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!
Made it tonight…awesome!!
Nagi, I made this for dinner last night and we loved it! Actually…I made it the night before because I didn’t realize the filling would take so long to cool down–and I certainly didn’t want the mashed potatoes to sink into the filling! (Thanks for that tip.) So I cooled the filling, then spread the mash on top, and by that time, it was 9pm, so I decided to bake it the next night (and we had cereal for dinner instead). It really was such a good taste, with the sweetness from the carrots and onions, and the rich–but not TOO rich–filling, and the perfect mashed potatoes. But one thing: even though I roughed up the mash with a fork and brushed olive oil on top, the finished pie didn’t have the “golden bits” that you love. It certainly looked nice, and the edges were bubbling, but how can I achieve the golden bits next time? (Because I definitely will make this again!).
Hi Lori! I’m wondering if it was just the colour of the olive oil?? You know how olive oil can be really pale or very yellow? If you want super yellow, use a yellow butter and/or parmesan as well! N x
Nagi, you mean you are INSISTING that I brush the top of the mashed potatoes with butter and parmesan?? Well, OK…don’t mind if I do! (Next time.)
😂
Oh, how cruel! Butter AND parmesan!
(Can I have a piece?)
Winner dinner! I don’t know if we’ll have leftovers to freeze at the rate my husband, and my son are hungrily eating!
Hello from Seattle, WA! I made this for our St. Patrick’s day dinner with friends. I increased the recipe by about half since we had six people total and four of them were men. I also followed your note and added a handful of peas. We served it with a fresh garden salad and homemade soda bread. It was so delicious!! Everyone asked for the recipe. 🙂 We will definitely be having this again. Thank you for sharing. Can’t wait to try other recipes on your site.
Fabulous! Great recipe – a little more time to prep than expected,, but worth it! Great comfort food
Would it be ok to swap the flour for cornstarch? And if so how much?
Sure thing! Use 2.5 tbsp of cornflour but DO NOT ADD UNTIL THE END! So do this: Reduce down per step 3, then after 20 minutes, mix together the cornflour with a tiny splash of water to make a slurry, mix until lump free then add it into the mixture and watch as the mixture thickens! Then take it off the stove and proceed with recipe 🙂 N x
Fantastic! This is the best Cottage Pie recipe that I have ever tried! No need to look any further! It’s savory, hearty, comforting and easy to make. Your added tips were excellent, it came out perfectly. My family, all of them, loved it, not an easy task. Thank you for sharing!
That’s terrific to hear Maria! Thanks for sharing your feedback! N x ❤️
Tried the cottage pie recipie the other night . Just wanted to say thank you. It was excellent !
That’s so great to hear Loretta! Thanks! N x ❤️
I made this tonight – ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! So flavorful. Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed this Leah! Thanks for letting me know! N x
Could you make this with bite sized pieces of chuck roast?
For sure! Sear it first, add extra water into the liquid and let it simmer for around 1 hour or until the beef is tender 🙂 DELISH!
I am making for family tonite…..will let u know
Once again Nagi, amazing recipe! I made this with minced lamb (so technically Sheppherds Pie I believe) but oh my goodness…. For a January winter meal, it was phenomenal!!! For the portions that I shared ; ) , I got rave reviews on the taste. Delicious and thank you so much for helping take a classic meal and presenting a recipe for us to make something special. Only thing I did different was to add some cooked porcini mushrooms (* making this savory dish even more savory) chopped bacon, and cayenne right before baking the dish. I’m a fan for life !! Cheers!!
Love hearing that Zach! Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed it! N xx
I made this tonight for my large family (had to upscale the recipe a little). It is definitely the best cottage pie I’ve ever had, thanks! My husband and myself went back for seconds. I will definitely make this again!
I’m so pleased to hear that Alexis!! Thanks for sharing that! N xx
It’s SOOOOOO GOOD! Thank you!!! Such a fan of your recipes, always amazing!
I’m so pleased to hear that Ana!! Thanks for sharing that! N xx
Someone linked this recipe on facebook earlier and I can’t wait to try it with lamb, minced beef, and even venison! What a wonderful, comforting recipe for these cooler evenings!
Thank you! I hope you love it! N xx
Nagi —
Thanks for this recipe. A couple of questions:
1. I’m making this for a holiday potluck. If I wanted to double the recipe, is there any ingredient I should not double?
2. I’m not a fan of onions – if I eliminate them, is there something else you would recommend adding in their place? I would love to add mushrooms, but can’t imagine they would count as an onion substitute.
Thanks
Hi Nahla! Could you sub with shallots / green onions or leeks? Really does add to the flavour base! I have just updated the recipe by converting it to the new recipe card template I use, this way you can slide the scaler (click on the Servings) and it will double all the ingredients for you!
Nagi — Thanks so much for the recipe. It was a huge hit at the office holiday party. I got a TON of compliments.
Yessss!!! I LOVE hearing that 🙂 You rock! N x
Thanks!
Making this tonight. Red wine for the recipe, and a little for me 🙂 love your recipes, Nagi! You are my favorite food blogger!
Awww you flatter me Jinx! N x
This was absolutely divine, and my husband and I ate with gusto! In fact, he’d happily eat this several times a week. Thanks for a wonderful recipe and video.
I don’t usually write comments about recipes I try, but after making this recently I just had to tell you what a GREAT recipe this was! My spouse raved about it, and even took what scant leftovers there were for lunch the next day! Thank you for yet another amazing recipe. Keep them coming!
I’m so pleased to hear you enjoyed this Tama Thanks for letting me know! N x ❤️
I really love your recipe, but I did have to modify it significantly to accommodate my partner and scaled down to only serve two..
I use 3/4 pounds of mince, well-browned. Then I make 3/4 cup of beef gravy adding tomato Paste paste, Worcestershire sauce, a teaspoon of bouquet garni, granulated onion, and granulated garlic. {My partner won’t eat anything with bits of onion or garlic in it.) The beef mixture lines the bottom of the casserole. Then I cook whole kernel corn, green peas, and carrots, each cooked separately and each added in layers on top of the beef. Last of all, a thick layer of mashed potatoes mashed with butter, cream, and white cheddar and sprinkled with sweet paprika.
I let the pie stand until it has reached room temperature. Shortly before dinner I bake the pie in a convection oven at 375° F. for 30-40 minutes or until the potatoes are nicely browned on topl
This is one of the few dishes my partner really likes, especially with some of the changes I made, and least he gets his veggies as well as the meat.
Hopefully I didn’t mess around with your original recipe too much! 🙂
You can mess around with my recipes as much as you want!!! I’m so pleased you were able to adapt it to your taste 🙂 N xx
Hi Nagi
I think that this is the best cottage pie I have ever eaten. IT certainly hit the spot on a cold autumn day.
It was sooooo good.
Yesssss!!! so glad to hear that Tracey! N x ❤️
This was really good, I fed a crowd and everyone loved it.
I’m so happy you enjoyed this Alisa! Thank you for letting me know – N x ❤️