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!
Delicious, soul-feeding comfort food!
Oh my goodness. Nagi, my family and I thank you for sharing such a lovely recipe with the world! We’re based in northwestern Ontario, where sometimes we get winter weather colder than planet Mars (I’m not even joking on that). This recipe is truly so great for winter weather. I made this tonight and my family could not stop complimenting it! It’s going to be a new favourite in our winter recipe repertoire!
Hi nagi
I grated using a microplane for the partisan, and also put a small knob of butter on top. The mash didn’t golden over as expected. Should I use more cheese on top? And do you bake with cover on or off? Thanks Nick
Hi Nagi and Dozer, this was truly delicious, I am English and that was better than any I have tasted, just trying your tuna pasta bake, cant wait!
Excellent recipe I make it often
To make your cottage pie gluten free could you replace the flour with cornstarch or rice flour? Also will omitting the worschestire sauce have an impact? Or is there a gluten free option?
I changed the servings for 10. It was a huge hit. The savory smells wafting throughout the home as our guests arrived led them right to the kitchen! Thanks for taking time to share along with the very helpful tips. I’ve made cottage pie several times—this recipe is replacing my previous tried and true one.
I’ve just made this and it is absolutely delicious. Thank you Nagi!! Also love to you and Dozer xx
The best cottage pie ever, family loved it
Hi Nagi, If I don’t have parmesan cheese can I use cheddar cheese. Please advice. Thanks and hope to hear from you soon.
I have been making this at least twice a month for the past three months, and it’s a winner every time. I’ve found that using 90/10 ground beef has just enough fat without being too greasy. Also, don’t omit the beef bouillon cube – the first few times I made this, I didn’t have it on hand, so I left it out. But then I added the cube the next time I had it, and the flavor is even more amazing! I’m tempted to throw in corn or peas for some more interest, and I bet it would be just as good…
Love all you recipe’s and make this often. Like most people deep freeze is full and no time to allow base to cool. I’ve always been able to speed this up, by adding uncooked frozen peas, really speeds up the cooling process 🙂
Thank You Nagi.
BTW when will your book be available in the UK? x
I have made this a few times (everyone goes back for seconds) I have the best luck when I make it the day before but bake it the next day.
I add different things just to mix it up a little each time. Green peppers, spinach, hot peppers etc. Sometimes bacon , sour cream, cheddar, chives etc to the potatoes. But its awesome exactly as written!!
Delicious! No baking soda so soaked in mince in milk. Also left out the celery as we had none. Very good recipe and delicious outcome. Thank you!
Grateful for this recipe and excited to try other recipes from you!!
I am a vegetarian but made this cottage pie for my son, daughter-in-law and grandson. They all loved it and I saw my grandson scraping his plate with his fork. My son said that cottage pie can be a bit hit-and-miss bit this was a hit! Thank you so much. It is a shame I could not taste it myself.
Have been making Cottage Pie for years. Your recipe inspired me to try. I had never put wine or tomato paste in mine so I thought it was time to try another recipe. Well, I did not have the bullion cube so substituted Bisto Gravy Powder for the flour and bullion cube. Great success!
Absolutely amazing!!!!
Another 5 star recipe Nagi. I usually use my own recipe for cottage pie but yours is sooo much better. My family likes mine but they loved loved loved yours. Can’t wait to receive your cookbook which I have pre ordered. Thanks again.
Hi Nagi
As usual – brilliant – especially since I am English & have made this dish so often – yours is one step up!
I love the ingredient calculator – I had 1kg of mince & just wound it up to 7 portions – this provide me with the weights/volumes required for all the other ingredients – so no calculations needed – thank you.
One suggestion – have you considered putting the “dish size” in with the ingredients calculator?
Reason is that if I select 1 portion or 20 portions & am advised to use a 1.7l dish!
Well done & keep up the good work!
Regards
Julie & John