This easy cottage pie recipe is British comfort food at its finest. Tender minced beef, onions and carrots in a delicious gravy topped with a blanket of fluffy mashed potatoes and grated cheese. A traditional cottage pie is one of the simplest yet most satisfying meals you could make for your family!
Cottage pie is a comfort food classic. It’s deeply old-fashioned but universally loved and will never go out of style. This hearty meal has been a staple in households for generations, and quite rightly so.
There are two elements to a cottage pie – the savoury minced beef filling and a fluffy, creamy mashed potato topping. It’s tasty, filling and very, very comforting.
Cottage pie is worth taking your time over. It’s the ideal recipe to make on a rainy Sunday afternoon when there’s not much else going on.Ā Other recipes that are perfect for leisurely weekend cooking are beef and Guinness stew, beef Bourguignon, slow cooked Bolognese sauce and this beef and chorizo casserole.
easy cottage pie recipe
I have a recipe for a quick minced beef hotpot that’s great for busy weeknights. Cottage pie is more suited to weekend cooking. If I’m not cooking a roast on a Sunday, I’ll often rustle up a cottage pie instead. It’s perfect on a chilly Sunday evening after you’ve been for a long walk.
ingredient notes
- I use the same basic recipe for the minced beef as my mince and tatties, but I change it up slightly by adding a couple of extra ingredients.
- Tomato puree is often used in a cottage pie recipe, but I use HP (brown) sauce instead. This might sound a little unusual, but it’s delicious, trust me! If you can’t get HP sauce, please feel free to swap it for tomato puree instead.
- I don’t always have red wine in my kitchen, but if I do, I’ll always add some when I’m making cottage pie. It adds richness and flavour to the gravy.
- My favourite herb to add to cottage pie is always rosemary – fresh or dried are both fine. Thyme also goes really well with beef.
- I like to use the best quality minced beef I can find with a fat content between 12-15%. I wouldn’t go for mince with a 20% fat content, but this is personal preference.
- Purists may disagree, but a handful of grated cheddar cheese scattered on top of the mash is an absolute must for me!
how to make a traditional cottage pie
Scroll to the bottom of the post to find the printable recipe card with ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
Step one: cook the onion, celery, carrots and chopped rosemary needles in olive oil over a low heat until softened. This will take about 10 minutes.Ā
Step two: Add the minced beef to the pan, increase the heat to medium-high and brown, breaking up the mince with a wooden spoon. Crumble in the OXO cube.
Step three: When the beef has browned all over, stir in the flour and cook for one minute, stirring.Ā
Step four: Pour in the red wine, if using. Cook for 3-4 minutes, then add the beef stock, Worcestershire sauce and brown sauce. Season with a little salt and black pepper. Cover the pan with a lid and gently simmer on a low-medium heat for about an hour, or until the beef is soft and the gravy is thick. Pour the mince into a large baking dish and set aside to cool down.Ā
Step five: While the mince is cooking, peel and cut the potatoes into quarters. Place them in a large saucepan with lots of cold water. Place on the hob, bring to the boil (add about 1 teaspoon of salt), partially cover with a lid and simmer on a medium-high heat for about 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
Drain the potatoes in a colander and dry them well, then return to the pan and mash with butter and a splash of milk, if needed. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.Ā
Step six: Place the mashed potato on top of the cooled mince. It doesnāt have to be completely cold, but I wouldnāt recommend adding the mash while the mince is piping hot. This will cause the potato to sink into the mince, making a sloppy mess.Ā
Step seven: Rough the top of the mash up with a fork to create those desirable crispy bits, then top with grated cheddar cheese.Ā
Step eight: Bake at 200C/180Fan/400F for 30-35 minutes or until the top is golden, crispy and the cheese has melted.Ā
Remove from the oven and allow to stand for about 10-15 min before serving.Ā
commonly asked questions
Cottage pie is filling enough to be served as a meal by itself, but you could add peas, braised red cabbage, steamed broccoli, Spring greens, Brussels sprouts, or Yorkshire puddings.
They are the same recipe – with just one difference! Cottage pie is made with minced beef and Shepherd’s pie uses minced lamb.
Yes! Cottage pie can be frozen before baking or after baking. It will keep in the freezer for up to three months.
The easiest way to stop the mash from sinking into the filling is to make sure your mince has cooled down. This is why I prefer to make the mince in advance. If you don’t have the time, then just allow the mince to cool down and thicken up a little for around one hour before adding the mash – it will make all the difference.
I certainly do! Oxo is a stock cube that adds an instant meaty flavour to any beef recipe.
Tomato puree is often added to the beef mince for a cottage pie. I use HP brown sauce instead, but you can use tomato puree if you prefer.
recipe variations
- Make a sweet potato cottage pie. Using mashed sweet potatoes instead of regular mashed potatoes makes a nice change.
- A potato and parsnip mash is lovely too – simply swap out a few potatoes for diced parsnips and mash to a creamy consistency.
- You can make cottage pie with leftover roast beef or brisket, such as my Instant Pot beef brisket.
did you make this recipe?
I hope you loved it! Let me know what you think of the recipe by commenting below.
Easy Cottage Pie Recipe
Once you've made this classic easy cottage pie recipe, you won't look back! A rich minced beef filling with onions and carrots topped with fluffy mashed potatoes and a generous sprinkling of cheese. Comfort food heaven!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- One large onion, finely chopped
- one stick celery, finely diced
- 2 or 3 carrots, peeled and finely diced
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary (or 1 teaspoon dried) (optional)
- 500g minced beef
- One Oxo cube (optional)
- 1 tablespoon plain (all purpose) flour
- 400ml beef stock (I use a stock pot)
- 60ml red wine (optional)
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon HP brown sauce
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2kg potatoes, peeled and quartered
- 75g butter
- 50ml milk (if needed)
- 25g cheddar cheese, grated
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Gently fry the diced onion, celery, carrot and rosemary over a low heat for 8-10 minutes or until the vegetables have softened.
- Turn the heat up to medium-high, add the minced beef and brown, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Crumble in the Oxo cube, if using.
- Add the flour and cook for one minute (to remove any floury taste), then pour in the red wine. Let it bubble away for a few minutes to burn off the alcohol.
- Stir in the beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, brown sauce and season with salt and pepper. Place a lid on the pan, turn the heat down to low and simmer gently for about one hour or until the minced beef is nice and soft and the gravy has thickened.
- For the mashed potato topping, cook the potatoes in lots of salted boiling water for 15-20 minutes or until soft. Drain them in a colander, then place back in the pot and mash with the butter, milk if using and season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 200C/180Fan/400F. Spoon the minced beef in a large baking dish, then place the mash on top. Rough the top up with a fork, then sprinkle over the cheese.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the top is crispy.
Notes
If you like the flavour of tomato puree in cottage pie, then please feel free to add some in place of the brown sauce.
Make in advance - Make the minced beef filling up to 24 hours ahead of time. If the mince has been prepared ahead and chilled, remove from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature while you make the mashed potatoes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 711Total Fat: 29gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 106mgSodium: 498mgCarbohydrates: 78gFiber: 9gSugar: 7gProtein: 34g
Calories and nutritional information are provided by a third party application and should be viewed as indicative figures only.