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Some recipe trends come and go—but comfort food recipes? Those are forever. And what a beautiful thing that is—it means we can go rifling through our moms’, grandmas’, and even great-grandmas’ recipe boxes and still find the perfect dish to make for dinner tonight.
For some, those recipe boxes hold more than just family history—they’ve got star power. Just as Kate Hudson learned her cooking chops from her famous mom, Goldie Hawn, actress Liza Minnelli inherited some of her favorite comfort food recipes, like a five-ingredient appetizer, from her starlet mother, Judy Garland. And one of Garland’s most beloved recipes, her shepherd’s pie, didn’t just feed her family—it became as iconic as the Hollywood legend herself.
Judy Garland’s Most Famous Comfort Food Recipe
With our Wicked fever still in full swing, it feels only right to revisit a dish from the original adventurer of Oz, Judy Garland. While we know her for her legendary voice and unforgettable characters, it turns out her biggest pride wasn’t her on-screen talents; it was her cooking skills.
“I’m a very good cook,” Garland once shared with The Evening Sun newspaper. “I probably cook better than I sing.” She didn’t start cooking seriously until later in life, but once she did, it became a passion—one that she passed on to both of her daughters. “I can now cook for 36 people, and I’m prouder of that than anything else I do,” she said.
Among all the dishes she loved to cook, her Shepherd’s Pie Supreme stood out. It was a labor of love that apparently used “every pot in the kitchen,” but she has us convinced the several hours of effort it takes are well worth it.
“It’s beautiful,” Garland shared. “It comes out looking like a birthday cake—fluffy and delicious.”
Judy Garland’s Shepherd’s Pie Supreme
Garland’s take on shepherd’s pie is anything but ordinary. The recipe starts with a whole leg of lamb, plus two chicken breasts. Both meats are cooked, trimmed, and then hand-ground (yes, ground by hand) to create the hearty filling. And that’s just the first two steps.
Although this recipe is a far cry from a quick-and-easy meal, there are a few shortcut ingredients utilized in the mix. A can of cream of mushroom soup adds savory richness without the need for homemade gravy, and potato flakes give you a fluffy potato topping without requiring any mashing.
Plus, you’ll spy a very retro ingredient in the mix: onion juice. If you aren’t familiar with the old-fashioned addition (many aren’t), note that you can get the 1/2 teaspoon amount the recipe calls for by grating or processing an onion and straining out the solids. A small amount adds a whole lot of homestyle flavor.
It’s also important to note that this recipe yields two casseroles—one for eating and one for freezing (that is, unless you’re feeding a hungry houseful that requires, as she puts it, "encores"). That extra pie makes all the prep time feel a little more worth it, knowing you’re getting two sizable meals instead of one.
Garland’s advice on cooking up the comfort food feast? “Be sure to give yourself lots of time,” she shared, encouraging cooks to roast the lamb especially for the occasion for the most flavorful results. She suggested serving it with a green salad or cooked green vegetable.
So, next time you’re craving a hearty, nostalgic dinner, pick through the recipe box of Judy Garland for this homestyle favorite. It’s a time-honored treasure—as only the greatest comfort foods are.
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