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!
Perfect comfort food. Great recipe.
My Fave Cottage Pie recipe, I make this often – especialy in the cooler seasons! So simple, yet so comforting and delicious, thank you Nagi
Hi Nagi
Love your recipes and buy your cookbooks just wondering if you plan doing an air fryer one as the ones I’ve used have been a bit disappointing.
Cuddle for the new puppy 🐶
Cheers
Carolynn
Always double the recipe for filling to allow for eating half of it during the pre-baking tasting phase.
I love a cottage pie, cooked it for years but I find myself checking on how you make lots of the dishes I do.
Checking your cottage pie you said everyone loves it, except for vegetarians. This is true but they could enjoy it as well with a bit of tweaking.
One of my sons had a gf who was vegetarian so I had to adjust some of my cooking to suit her needs.
In particular it was a lasagne, but my tweaking could be used as a Spag Bol sauce or a Cottage Pie base. Instead of using meat I used brown lentils & finely chopped mushrooms as a meat substitute. I also added grated carrot. Honestly, the lasagne was delicious & you couldn’t tell it wasn’t a meat base dish.
5/5
Made this several days ago and the mince was delicious 😋 So delicious there weren’t any leftovers. My Father celebrates his 77th Birthday in a few days on July 20th and I intend to make this for his Birthday Supper 🍽
Thank you 😊
Loved this cottage pie – great recipe and easy to make – certainly a winner! I will definitely double up on this one to freeze some extras
I made this, so yum, my man loved it too. Thank u for the recipe ❤️
I made this last night almost exactly to the recipe. After simmering the mince mixture, I tasted it and found the taste was a little too beefy so I added 2 tbspns of Beerenberg tomato sauce. This is an Aussie brand that has a little kick to it. The resulting taste was amazing and it went down a treat. Thank you for this recipe.
Hi Nagi,
My wife doesn’t eat beef, can I make this with minced pork? And what do you suggest re: A change of spices or additional spices?
Made this today whilst travelling in the caravan in outback Queensland … was delicious and so easy to make … a definite one to make again ✅✅👏👏
My husband never cared for Cottage Pie until I made your recipe .. now he loves it and it’s a regular in my rotation ! I double the recipe .. add more carrots and frozen peas so it is a complete meal .. use a 9×13 Pyrex dish .. we have enough for a leftover meal and freeze half to use for meals later !! Making it right now !!
I just have to add .. I’m so sorry you lost your Dozer .. I lost my Collie named Dozer back in 2020 .. I couldn’t stand the emptiness in my home so after 7 months I bought my Collie Girl Ryley !!
My husband never cared for Cottage Pie until I made your recipe .. now he loves it and it’s a regular in my rotation ! I double the recipe .. add more carrots and frozen peas so it is a complete meal .. use a 9×13 Pyrex dish .. we have enough for a leftover meal and freeze half to use for meals later !!
I just have to add .. I’m so sorry you lost your Dozer .. I lost my Collie named Dozer back in 2020 .. I couldn’t stand the emptiness in my home so after 7 months I bought my Collie Girl Ryley !!
Delicious! And so easy to put together — especially since I cheated and used Bob Evans mashed potatoes from the grocery store.
I loved your recipe for cottage pie. It was so easy following your instructions.
Great recipe! I used sweet potato and potato for the topping. Will make it again!
1 celery… is that one stalk? Surely not a whole head of celery…!
First ever attempt at making a cottage pie! So glad I used your recipe as it was delicious and so easy. Your tip to rough up the mash and add parmasean cheese and oil was 😋👍. Mince is so full of flavour. I simmered for 30mins as you suggested and the consistency was perfect. The time it took me to prepare the mash was enough time for the mince to cool. This will be on the regular household menu thank you!
Yummo! Haven’t made this for ages because hubby loves spag bol but I put my foot down this weekend and made this. Love it!!