Cottage Pie

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Cottage Pie is a delicious meaty casserole made with ground (or minced) meat and vegetables simmered in a rich, flavorful sauce. Next the casserole is topped with mashed potatoes and baked to golden brown perfection. This is the ultimate comfort food!

 

Hearty and comforting classic Cottage Pie

Savory Cottage Pie is one of the most satisfying, comforting and deliciously hearty meals you can make at home. Tender beef, rich flavorful gravy and fluffy mashed potatoes come together in this age-old favorite.

We’ve been making cottage pie for years and never seem to tire of this amazing dish. Once a month we host a family dinner with our adult children and their families. This is the kind of Sunday supper they all love.

What’s the difference between Cottage Pie and Shepherd’s Pie?

Shepherd’s Pie is made with ground lamb in place of the beef found in cottage pie. Other than that small change, the ingredients are typically the same.

As with many popular dishes known worldwide there are a million variations to the recipes depending on where you live. However most all recipes include ground meat, onions and potatoes.

Some recipes include corn and peas, while others add celery and mushrooms, too. Sometimes we include all those vegetables in our cottage pie; it’s all good! For this recipe we’ve used the basics: onions, potatoes, peas and carrots.

Shepherd’s Pie or Cottage Pie, which is better?

We’ve tried a lot of great lamb recipes while traveling in Ireland, Iceland, Europe and Australia. For a real Scottish treat try this recipe for Lamb Pasties, oh so good! My husband and I love lamb and never hesitate to use it in recipes like our kebabs, meatballs and Souvlaki when cooking at home.

Ground lamb has become more popular in the US in recent years, and is much easier to find in grocery stores. If you haven’t tried ground lamb, I wholeheartedly recommend you give it a go! I guess it’s hard to pick a favorite; we love them both!

Where does Cottage Pie come from?

The term cottage pie first appeared in Europe in the late 1700’s. The name shepherd’s pie became popular in Britain and Ireland in the mid-1800’s but only when referring to a savory pie made with lamb.

This casserole was first created as a way to use leftover meat and potatoes. However, the dish has evolved into a favorite main course worldwide. Cottage pie is often referred to as pub grub.

Overview: Ingredients

Beef mixture:

• lean ground beef
• baking soda
• salt and pepper

For the mashed potatoes:

• potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
• salt and pepper
• unsalted butter
• milk
• egg yolk

The filling:

• unsalted butter and olive oil
• carrots and onion
• salt and pepper
• crushed red pepper flakes to add a little zing
• garlic
• tomato paste
• all-purpose flour
• Worcestershire sauce
• low-sodium beef broth
• fresh thyme
• cornstarch
• frozen green peas

Overview: How to make Cottage Pie

1. Prepare the beef

Combine the ground beef with a slurry of baking soda, water, salt and pepper. This tenderizes the beef. Set aside while making the potatoes.

2. Prepare the potatoes

Place the potatoes and salt in a pot of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer until tender.

Drain the potatoes and mash with butter, salt and pepper. Add milk and the egg yolk. Cover and set aside until needed.

3. Make the filling

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat an oven/broiler proof large skillet or baking dish on the stovetop and add the butter and olive oil. Add the onions, carrots, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes.

Next add the garlic and tomato paste. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir to combine. Cook while stirring constantly for 2 minutes.

Pour in the beef broth, Worcestershire and thyme. Reduce the heat and add the ground beef in small chunks on top of the vegetables (don’t stir). Bring the mixture to a simmer, cover and cook until the beef is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Stir halfway through to break up any large clumps.

Whisk the cornstarch with water and add to the beef. Stir in the frozen peas and remove from the heat.

4. Assembling the casserole

Spoon the mashed potatoes into a large ziplock bag or piping bag. Cut a 1-inch opening in the corner and pipe the potatoes over the beef mixture. Carefully smooth to cover the beef. Drag the tines of a fork across the top to make decorative ridges.

Bake on a rimmed baking sheet until bubbling, about 15 to 20 minutes. Turn the broiler on high, prop the oven door open slightly and broil the casserole until the potatoes are golden brown and crusty, about 5 minutes. Allow the casserole to cool 15 minutes before serving.

Tips for making the best Cottage Pie:

• Don’t skip the first step! Sprinkling a little baking soda over the ground beef helps it stay tender instead of chewy and tough. Thanks to America’s Test Kitchen for that amazing tip!

• Some cottage pies can be watery, and almost soup-like. To prevent this we start by using lean ground beef. As fatty beef cooks, it creates more juice that can water down your gravy. Make sure to use beef that is at least 90% lean.

• We recommend using a hand potato masher when making the mashed potatoes. An electric mixer makes mashed potatoes gummy.

• Our recipe calls for 2 cups of beef broth. If you prefer less gravy, reduce that amount to 1 or 1-1/2 cups broth instead.

• Cottage pie can be baked in the skillet used to cook the meat, or transferred to a casserole dish before baking. If you use a casserole dish, make sure it’s broiler friendly, or skip broiling the top and just bake until bubbly. The potatoes will brown a little without being broiled.

• For a simple shortcut use good quality, pre-made, store-bought mashed potatoes. Stir in an egg yolk before piping on top of the beef. Adding an egg yolk to the potatoes helps it turn a nice golden brown. I gleaned that terrific tip from my other go-to source for all things cooking and baking: Cook’s Country.

• Piping the mashed potatoes on top of the casserole is highly recommended. If spooned or dolloped, the potatoes tend to clump and sink into the meat and not spread as well.

• I’ve also has great success adding white cheddar cheese to the mashed potatoes and/or topping the casserole with shredded cheese at the end. Cheesy potatoes… yum!

Can Cottage Pie recipe be made ahead or frozen?

The meat mixture may be made ahead of time and refrigerated. Allow the beef to come to room temperature while preparing the mashed potatoes. Bake and broil as directed.

Leftover cottage pie can be gently re-warmed in the microwave.

We often freeze leftover cottage pie in individual servings to use as a quick weeknight dinner, or for a hearty lunch. Thaw the frozen cottage pie overnight in the refrigerator and rewarm in the microwave.

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Originally published in January 2012, updated January 2021