This cottage pie recipe is filled with ground beef and veggies in a rich brown gravy. It’s topped with cheesy potatoes and baked until browned and bubbly.
Holly’s Recipe Highlights For Cottage Pie
- Skill level: Easy! Perfect for beginners or home cooks looking for a cozy, homemade meal.
- Swaps: Swap ground beef for ground turkey or lamb. Use sweet potatoes for a twist on the topping.
- Time-Saving Tip: Use store-bought mashed potatoes and/or frozen mixed veggies to cut down on prep time.
- Freezing: Cool completely, wrap tightly, and freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat in the oven until heated through.
Cottage Pie vs. Shepherd’s Pie
While both pies contain vegetables and a rich gravy cooked under mashed potatoes, the difference is in the meat. Shepherd’s pie contains ground lamb while a cottage pie contains ground meat like beef, chicken, turkey, or a combination.
Ingredient Tips For Cottage Pie
- Meat: I use lean ground beef but you can use any ground meat.
- Vegetables: Carrots, celery, and peas add flavor. Other great additions include corn, chopped mushrooms, or even chopped kale.
- Potatoes: While cheese is not traditional, I love the flavor a bit of cheddar adds. You can save time and use leftover mashed potatoes.
- Sauce: The gravy-like sauce is easy to make with beef stock or broth and seasonings. For a shortcut add a can of cream of mushroom soup or leftover beef gravy.
Variations
- No time to make mashed potatoes? Top cottage pie with frozen tater tots instead. You can also use mashed sweet potatoes.
- Green beans can be used in place of peas. Toss in a bag of frozen vegetable medley to cut down on prep time.
Tip for Easy Cleanup: Brown the ground beef in an oven-proof 10-inch skillet. Top it with the potatoes and bake it right in the skillet for fewer dishes to wash.
Leftovers and Storage
Keep leftover cottage pie in a covered container in the fridge for up to 4 days and reheat portions in the microwave or the oven covered with foil until heated through. Freeze in freezer-safe containers and thaw overnight before reheating.
More Cozy Ground Beef Casseroles
Did your family love this Cottage Pie? Leave a rating and a comment below!
Cottage Pie
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 onion diced
- 2 carrots ½ inch diced
- 2 ribs celery ½ inch diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups beef broth
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1 bay leaf
- ⅔ cup peas
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Mashed Potatoes
- 2 pounds russet potatoes or Yukon gold potatoes
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
- ⅓ cup warm milk
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Peel potatoes and cut into 1-inch chunks. Place in a large pot of cold salted water.
- Bring the potatoes to a gentle boil and cook 13-16 minutes or until fork tender.
- While potatoes are cooking, combine ground beef and onion in a large skillet, brown until no pink remains.
- Add carrots, celery, and garlic to the ground beef mixture. Cook for an additional 5 minutes or until slightly tender.
- Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Stir in beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, parsley, thyme, and bay leaf.
- Simmer for 20 minutes or until the gravy has thickened. Remove bay leaf, add peas, and season with salt and pepper.
- Drain the potatoes well and mash until smooth. Stir in the butter. Add warmed milk a little bit at a time until the potatoes are smooth and fluffy, you may not need all of the milk. Stir the cheese into the potatoes. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Top the meat mixture with the potatoes and place in the oven. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden.
Notes
- If time allows, chill the meat layer for 20 minutes before adding the potatoes to keep the layers separated.
- Use thawed frozen veggies in place of fresh, no need to chop or cook them.
- For a quick version, use a packet of gravy mix and simmer until thickened, or replace the sauce with a can of condensed tomato soup (no water needed).
- If you’d like it extra saucy, you can increase the flour and sauce ingredients.
- Bake cottage pie on a parchment-covered rimmed baking sheet in case it spills over.
- Keep leftover cottage pie covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Freeze portions in covered containers, thaw overnight, and reheat as desired.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Beef, Casserole, Dinner, Entree, Main Course
Cuisine American, Irish© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
I made this tonight and it was a hit. Thank you for all you recipes I haven’t tried one that wasn’t terrific
I love this recipe and highly recommend it as written. Except for boiling the potatoes, I cooked it in a deep 12″ cast-iron skillet and it worked perfectly. Be sure to use the full 2# of potatoes called for in the topping. I added the recommended grated cheese and a bit of sour cream to the mashed potatoes.
I do suggest a few minor changes, depending on one’s preferences. As seniors, we minimize added salt. I use about 1/2t to 1t of cayenne pepper to bring out the flavor (instead of salt). I add extra ground black pepper and other herbs to jumpstart the dish. If you have extra vegetables on hand, don’t hesitate to include them. I added a chopped zucchini and a few unused diced broccoli stems from our fridge.
My cast iron pan was able to contain all of the additions without any spillover. Delicious!
Loved this version of shepherds pie that I have been having my whole life! This was even better than Mom’s. Keeper!
Fantastic recipe!
I love cottage pie and I will definitely give yours a go. Thanks very much for sharing your wonderful recipes :)