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!
Nagi is the best! 😋
We have this every 1-2 weeks. It’s my husband’s absolute favorite. Zero tweaks needed. Perfect 👌.
I made this for my family and also for a friends family. I made the meat filling Monday night, kept in fridge overnight then on Tuesday afternoon I made the mash potatoes, put it on top of the cold meat filling and then put in oven for 45 minutes.
Everyone absolutely loved it and it all went very quickly! I love that you can make the meat filling ahead of time, next time I’ll make a double batch and freeze it.
This was hands down the best Cottage Pie I’ve ever made. I think next time I’d make it in individual ramekins, but that’s the only change I would make. Yum, yum, yum. Thank you for sharing it!
My (very fussy) husband absolutely loved this dish – declaring it to be “full of flavour”. Inexpensive and easy to make – and the hints really help (like letting the potato steam off). So happy! 😁
A firm family favourite we make once a week. Love this comfort dish with pearl barley added.
Absolutely fantastic recipe. Easy and quick to make and loved so much it’s become a weekly staple. I add half a cup of pearl barley after the mince is browned, which I love with it.
Great recipe. I’ve been searching for a cottage pie that has lots of flavor and this one definitely does!
Hi Nagi. Drawing again on your invaluable encyclopaedia of recipes, yesterday we served your cottage pie that I had cooked. It was to 30 community cafe’s guests.Success? You betcha. It disappeared.
I had a few problems by upping the liquids from the 20 serves maximum in your recipe to the desired 30. Long reduction and (forgive me) adding corn flour got me there. I added mozzarella instead of Parmesan to the mash and sprinkled more on the scored top, Two days drying in the fridge, then reheat: the flavour in the meat was deeply developed, while the spud crust was like creamy mash topped with a cheesy potato chip.
Many thanks again for your recipes and books.
I made this tonight, I did mashed sweet potato with Parmesan cheese and it was absolutely delicious. I also made your self saucing chocolate pudding it was also amazing! I love your recipes. Thank you 😊
Absolutely delicious, filling & satisfying. The perfect winter warmer dish. The only thing I changed was cooking the mince sauce for 45 mins so it was less runny. Now for your Shepherd’s Pie next time round!
I’m a newcomer, I hate cooking, but this is the best recipe I think I have ever followed – everything was exactly as per the recipe and it was delicious. I found the notes on the filling consistency and the steaming of the potatoes very helpful. I added in a can of corn as requested by my kids. Kids loved it, I loved it, husband might love it if I convert it to a vegan recipe 🙄. This will be on rotation all through the colder months.
Absolutely delicious! I’m lactose intolerant so steamed the potatoes and mashed them with approx. 1 tablespoon of nuttelex buttery and some salt and pepper. Didn’t bother making it into a pie, just served the meat over the mash.
Made this again tonight but this time threw it in the slow cooker because I had to go out. Added in some finely diced sweet potato (because my kids love it). Made with 600g pork & 600g beef mince. Cut up fresh lasagne sheets and called it beef ragu. Family loved it!
Our family loves cottage pie. I usually don’t use a “ recipe” when I make it, but this is the one I pass on to anyone who asks . It’s pretty much how I make it. The only difference is, I don’t use wine and I add finely chopped mushrooms that are sautéed until golden for added umami.
Nagi, I have been making your recipes for over a decade. My children grew up eating food you told me how to cook. My eldest daughter, Katharine (25) haaaaates cooking. She hates it. Except she just had a baby. She has now fallen completely in love with cooking your recipes. We gave her your cookbook. Tonight, she made this recipe. Honestly, I’m so proud and I’m so thankful. Thank you so much.
Excellent meal. I used ground venison because that’s what I had on hand and it was delicious.
Made to recipe, added 3 chopped mushrooms instead of peas BUT did what one of our lovely community members suggested & put in Stand n Stuff taco shells. HUGE hit. Made 10. Will definitely make this & do similar again. 🙂
My kids love this recipe and it is now in the normal rotation. The only thing I change is omitting red wine. I add water and a little more beef bouillon.
I have made this with and without the red wine (I used a merlot). The red wine adds depth but unsure how authentic using red wine this dish is: Cottage pie’s origins are debated, but it’s generally believed to have been invented in the United Kingdom or Ireland in the 18th century. The dish was likely developed as a way for poorer people to use leftover meat and potatoes, given that the term “cottage pie” first appeared at the end of the 18th century, coinciding with the rise of the potato as an affordable staple, especially in the UK and Ireland. The name “cottage pie” is thought to refer to the humble dwellings of the working class, where the dish was often created, I am not sure if working class had access to red wine.