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!
Another great dish Nagi. You really are good at this! Thank you so much, my entire family are now Nagi fans.
I’m so happy to hear everyone enjoyed this Cathy! Thanks for letting me know! N xx
The best recipe I’ve seen for this. Some frozen mixed veg could work as well if you want to save a little time on prep, but you won’t regret using all fresh.
Thanks Kevin! I’m totally biased of course, but I do think it’s pretty darn tasty!!!
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed it Jeff, thanks for letting me know! I love this recipe too 🙂 N x
This was amazing! Thank you..I I used Bistro instead of flour…
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed it Marilyn! Thank you for letting me know 🙂 N x
In Step 2, wouldn’t it be wise to drain the grease from the beef/ veg mixture after browning? 1.5 lbs of beef would generate a fair bit … ?
Hi Kevin! I don’t but if you want to, then you can! Also comes down to how fatty the beef is 🙂
True enough. Made it for dinner and what fat there was was absorbed by the vegetables. Actually became a fairly dry fry until the broth was added. Very good recipe, and will be making again. Tried a few allspice berries and pink perppercorns this time. Thanks, Nagi!
I’m glad you enjoyed it Kevin! Thanks for letting me know! N x
Thank you for another delicious recipe. I will be adding this to our rotation of “go to” meals. We all loved it, Nagi!
Thanks so much for the wonderful feedback Nina! So glad you enjoyed it – N x
This seems to be very close to an authentic cottage pie. The video is a huge plus! (P.S. Your moms hands did a great job. LOL).
The only thing that you failed to mention (or show), was to REMOVE the dry bay leaves before covering with the potato topping.
I can’t wait to try your version. Thanks for posting.
Oh I know!! I always forget to do that, even in real life!!!! Hope you do try it, it’s so good!
Hi Nagi,
I made this tonight and it was a hit with my picky eaters (which include he of the “is this poison?” fame). I neglected to do a thorough read of the recipe beforehand, and found myself without enough tomato paste, beef mince, and time (to cool down the filling). I ended up substituting ketchup for some of the tomato paste. Digging in the fridge, I found 2 cooked beef burgers left over from a previous dinner, so I whacked them up and added them after the mince had cooked. I also threw in 2 cups of cooked peas and carrots just before assembling (again, leftover from a previous meal) to make it an all-in-one dish. Despite not having time for the cool down, the mash didn’t sink (but I really cooked down the filling to make up for a lack of cool down time). I also substituted mashed sweet potatoes for regular mashed potatoes mainly because my kids like sweet potatoes better than regular potatoes.
It was also really comforting to eat on a day where the high temperature was -6 (Celsius) with a windchill of -16 (Celsius). Brrr!
This recipe is a winner, and going on my favorites list. And maybe next time I will actually do it properly and follow the recipe (except for the potatoes). 🙂
Thanks again for sharing your recipe tin, there has not been a dud in the bunch.
High five! So glad everyone enjoyed it Margie, thank you for letting me know! N xx
I made it just now.it’s very delicious.thank you for a great recipe.
Thanks Theresa! So glad you enjoyed it! N xx
My family loves this! Thank you for sharing the recipe!!
I’m so happy to hear that Mary! Thank you for letting me know! N xx
I’m making it now! I’ve been nibbling the whole time! I have to say it is delicious ? I can’t wait to get it out of the oven for the hubby in dig in!
Hope you both LOVE IT!
Love this pie, but the one photo looks like it is being served in an old bed pan.
Gosh. Definitely not a bed pan!! These are sold everywhere in Australia as a PIE PAN! N xx
What would be the best way to freeze/reheat this? I’m assuming assemble & freeze before step 5, then just increase baking time when cooking from frozen, but any idea how long? I’d love to make a few to have on hand for busy weeknights.
I keep forgetting to add make ahead steps! I’ve just added note 5 with instructions. 🙂
I made a “Shepherd’s pie” a while a go following a recipe from one of my favorites but it turned out terrible and I vowed never to make it again. He called it Shepherd’s pie despite using beef (but said lamb could be used instead…) But I will give your Cottage pie recipe a try today and hope it turns out better (hopefully delicious). Will report back.
I hope you do Lydia! Hopefully the video helps give you confidence too 🙂
I love the look of this dish. I hardly ever comment before I actually try it, but the comments don’t seem complete without someone commenting about the name for this type of dish. (This usually happens when this dish is called shepherds pie but actually contains beef. “Gasp!”) Since this is actually named correctly, I will have to put another spin to it. 😉 “Here in America, this is called Shephards pie, no matter what meat is in it! We don’t concern ourselves with names. We only care about embarrassing ourselves when we choose who will be the next great leader of our nation, taking care to pick out the biggest crooks we can choose! God bless America!” Being a rude commenter takes effort. How did I do? 🙂 Anyhow, I must make this soon. This dish is comfort food to me and I’m always looking for that one recipe that will be the keeper. (Much to my family’s dismay since they don’t like it.) Thanks for sharing this with us! 🙂
Hi Laura!! You made me laugh 🙂 Safe to say never before has a US presidential election ever received so much much air time here in Australia! And I have a theory that America tends to beef-up many lamb dishes….like Guinness Stew! Though having said that, we in Australia have done it too….
Hi Lizza, thanks for helping Peter! I’ve now fixed the recipe too 🙂 N xx
Me, not you!! 180C/350F 🙂 Thanks for picking that up Peter!
Hi! Yes you should, I am terribly lazy. 🙂 They are quite large so I find them easy to pick out even if they end up in the bowl. N x
Kicked a goal here Nagi!! This is my kind of food. I made the Shepard pie version with lamb and it was so delicious. Eating left overs of it as I write! Thanks for another family favourite.
NO WAY! You made this already?? You rock Nycolle!!! We are two of a kind, this is totally my kind of food too…. N xx
Couldn’t see oven temp to bake the pie so started at 180C fan forced. Made my pie hot but not crunchy so then swapped to grill and got that beautiful top on it. I alsoadded cheese 😉 Mmmmm
This. Looks. So. Good.
Always a pleasure reading from you, Nagi. I’d always wondered what “Recipe Tin Eats” meant until today.
THANKS!!!! N xx