Lemon Icebox Pie has a fresh, zesty lemony custard, soft meringue topping, and firm buttery cookie crust.

30 votes 4.6 Cuisine: Soul Food
Nesselrode Pie Recipe (Vintage New York Dessert)
Cooks in 3 hours 50 minutes
Nesselrode Pie is a nostalgic New York dessert that's rich and indulgent. A light and smooth chestnut custard filling is spiked with dark rum and studded with sweet cherries, then topped with fluffy whipped cream and decadent chocolate shavings.

1 vote 5.0 Cuisine: American
Kalter Hund: German No-Bake Layered Chocolate Biscuit Cake
Cooks in 4 hours 45 minutes
This layered, no-bake cake delivers chocolate as its meant to be: completely and utterly decadent, rich, creamy, and solid but soft.

5 votes 4.4 Cuisine: Western European
3-Ingredient Easy Chocolate Mousse
Cooks in 5 minutes
This 3-Ingredient Chocolate Mousse is light, chocolate-y, smooth and whips up in less than 5 minutes. It's a perfect dessert for any night of the week!

1747 votes 4.5 Cuisine: American
Easy Cherry Cobbler
Cooks in 1 hour 10 minutes
Made from just 9 ingredients, this cherry cobbler is one of the easiest desserts you could make with fresh cherries. See Notes if using frozen cherries or if you want to try other fruits. Enjoy warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

15 votes 4.7 Cuisine: American
Peach Crumble Bars
Cooks in 1 hour 15 minutes
Easy homemade peach crumb bars with a buttery oat crumb topping and a sweet and gooey peach filling. Egg free and gluten free friendly.

1 vote 5.0 Cuisine: American
Apple Coffee Cake
Cooks in 65 minutes
Easy Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake with brown sugar streusel and bites of apple in every bite - the perfect breakfast or brunch all fall long.

6 votes 4.3 Cuisine: American
Strawberry Dream Dessert
Cooks in 25 minutes
A delicious strawberry cream cheese dessert, perfect for potlucks and BBQ's! It's one of those dessert recipes you'll want to make again and again.

4 votes 5.0 Cuisine: American
The Best (and Easiest) Ice Cream You'll Ever Make
Cooks in 5 minutes
Rich and creamy homemade vanilla ice cream recipe that only requires five ingredients!

7 votes 4.7
The Best Quick Southern Banana Pudding Recipe
The Best Quick southern banana pudding comes together in a snap and uses cool whip to make the pudding airy and light--a perfect complement to fresh bananas and crunchy vanilla wafers.

6 votes 4.8
Chocolate-Covered Strawberries
Cooks in 45 minutes
How to Make Chocolate-Covered Strawberries that are delicious, stunning, and ultra impressive. These gourmet-looking treats are surprisingly easy and make the perfect edible gift for Valentine's Day.

2 votes 5.0 Cuisine: American