Cottage Pie

Cottage pie is Shepard’s Pie with ground beef rather than lamb. A soul warming vegetable and meat stew topped with a cheesy layer of mashed potatoes. A go-to recipe to feed a crowd or to make meal prepping easy! Loved by adults and kids alike makes this a must have recipe for any family!

You can always get frilly with a cottage pie and prepare it in individual serving pans or by piping the potatoes on top in a neat design, or you can keep this humble dish humble and serve it the traditional way as described in this recipe.

Let’s start with the grocery list for this easy cottage pie recipe.

SHOPPING LIST:

• Olive Oil
• White Onion **one medium/large onion
• 1.5 lb Ground Beef **or ground lamb for traditional Shepherd’s Pie
• Dried Parsley
• Dried Thyme
• Dried Rosemary
• Kosher Salt
• Black Pepper
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Minced Garlic
• Flour
• 3 oz Tomato Paste
• 1.5 c Beef Broth
• 1 c Frozen Corn
• 1.5 c Frozen Peas & Carrots
• 2.5 lb Russet Potato 
• Butter
• Whole Milk
• 1/2 c Shredded Parmesan Cheese

EQUIPMENT NEEDED:

• 1 Large Skillet
• 1 Large Pot
• 1 9×13 Baking/Casserole Dish
• 1 Wooden spoon
• 1 Potato Masher **or hand mixer

HOW TO MAKE COTTAGE PIE:

PREP WORK:

• Peel and dice onion.
• Peel and cube potatoes.
• Place potatoes in large pot. Cover with water. Add salt. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer until fork tender while making meat and vegetable filling.

FOR MEAT AND VEGETABLE FILLING:

• Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium high heat for 2 minutes.
• Add onion and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add ground beef. Break it up with the wooden spoon.
• Add parsley, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper.
• Cook until meat is browned. About 7-8 minutes.
• Drain about half of the grease that was cooked out.
• Add garlic and Worcestershire sauce. Mix thoroughly.
• Add flour and tomato paste. Mix until tomato paste is no longer clumpy and the whole mixture is smooth and slightly red in color.
• Add beef broth and vegetables. Bring to boil and then simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

FOR MASHED POTATO LAYER:

• When potatoes are fork tender (falling apart when putting a fork through them), turn off the stove, strain out the water and return potatoes to pot.
• Let sit for 1 minute in hot pot so any excess water evaporates.
• Add butter, milk, pepper and parsley.
• Mash or mix until smooth.
• Add Parmesan and mix until melted in.

CONSTRUCTING AND COOKING YOUR PIE:

• Pour and spread meat layer evenly into prepared 9×13 dish.
• Dollop potato in heaping scoops over top of meat mixture.
• Spread potatoes like icing in an even layer.
• Sprinkle top with 1.5 tsp of dried parsley.
• Place constructed pie in fridge to chill and set for 30 minutes (or up to 12 hours) while preheating the oven to 400F.
• Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes. You may want to place your pie on a baking sheet to reduce mess incase it boils over.
• Cool for 15-20 minutes before serving!

Cottage Pie

Cottage pie is Shepard's Pie with ground beef rather than lamb. A soul warming vegetable and meat stew topped with a cheesy layer of mashed potatoes.

5 from 3 votes

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 55 minutes mins

Chilling time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Irish

Servings 8 people

Calories 398 kcal

Equipment

• 1 Large Skillet
• 1 Large Pot
• 1 9×13 Baking/Casserole Dish
• 1 Wooden spoon
• 1 Potato Masher **or hand mixer

Ingredients

  

For Meat and Vegetable Filling:

• 3 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1.5 c White Onion **one medium/large onion
• 1.5 lb Ground Beef **or ground lamb for traditional Shepherd's Pie
• 4 tsp Dried Parsley
• 1.5 tsp Dried Thyme
• 1.5 tsp Dried Rosemary
• 1.5 tsp Kosher Salt
• 1.5 tsp Black Pepper
• 1.5 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 3 tsp Minced Garlic
• 3 tbsp Flour
• 3 oz Tomato Paste
• 1.5 c Beef Broth
• 1 c Frozen Corn
• 1.5 c Frozen Peas & Carrots

For Potato Layer:

• 2.5 lb Russet Potato peeled and cut into large cubes
• 2 tsp Kosher Salt
• 1/2 stick Butter
• 1/2 c Whole Milk
• 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
• 1/2 tsp Dried Parsley
• 1/2 c Shredded Parmesan Cheese

FINISHING TOUCHES:

• 1.5 tsp Dried Parsley

Instructions

 

PREP WORK:

• Peel and dice onion.
• Peel and cube potatoes.
• Place potatoes in large pot. Cover with water. Add salt. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer until fork tender while making meat and vegetable filling.

FOR MEAT AND VEGETABLE FILLING:

• Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium high heat for 2 minutes.
• Add onion and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add ground beef. Break it up with the wooden spoon.
• Add parsley, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper.
• Cook until meat is browned. About 7-8 minutes.
• Drain about half of the grease that was cooked out.
• Add garlic and Worcestershire sauce. Mix thoroughly.
• Add flour and tomato paste. Mix until tomato paste is no longer clumpy and the whole mixture is smooth and slightly red in color.
• Add beef broth and vegetables. Bring to boil and then simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

FOR MASHED POTATO LAYER:

• When potatoes are fork tender (falling apart when putting a fork through them), turn off the stove, strain out the water and return potatoes to pot.
• Let sit for 1 minute in hot pot so any excess water evaporates.
• Add butter, milk, pepper and parsley.
• Mash or mix until smooth.
• Add Parmesan and mix until melted in.

CONSTRUCTING AND COOKING YOUR PIE:

• Pour and spread meat layer evenly into prepared 9×13 dish.
• Dollop potato in heaping scoops over top of meat mixture.
• Spread potatoes like icing in an even layer.
• Sprinkle top with 1.5 tsp of dried parsley.
• Place constructed pie in fridge to chill and set for 30 minutes (or up to 12 hours) while preheating the oven to 400F.
• Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes. You may want to place your pie on a baking sheet to reduce mess incase it boils over.
• Cool for 15-20 minutes before serving!

Keyword cottage pie, ground beef, mashed potato, shepherd’s pie

If you liked this recipe, check out these other family favorites from Struggle Shuttle:

Corned Beef Casserole

Hamburger Vegetable Soup

Spicy 3 Bean Chili

Let me know what you and your family think about this cottage pie recipe in the comments!

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