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:
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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
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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
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Shepherd’s Pie (lamb – because Shepherd’s herd sheep!)
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Spanakopita (Greek spinach and feta pie)
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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!
Best Cottage pie recipe, thank you. I love your baked berry cheesecake recipe too with detailed instructions..turned out perfect each time
Hello Nagi,
I love your site full of excellent recipes. Today I’m searching for vegetarian ideas and came across this cottage pie which is obviously in the wrong place.
I just thought I’d let you know so that true vegetarians don’t keep getting meat recipes when searching for dinner ideas.
Take care,
Diana
I cheated! I guess you could say I Americanized this recipe. I used canned corn and carrots, because that was what I had, and instant potatoes. But, it was fine! I’m sure following your recipe would have been better, but it is what it is! I’ll make this again, probably the same way, although my son would like me to cut back on the wine.
So delicious and so simple! I loved this recipe, will be adding it to my regular rotation of easy, scrumptious, affordable, family friendly weeknight meals. Thanks Nagi!
Super yummy… made for my kids ……… but my husband and I couldn’t resist too!!
For the best creamiest mashed potatoes, crack an egg in as you are mashing and give it a good old mix. So life changing.
Hi Nagi! Thanks for this recipe it’s so delicious!
If anyone wants to make this vegetarian, I added mushrooms and used Quorn mince and vege stock cubes and it came out great too.
I truly believe you are one of the best-ever food bloggers. This is one of my all-time favourite recipes. Making tonight to serve to family visiting tomorrow. I’ve made a handful of times now, and it is so addictively delicious.
Also, I laughed out loud when I read what you wrote about Dover and then scrolled for the pics. Poor guy!
Edit: Dozer! Sorry!
I am thinking of adding a bunch of mushrooms to this recipe coz I love beef mushrooms and potatoes.
Any advice before I do so?
Wipe the dirt off the mushrooms, then chop them to hearty chunks. I’d at them towards the end of the simmering stage of everything, cook them for only a couple minutes. Then proceed with the potato topping and back. Comes out great.
Ok, so I guess I can’t type tonight, lol. I meant “add” them towards the end of the simmering stage. Also, I meant “bake” instead of “back”. Good luck!
Your cottage pie recipe – you list 1 celery in the ingredients. I assume that you mean 1 stick of celery. You recipes are always my go to – thanks. And say hi to Dozer.
How can I make the potato topping dairy free? Can I just omit the milk and swap the butter for olive oil?
Hi Nagi! I made this last night and BOY OH BOY was this a hit! I added two large finely diced mushrooms and omitted the wine for water. I usually get my husband to taste test for me and this time all my kids lined up for a try (before the pie was put together).
Thank you for sharing! We will definitely cook this again!
I love your receipt and develop the habit of wanting to learn how to cook as I used to hate it.
Excellent recipe with very useful tips. Can’t comment on the taste personally as i’m vegetarian but was most definitely enjoyed by my meat eating family. Made twice and will now be a firm regular in our house. Thanks Nagi x
I love this dish so much that I plan to share it with my mum! She is gluten free though; do you think that GF flour would thicken in the same way or is there another alternative you would recommend? Thanks for sharing this with the world!
I used brown rice flour – same amount as shown in recipe for regular flour – and it worked perfectly. Such a great meal!
Hi Holly! I’m GF and I use a mixture of cold water & cornstarch (cornflour) to thicken dishes like this where it calls for regular flour
Thank You for the tip as I am also gluten free!
Just made this and it is fabulous. I’m gonna be winning some brownie points at home tonight. Thank you so much. I make a cottage pie regularly but its just a “chuck things in until it look right and tastes ok. Love it.
Making this at the moment. The mince is simmering as I write. Might not have much left for the pie. It’s so incredibly flavoursome I can’t stop testing it. Wow!!!
You are my food Goddess. You live just across the ditch and your ingredients are similar to ours
I’ve made this recipe twice now (once without red wine & once with) & both turned out delicious! I do recommend adding the red wine if you can, but either way it’s yummy. Thanks for another perfect recipe Nagi 🙏🏼🤗
Thanks for that feedback Lyn! N x
Did you sub anything for the wine or just left it out completely?
Hi,
I just tried the recipe and it turned out wonderfully. It’s my partner’s favorite dish and I have been trying to perfect it without the filling being too watery. Only, thing is the bouillon I got was hard and not crumbly like the one in the video. So I had to fish it out and chop it up. Could you share the bouillon brand you used?
Thank you for this great recipe!
I use Oxo brand cubes but have also used Massel with success! N x
Hard bullion cubes can be dissolved in water. They take a little work mashing in a small amount of water. I use the water or wine I am going to use in the sauce, then our into the heat and stir. May need to sit a few minutes, get a little soaked and then mash some more to break down. I always check men and crumble them before putting into the pot anyway, to make sure they do not need a little help.