Comforting cottage pie for the whole family
Autumn is here and it is the perfect time to roll out delicious comfort food such as this cottage pie recipe.
It is delicious and full of goodness. You can’t beat a delicious dish of mince and veggies topped off with delicious creamy mashed potatoes after a hard day at work, especially as the darker nights roll in!
What is the difference between cottage pie and shepherd’s pie?
Both dishes are very similar and to be honest, taste pretty similar too. The only difference is that there in cottage pie you use minced beef and it shepherd’s pie you use lamb mince.
Mixing up your mash
If you are looking for a little difference with your cottage pie, then you can change up your mashed potato a little with just these simple options.
- Add a little whole grain mustard to your mash – This is my favourite topping for our cottage pie, to me, there is never too much mustard!
- Go cheesy – If you are looking for something a little different and one for milder palettes, why not add some cheese to your mash?
Can you freeze your cottage pie?
You can freeze your cottage pie if you want to do so, these are probably a little easier in the little foil trays that you get in any supermarket.
I personally prefer to freeze my cottage pie meat portions in the freezer and then I just make fresh mash when we go to use it. Just make sure whatever you choose to do, when you reheat it, it is piping hot throughout.
Can you reheat cottage pie?
It reheats really well, just pop it back in the oven for 20 minutes or until piping hot and it will taste just as good as the day before.
Cottage pie recipe
Prep time – 10 Minutes
Cook time – 1 Hour 15 Minutes
Ingredients
Filling
- 500g Minced beef
- 1 onion finely diced
- 2 Carrots, thinly chopped
- 2 Cloves of garlic (I use 1 heaped teaspoon of Very Lazy garlic)
- 1 Tbs Tomato Puree
- 2 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tbs Plain flour
- 1 Tsp Thyme
- 850 ml Beef stock
Mash
- 1kg Potatoes
- 150ml Milk
- 20g Butter
Instructions
- Heat up some oil in a large saucepan and brown off the mince
- Once cooked, place the mince to one side and return the pan to the heat
- Add a little more oil, then add the onion and carrot and cook on low heat until soft
- Add in the garlic, flour and tomato puree and turn the heat up a little whilst mixing this for a few minutes
- Add the beef back into the pan
- Add in the Worcestershire sauce, thyme and stock and give a good stir
- Lower the heat and leave to simmer for about 45 minutes. In this time it should become a lovely thick sauce around the mince. If it is still a little watery after 30 minutes, turn the heat up a little to help thicken it.
- Whilst the mince is cooking, it is time to make the mash.
- In a large saucepan, add the peeled, chopped potatoes to salted water and bring to a boil and simmer until tender.
- Drain well and then add back into the pan
- Add in your milk and butter and mash well. You may not need all your milk, so add in a little at a time.
- If you are adding cheese or mustard, now is the time to add it in.
- Spoon the meat into a large ovenproof dish or smaller dishes and top with the mash.
- Pre-heat your oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7 and cook for 25-30 mins. If you are eating the next day, you do not need to do this step until you are ready.
If you would like a printable version of this recipe, please see the printable recipe card below!
Comforting cottage pie for the whole family
Ingredients
- Filling
- 500g Minced beef
- 1 onion finely diced
- 2 Carrots, thinly chopped
- 2 Cloves of garlic (I use 1 heaped teaspoon of Very Lazy garlic)
- 1 Tbs Tomato Puree
- 2 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tbs Plain flour
- 1 Tsp Thyme
- 850 ml Beef stock
- Mash
- 1kg Potatoes
- 150ml Milk
- 20g Butter
Instructions
- Heat up some oil in a large saucepan and brown off the mince.
- Once cooked, place the mince to one side and return the pan to the heat.
- Add a little more oil, then add the onion and carrot and cook on low heat until soft.
- Add in the garlic, flour and tomato puree and turn the heat up a little whilst mixing this for a few minutes.
- Add the beef back into the pan.
- Add in the Worcestershire sauce, thyme and stock and give a good stir.
- Lower the heat and leave to simmer for about 45 minutes. In this time it should become a lovely thick sauce around the mince. If it is still a little watery after 30 minutes, turn the heat up a little to help thicken it.
- Whilst the mince is cooking, it is time to make the mash.
- In a large saucepan, add the peeled, chopped potatoes to salted water and bring to a boil and simmer until tender.
- Drain well and then add back into the pan
- Add in your milk and butter and mash well. You may not need all your milk, so add in a little at a time.
- If you are adding cheese or mustard, now is the time to add it in.
- Spoon the meat into a large ovenproof dish or smaller dishes and top with the mash.
- Pre-heat your oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7 and cook for 25-30 mins. If you are eating the next day, you do not need to do this step until you are ready.
When I make these I tend to cook them in individual portions using these Mason Cash pie dishes, however, if you would prefer, you can make this as one big pie and serve it up.
This is really easy to make as it is pretty much meat, veg and potatoes. What veggies you use up can be varied too depending on what you may have in the fridge or freezer. It is one thing I love about pies, you can tweak the recipe to suit what you have in your house.
If you are in a hurry midweek, why not make this in advance at the weekend and reheat it when you get in after a busy day? Perfect comfort food with minimal effort.
We will be sharing more of our family’s favourite savoury and sweet recipes in the coming weeks, so make sure you pop back to see what we have cooking! In the meantime, if you are after our most popular recipes, why not check out this leftover chicken curry recipe, which is perfect for using up that chicken you have left from the roast dinner?
Yum looks amazing!
This is my favourite recipe
Nothing more filling and comforting than a lovely cottage pie
Oh I do love cottage pie with carrots and cabbage!