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!
Soooo glad I found this recipe! It was a hit with the fam! Only things I changed were the celery to peas and parmesan to sharp cheddar instead and we all loved it! Thank you!!!
Perfect Jennifer! N x
I made this and it was DELICIOUS! So satisfying.
I only used 500 grams mince, added one additional large carrot and an additional large zucchini.
So good.
OMG! This was amazing. The whole family loved this meal. I followed the recipe and tips. Easy to follow with delicious results! Thank you.
You’re so welcome Barbara!! N x
We enjoyed this so much.. such a wonderful comforting dish. Thanks for the recipe Nagi !
You’re so welcome Preetha, I’m so happy you enjoyed it! N x
Thanks Nagi it was beautiful.
Thanks so much Jill! N x
This is a great recipe loved by my whole family (even the 3ur old and the 7month old). Next time I will make double the amount for a freezer stash.
Wahoo, that’s great to hear Joss! N x
Oh my word, your cottage pie was delicious, soo tasty! Hubby loved it. Another one of your amazing recipes to be added to the family favorites. Thank you for sharing Nagi.
You’re so welcome Gail! N x
Can anyone give me advice for choosing a red wine to use in this recipe. I’ve never cooked with wine before and I don’t drink it often so a little unsure. I’m thinking maybe Merlot or Pinor Noir? What do most people use in cottage pie?
My usual rule is if I drink it then it’s good enough , I would stay away from really cheap wines go for a mid range but in the end your cooking with it so if it is just gonna stay open because you don’t drink red wine don’t spend loads
Seriously, I could live solely off your recipes for the rest of my life, they are all amazing, including this cottage pie, which I have made many times already, and another one is currently baking in the oven. You’re amazing!
Wahoo, that’s great to hear!! N x
This was amazing. I had a 1kg tray of mince and all i did was add an extra bit of water. It was tasty and delicious. I added cheese to the mash, both combined and on top.. it was a win!
Sounds like you nailed it Amy!! N x
Thank you Nagi, this was absolutely delicious! Now that was some forced-to-stay-at-home time well spent 😀
Wahoo!!! Great to hear Mathilde!
Wonderfully simple to follow recipe yielded yummy results.
I made this yesterday. Its an absolute hit!! Made some cottage pies in my life but this recipe is spot on, the amounts are perfect. Family is happy 🙂
Made this tonight as I had some mashed potatoes to repurpose. Excellent recipe and enough for the two of us for two meals! Thank you
Nice Heather!!! N x
Absolutely delicious! Sprinkled the top with grated matured cheese as didn’t have any Parmesan and it came out of the oven golden. Such a winner on a winters night with a bowl of garden salad.
YUM! Sounds great!! N x
Hi! What can I do if I don’t have beef broth?!
Hi Anna, if you have stock cubes you can use them and just make up the quantity of stock/broth you need. N x
Absolutely delicious – I followed the filling recipe, opting out on the red wine as in my opinion, the onion, celery, carrot, garlic, thyme and bay leaf are already packing so much flavour – so I enjoyed the wine while I was cooking instead! For an alternative topping i went for a luxurious amount of strong cheddar grated into the creamy mash, and 2 tsp of real English mustard, mixed well with a good sprinkle of cheddar on top. It was divine, and a massive hit with the family. Thank you Nagi!
Sounds divine!! N x
I can’t wait to cook this! I have everything but I don’t have any red wine but I have some port will this be a Oky substitute? Thanks
Hi Katrina, yes you can use that or extra stock or even just water – N x
Looks great and I have all the ingredients except a beef bouillon cube (and it’s COVID season so can’t pop out to store easily). Any substitutions? Or can I omit? Thanks.
Hi Stephanie! Add an extra 1 cup beef broth if you have it, then cook it longer so that extra liquid evaporates. If you don’t have more broth, then add an extra 1.5 tsp Worcestershire and 1/4 tsp salt – that will add extra flavour too! N x
Thank you! I have beef broth. 😀
I’ve made cottage pie many times before but this was the most delicious one yet.