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A hearty comfort food dinner, you can’t beat a traditional British Cottage Pie. This simple recipe is perfect for prepping in advance, batch cooking or for diving into leftovers the following day.

A cooked cottage pie in an oven dish, being served with a spoon, with one portion missing.

What is Cottage Pie?

If you’re outside of the UK, Cottage Pie is a meat and potato meal that’s baked all in one oven dish, with a rich, vegetable and ground beef sauce on the bottom and mashed potato on top, baked for a hearty, hot, bubbling finish. 

There’s a reason this one has been around for centuries.

Created out of frugal necessity and creativity, it still remains on many family meal plans today, thanks to its convenience and sheer deliciousness.


Why you’ll love this Easy Cottage Pie recipe

⭐️ Batch cook and freezer friendly

⭐️ British classic comfort food

⭐️ Easy, delicious and economical


A close up of a cottage pie with one corner missing after being served, to reveal the inside of the pie, with a spoon dishing out.

Sarah’s notes

 ➡️ While not strictly traditional, I like to add a sprinkling of grated cheese on top of the mash in this recipe, because it’s SO good.

 ➡️ This recipe is easily adaptable, add other vegetables if you fancy or use meat-free mince.

 ➡️ Make a double batch if you can – one for the freezer, one for another day!


Homemade Cottage Pie Ingredients Notes

The ingredients for making a Cottage Pie recipe laid out in small bowls on a white counter.
  • Olive oil – Or sunflower or vegetable oil if you prefer
  • Large onion – Fresh or pre-chopped frozen is fine
  • Carrots – Chopped finely
  • Celery – This adds a savoury depth of flavour
  • Beef mince – I like 5% or 10% but use whichever one you usually buy to your own taste or budget
  • Plain flour – Substitute for cornflour to make gluten-free
  • Herbs – Dried thyme and sage (or use fresh if you prefer)
  • Beef stock – From a cube is fine
  • Tomato puree – Buy good quality if you can
  • Worcestershire sauce – Or Henderson’s Relish
  • Salt and pepper – Use plenty in this dish
  • White potatoes – Go for something floury and fluffy in texture like King Edward or Maris Piper. My preference would be Desiree though
  • Butter – I like salted

How to make Cottage Pie

A pan filled with browned mince beef with veggies to the side for step 1 in the recipe for Cottage Pie.

1. Fry the mince until browned over a medium heat.

Beef with mixed vegetables in a pan for step 2 in the recipe for Cottage Pie.

2. Add chopped vegetables and cook (according to the recipe below) then add flour.

A base sauce in a pan with beef mince and vegetables for step 3 in the recipe for Cottage Pie.

3. Pour in beef stock, tomato puree, Worcestershire sauce and seasoning. Simmer. Meanwhile, cook the potatoes according to the recipe below.

An uncooked Cottage Pie in a dish, ready to bake.

4. Mash your potatoes. Add the meat mixture to an ovenproof dish, followed by the creamy mashed potatoes. Bake.

Hint: Cooking time for the mince – this will vary depending on the type of pan you are using. I say 30 minutes, by which time the sauce/gravy should be thick, deep brown and very tasty. If it’s not, cook for a further 10 minutes at this point.


Substitutions

  • Gluten free – You can make this into a gluten free Cottage Pie by substituting flour for cornflour. Always check other ingredients too, especially the stock cubes.

Leftovers or Make Ahead

A traditional Cottage Pie is the perfect make-ahead dinner.

In the fridge Cook up to point 11 in the recipe below and you can keep this recipe in the fridge for 2 days. Then bake as normal.

How to freeze this Cottage Pie Once your pie is assembled (point 11 in the recipe below) you can chill and then freeze for up to one month. When you are ready to use the pie, defrost in the fridge overnight, then bake as normal from point 12 in the recipe. It may take a little longer than normal to bake, as always, check it is piping hot inside before serving.

Technically, it can also be cooked from frozen – cook at 160℃/fan 140℃/Gas 3 for 1 hr-1 hr 20 mins until piping hot in the centre. I have to say I prefer to defrost overnight first as the pie won’t dry out as much.

