Cottage Pie – comfort food central! This English classic has a deeply savoury beef mince filling smothered in gravy topped with creamy mashed potato, baked until golden. One of the best cosy foods to make with ground beef!
Wondering what’s the difference between Cottage Pie and Shepherd’s Pie? Same recipe except Cottage Pie is made with beef and Shepherd’s Pie is made with lamb! (Because Shepherd’s herd sheep….)
Cottage Pie
Cottage Pie is a fabulous English classic, one that us Aussies have adopted as one of our beloved winter favorites! Or in my case, all-year-round-favourite.
Easy to make, economical, every day ingredients and 100% freezer friendly, it’s the sort of food that has universal appeal (well, putting aside vegetarians 😂)
There’s two components to Cottage Pie – the beef filling and the creamy mashed potato topping. The filling is beefy and deeply savoury and it WILL take willpower not to shovel it in your mouth as you’re cooking it…..
….then you get on with that creamy mashed potato filling and it WILL take serious willpower not to shovel THAT into your mouth too…
But you’ll hold out because you know that it’s worth the patience because when you pull the bubbling beauty of of the oven and see that crusty golden top, your chest will puff up with pride, everybody at the table will clap their hands with glee, and no matter how dismal the day, it’s just been made a whole lot better with your Cottage Pie.
What’s the difference between Cottage Pie and Shepherd’s Pie?
There is quite often confusion over the difference between Shepherd’s Pie and Cottage Pie. Both are made the same way – a beef mince filling in a gravy sauce that is topped with mashed potato, sprinkled with parmesan then baked. (That crusty top is everything!!)
The only difference is that Shepherd’s Pie is made with lamb instead of beef. So if you want, just swap the beef in this recipe with lamb and you’ll have a Shepherd’s Pie!
What goes in Cottage Pie
Here’s what you need for Cottage Pie.
Feel free to switch the beef with any protein – this is delicious made with lamb (which makes it Shepherd’s Pie), chicken, turkey, pork. Also don’t fret if you don’t have carrot and celery – skip it or add other diced vegetables, like peas.
And here’s what you need for the mashed potato topping.
I like to put parmesan cheese on my Cottage Pie because it makes the top extra crispy and golden. But any melting cheese will work great.
Cottage Pie from scratch
This Cottage Pie is made from scratch, and it’s very straightforward. If you can make Bolognese and mashed potato, you can make Cottage Pie because it essentially follows the same steps!
Cottage Pie – 2 little tips
I just have 2 little tips to make your Cottage Pie a resounding success:
To stop the potato from sinking into the filling, cool the filling first. But this isn’t a deal breaker, it’s just a visual thing ie if you don’t cool the filling, the potato “bleeds” into the beef mixture; and
Ensure the filling reduces down enough (see video) to ensure you don’t end up with a watery filling after baking. It’s so disappointing when you break through the potato to be greeted with a beef sitting in a watery sauce!
How to freeze Cottage Pie
Cottage Pie is one of those rare foods that is truly perfect to make in advance. It will keep in the fridge for 4 days – assembled and ready to heat, or once cooked.
You can also freeze Cottage Pie 100% perfectly. You can bake from frozen – though it does take around 1 hour (it’s a formidable block of ice!!) or thaw then bake. Cooked leftovers also freeze well.
What goes with Cottage Pie
This is a meat and carb heavy dish, so it goes really well with fresh side salads like a Rocket Salad with Balsamic Dressing, or a Garden Salad with French or Italian Dressing. I recently served it with this Carrot Salad with a Honey Dijon Dressing which was a hit!
For a cosy meal on a cold winter night, try it with a side of Glazed Roasted Carrots and Sautéed Garlic Spinach. The only other thing you need is a glass of red and a crackling fire…
Or in my case, squatting by an ancient electric heater! 😂 – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Cottage Pie
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 onion , finely chopped
- 1 carrot , finely chopped*
- 1 celery , finely chopped*
- 750g / 1.5 lb beef mince (ground beef)
- 1/4 cup (40g) flour (plain / all purpose)
- 1/4 cup (55g) tomato paste
- 2 cups (500 ml) beef stock / broth , low sodium
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) red wine (or water)
- 1 beef bouillon cube , crumbled (stock cube, or 1 tsp stock powder)
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp dried thyme (or 3 sprigs fresh thyme)
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Topping
- 1.2 kg / 2.5 lb potatoes , peeled and cut into 2.5cm / 1″ cubes
- 2/3 cup (165 ml) milk , warmed
- 2 tbsp (30g) butter
Parmesan Crust (optional)
- 2 tbsp (30g) butter
- 2 tbsp (20g) parmesan, grated
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic, cook for 1 minute. Then add carrots and celery. Cook for 3 minutes or until softened and sweet.
- Turn heat up to high. Add beef and cook, breaking it up as you go, until browned.
- Add flour and mix in. Add tomato paste, broth, red wine, bouillon cube, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, bay leaves, salt and pepper.
- Bring to simmer, then turn down heat so it is simmering rapidly – I have it on medium high. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it reduces down to a gravy consistency (Note 1) (see video). Taste then add more salt if desired.
- Transfer to 6 cup pie dish (1.5 litre / quart). Cover, cool if you have time (even overnight). Cool filling = easier to top with mash (Note 2)
Assemble Pie
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F.
