Green Bean Shepherd’s Pie – Shepherd’s Pie With Tomato Soup

Green Bean Shepherd’s Pie is a recipe that will get dinner on the table in no time. This Shepherd’s Pie with tomato soup uses canned green beans, hamburger, mashed potatoes and shredded cheese.

We’ve been making shepherd’s pie around here for years. Typically, it’s Megan’s Easy Ground Beef Shepherd’s Pie with carrots. We also have a French Onion Shepherd’s Pie recipe that is a family favorite. Our friend Leah even has a crock pot taco shepherd’s pie on her blog!

Recently, I discovered a new recipe for shepherd’s pie using canned green beans in an old cook book called a Taste of Indian Creek. My kids loved canned green beans. I am not ashamed or apologetic, because they are so stinking easy that we have them at least once a week as a side dish. I love the thought of making them the star of a ground beef shepherd’s pie recipe.

Shepherd’s Pie With Tomato Soup

The other thing that drew me to this recipe is the fact that it’s a shepherd’s pie recipe with tomato soup. Tomato soup is another favorite of my children (and husband).

Green beans+ tomato soup = Family Favorite Dinner

Let’s break down this recipe. The bottom of the shepherds pie is a saucy hamburger green bean mixture, and the topping is a thick layer of mashed potatoes with melty cheese over top. In all, there’s only six ingredients total in this recipe.

Green Bean Shepherd’s Pie Ingredient List

• Ground Beef
• Tomato Soup (regular or tomato basil)
• Canned Green Beans, drained
• Prepared Mashed Potatoes
• Egg
• Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Shepherds Pie with Green Beans

I made a couple tweaks to the original recipe. For starters, my sister Megan has a great trick when it comes to shepherd’s pie. To keep the bottom ground beef layer separate from the mashed potato layer, stir in a raw egg to the mashed potatoes. The egg binds the mashed potatoes together to keep them as one distinct layer. Without this trick, you risk the mashed potatoes melting into the saucy ground beef layer.

The second change I made is optional. Instead of using regular, condensed tomato soup, I substituted in a can of tomato basil soup.

I recently fell in love with tomato basil soup as an ingredient in Hamburger Cabbage Soup.  I absolutely love the flavors that the tomato basil soup brings to the dish. The tomato basil soup really makes this green bean shepherd’s pie exceptional.

Please note, tomato basil soup comes in a larger can than regular condensed tomato soup.  With that being said, you can use the entire larger can and have a soupier, saucier bottom, or use approximately 10 ounces of the soup and save the rest for later.

How to Make Shepherd’s Pie using Tomato Soup

1. Brown ground beef in a skillet; drain excess grease in needed.
2. Combine ground beef, tomato soup, and drained green beans.
3. Pour into the bottom of an 8 x 8 inch baking dish that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
4. Mix prepared mashed potatoes with a raw egg. Spread over top the green bean mixture from edge to edge.
5. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 25 minutes.
6. Turn off heat, sprinkle with shredded cheese and return to the oven for 5 minutes so the cheese can melt.
7. Let the ground beef shepherd’s pie rest for 15 minutes on the counter before serving.

For the full ingredient amounts and recipe steps for shepherds pie with green beans, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post. 

FAQs About Shepherds Pie with Canned Green Beans

• Use cut green beans, not French-Style. Drain well.
• Regular condensed tomato soup or tomato basil soup work great.
  • If you use a larger can of tomato basil soup, it will be soupier at the bottom. For a less soupier pie, only use 10 ounces of tomato basil soup and eat the rest later.
• For the mashed potato layer, I prefer using the pre-made refrigerated mashed potatoes, but you can use homemade or the box kinds. Just be sure to let them cool a bit before mixing in the raw egg.
• I prefer grating or shredding a block of cheddar cheese for a meltier top; however, pre-shredded cheese works too.
• Turn the oven off before adding the cheese. This prevents the cheese from getting hard.
• It’s best to let the pie sit at room temperature for 10 – 15 minutes before serving to let it set up.

Ground Beef Casserole Recipes

It is a toss up on this blog if we love using ground beef or pork sausage more. I think we probably have about the same number of recipes featuring each of these versatile ground meats. We love using ground beef in casseroles. First, our kids LOVE hamburger. Second, it’s such an easy ingredient to use.

Hamburger Hot Dish with Rice 

French Onion Hamburger Pie

Ground Beef and Egg Noodle Casserole 

Potato Goulash with Ground Beef