Savory ground beef mingles with the earthy goodness of carrots and peas beneath a warm blanket of cheesy mashed potatoes in this Irish Cottage Pie.
Easy Cottage Pie
I love serving this kind of dinner. It’s so hearty, it makes the perfect meal after a long day of work. If you’ve got hungry mouths at your table, this is the perfect way to fill them.
This recipe may look like a lot of work, based on the number of steps in the instructions. But, trust me, if you want an easy cottage pie recipe, this is the one to use. You can have this dinner on the table in about 40 minutes.
Cottage Pie vs. Shepherd’s Pie
I had never heard of a cottage pie until I was an adult. My mom always made recipes similar to this, but called it shepherd’s pie. Well, if you’re confused at the name, it’s a pretty simple distinction.
A cottage pie is simply a recipe for shepherd’s pie with ground beef, while shepherd’s pie uses lamb meat. Most people use the terms interchangeably, so I don’t worry too much about using cottage pie vs. shepherd’s pie.
Easy Cottage Pie Recipe
You’ll need the following ingredients to make a cottage pie:
- Yukon gold potatoes, carrots, garlic, peas, and diced tomatoes
- yellow onion and garlic
- butter, milk, and cheddar cheese
- thyme, basil, salt and pepper
- fresh Italian parsley
- ground beef
- flour
- Worcestershire sauce
- water or beef broth as needed
Start by preheating the oven to 400°F. Then, place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Then, boil for 10-15 minutes, until you can easily pierce with a fork. Take care not to overcook.
Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot. Then, use a potato masher or hand mixer to mash the potatoes. Next, add the butter and milk to the potatoes and mash a bit more to incorporate them into the potatoes.
Stir in the salt and pepper, then taste and adjust as desired. To finish the topping, stir in a cup of the shredded cheese before setting it aside.
While the potatoes are boiling, cook and crumble the ground beef over medium-high heat. When it is almost browned, drain off any excess grease and sprinkle with flour. Continue stirring and cooking for 1 minute, to coat well.
Shepherd’s Pie with Ground Beef
Add the onions and carrots to the pan with the beef and cook for 2-3 minutes. Then, add the garlic, parsley, thyme, basil, one teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Cook an additional 2-3 minutes until the onions are soft.
Once the onions have softened, add the tomatoes and Worcestershire sauce. Then, stir to combine and cook for a couple of minutes. If the mixture looks dry, add a splash of water or broth along with the peas.
Stir to combine. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed. Then, remove from heat. Transfer the filling to a 9×13 baking dish. Then, scoop the potatoes over the filling, spreading them out in an even layer.
Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the potatoes and bake for 10-15 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the edges are lightly browned. Garnish with the fresh Italian parsley before serving.
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Easy Cottage Pie
Ingredients
Potato Topping Ingredients
- 2½ pounds Yukon gold potatoes about 8 large potatoes, chopped into 1-inch pieces
- ¼ cup butter room temperature
- ¼ cup milk
- ½ teaspoons kosher salt adjust to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper adjust to taste
- 2 cups freshly shredded cheddar cheese divided
Filling Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 small yellow onion diced into ¼-inch pieces, about ¾ cup
- 3 medium carrots diced into ¼″ pieces, about 1 cup
- 4 large cloves of garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt adjust to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper adjust to taste
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- 14 ounces petite diced tomatoes
- 1-2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
- ¼ cup water or beef broth only as needed
- ½ cup frozen peas
- 1 tablespoon fresh Italian parsley for serving
Instructions
Topping Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Boil for 10-15 minutes, just until you can easily pierce with a fork. Take care not to overcook.
- Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot. Use a potato masher or hand mixer to mash the potatoes. Add the butter and milk to the potatoes. Mash a bit more to incorporate them into the potatoes.
- Stir in the salt and pepper. Taste and adjust as desired. Stir in 1 cup of cheese and set aside.
Filling Instructions
- While the potatoes are cooking, cook and crumble the ground beef over medium-high heat. When it is almost browned, drain off any excess grease and sprinkle with flour. Continue stirring and cooking for 1 minute, to coat well.
- Add the onions and carrots. Cook for 2-3 minutes then add the garlic, parsley, thyme, basil, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Cook an additional 2-3 minutes until the onions are soft.
- Add the tomatoes and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to combine and cook for a couple of minutes. If the mixture looks dry, add a splash of water or broth along with the peas.
- Stir to combine. Taste and then season with additional salt and pepper, as desired. Remove from heat.
- Transfer the filling to a 9×13 baking dish. Scoop the potatoes over the filling, spreading them out in an even layer. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the potatoes and bake for 10-15 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the edges are lightly browned. Sprinkle with parsley before serving.
Nutrition
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