- Cook potatoes in boiling water for 15 minutes or until soft. Drain then return to pot on turned off stove. Shake briefly and allow to steam dry for 30 seconds or so (Note 3).
- Add butter and mash until melted, then add milk and salt. Mash until smooth.
- Spread onto pie, use a fork to rough up the surface (rougher surface = more golden bits). Sprinkle with paremsan, drizzle with butter (or skip this and just drizzle with olive oil)
- Bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until golden on top and bubbling on the edges. Stick a knife into the middle to ensure it is piping hot.
- Stand for 5 minutes before serving, garnished with fresh thyme leaves if desired.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published October 2016. Updated 2020 with fresh new photos and video. No change to recipe – I wouldn’t dare!
More pie recipes
Shepherd’s Pie (lamb – because Shepherd’s herd sheep!)
Spanakopita (Greek spinach and feta pie)
Browse all cosy Winter Warmers
Life of Dozer
That’s what Dozer looks like when he’s peeved. He’s cranky because he squeezed himself under this tiny table, waited so patiently for me to finish taking photos and he didn’t get a taste test!
My new go to recipe for cottage pie – big success every time I make it, even with the fussy smaller family members 😱😅
This cottage pie was a winner! Everyone loved it and it’s been logged in the dinner database.
Another winning recipe. We loved it. This is going to be a monthly rotation for us. Thanks Nagi!
Wahoo! Awesome Gordon! N x
please,, no,, no,, Shepherds Pie is made with left over roast Lamb and Pickled boiled Lamb, then minced with your own mincer, mixed with tomato sauce and worchestershire sauce, a pinch of seasoning, no vegies in this pie, put into pie dish, top with mash potato, then baked just to heat through, as meat is already cooked, and potato browned under grill,, and serve with beans, carrots and cabbage,, the taste and texture completely different to cottage pie which has vegies added from the cottage garden !!!
You read the recipe title wrong. Read it again…and then read the blog to make sure you read it correctly.
Just making this, the mince mixture is wonderful. I know the whole pie will be amazing. Thank you.
Enjoy Sue!! N x
Tasted the cottage pie now and yes it was delicious, I will definitely be making it again. Thank you.
I made this and the flour all clumped into little balls and wouldnt dissolve. Gross. Wouldnt recommend.
Hi Chantelle, when you add the flour and cook it down it will dissolve. N x
SO GOOD
I’m so glad you loved it Amy! N x
Oh wow! This is so good! My family loved it! 10/10 reccomend! Amazig my family were so happy when I served it up! Love your work xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxxoxxo
This recipe was outstanding. A huge hit when I made it for dinner last night. 100% adding this to our dinner rotation. Best recipe for cottage pie by a long shot. Next time I will add a little bit of corn, just because we like that addition. Thank you!
Realized that my stars didn’t get added and wanted to give this recipe the adoration it deserves! Making it again this week. Seriously so incredibly good.
This Cottage Pie was absolutely amazing!!! Enjoyed every mouth full. I will definitely make it again…. keep it coming, Nagi
Hi Nagi,
Can you please tell me which red wine is best for this recipe?
Love your work 🙂
I don’t have a potato masher. Can I make this recipe with instant mashed potatoes or should I mash the potatoes with a fork?
Hi Emily, I really have a dislike for instant potatoes – you can always mash with a fork, it will be rustic but still taste amazing! N X
Made this recipe today, although made a vegetarian version so skipped the meat and instead added lentils, broccoli and spinach. It needed a little more broth due to the lentils and I also added a little vegetarian gravy granules to try getting that meaty taste but considering I CANNOT make a veggie cottage pie (I’ve tried many times!) It’s come out amazing! Full of flavour!
Made this today. It was SO good and simple. I had pretty much all the ingredients in my pantry. This recipe will definately go in my favorites.
I forgot to add stars, and say that the food is always very tasty too!
I love this recipe, as I love most of Nagi’s recipes – the food is wholesome, easy to make, and nutritious. I usually have all the ingredients in my pantry, Total comfort food in a dreary Vancouver winter. Thanks, Nagi.
I used maybe .75 lbs ground bison (also used bacon lard instead of olive oil), then supplemented it with finely chopped mushrooms. I used chopped poblanos, carrots, and onions. Mixed cotija cheese with mash. Shredded cheddar, julienned poblanos, and crushed gorgonzola flavored crackers sprinkled on top. Looks good!
It smells great at this point, just putting it into the oven.
This recipe was an all day affair. Luckily I am home because of COVID. Started at 10 am chopping veggies. Took several hours for the mix to cook down. Now 5 pm and putting in oven. Smells great.
Has anyone tried to use ground turkey? I’ve made this recipe before and it is absolutely delicious as is, But I’m just trying to make it with a leaner meat this time. 😁
I used 93% lean ground turkey and it was delicious. I have heard it is sometimes dry to cook with turkey so I added grated zuchinni as well, which probably didn’t change the flavor at all. My sister & mother asked for the recipe! Will def. make again.
What do you mean steam drying the potatoes?
It means… when you drain the potatoes, which is usually in a colander you just let potatoes sit in colander uncovered for a few mins before you mash them. The potatoes will dry with the hot steam.
Absolutely scrumptious. My husband adored it and he’s not much for comments…kept saying “this is SO good….” over and over..thanks Nagi! Winner winner Cottage Pie for dinner!