Top tips

Baking dishes

If you don’t want a pie dish out of action in the freezer, or you’re cooking a few batches, you can use foil trays with lids, like these ones from Amazon.

HACK: Frozen mixed vegetable base

You can replace the individual carrots, celery and onion ingredients for a frozen bag of ‘soffritto’, which comes already pre-chopped and all together in one bag. (I love this cheat for lots of recipes!)

It might be called ‘vegetable base mix’ or something similar in some supermarkets.

Swap for lamb mince

You can make this recipe with lamb mince instead, which would make it a Shepherd’s Pie!

More make-ahead pie recipes…

FAQs

Can I add in any vegetables to use up from my fridge?

You can use anything you like, but any veggies that will stay intact (like root veg) while it’s cooking is ideal. Peas work well, as does swede, leeks or sweetcorn.

Can I make this into a Vegetarian Cottage Pie?

These quantities have been created using beef mince in mind, but here is a great Vegetarian Cottage Pie recipe to follow instead!

What should I serve with Cottage Pie?

You can serve it up with a side of vegetables or have it on its own. It does come with its own gravy/sauce, but I like it with a bit of extra gravy.

I like onion gravy, steamed cabbage or braised red cabbage. Or something simple like carrots or broccoli.

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

They are very similar, but Cottage Pie is made with beef and Shepherd’s Pie is made with lamb.

How do you stop the mashed potato sinking into the pies?

The best way is to make sure you don’t have too much gravy/sauce by reducing it down plenty, and to allow the meat mixture to cool slightly before adding your mash on top. This isn’t totally vital but it’s good to do if you have time.

Let me know how you got on and what you thought of these recipes. Please rate the recipe using the ⭐️ below.

Also I’d LOVE to see your cooking creations. If you’d like to share yours with me, you can tag me on Instagram (@tamingtwins).

5 from 2 votes

Cottage Pie {Easy Recipe}

This classic Cottage Pie recipe is comforting and indulgent in a way that only British understated and humble dishes can be. Full of richness, goodness, and mightily satisfying, it’s always a big hit with family members big and small.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients 

For the filling:

  • 1 tbsp Olive oil
  • 500 g Beef mince
  • 1 Onion, Chopped
  • 2 Carrots, Finely chopped
  • 2 Celery sticks, Finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp Plain flour
  • 1 tsp Dried thyme, Or fresh
  • 1 tsp Dried sage, Or fresh
  • 500 ml Beef stock
  • 2 tbsp Tomato puree
  • 2 tbsp Worcester sauce
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper, To taste

For the topping:

  • 1 kg White potatoes
  • 2 tbsp Butter
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions 

  • Preheat your oven to 180℃/200℃/Gas mark 6.
  • Heat your olive oil in a large, heavy bottomed pan. Add in the mince and fry for 5 minutes on a high heat until browned all over.
  • Add in the chopped vegetables and fry for a further 10 minutes until softened.
  • Add flour and dried herbs, stir well to coat everything, cook for a further 2-3 minutes.
  • Pour in beef stock, tomato puree and Worcester sauce.
  • Season with salt and pepper. This is personal preference but I like to add lots of both in this recipe.
  • Cover and simmer for 30 mins. (See notes below)
  • Meanwhile peel and chop your potatoes, place in cold water, and bring to the boil for 15-20 minutes, depending on the type of potato.
  • When the potatoes are ready, drain and mash together with the butter and plenty of salt and pepper.
  • Put all of your meat into a large ovenproof dish. Spread your mashed potato over the top, ruffle with a fork to give those delicious crunchy bits. (You can also sprinkle some grated cheese on top if you wish).
  • (At this point you can leave to cool and then freeze your pie for up to one month to get ahead with your cooking).
  • Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until the mash is browning and the mince is bubbling at the sides.
  • Check that it is hot inside. It may take a few minutes longer if you cooked it straight from the fridge.

Notes

Cooking time for the mince: This will vary depending on the type of pan you are using. I’d say 30 minutes. By this time the sauce/gravy should be thick and deep brown and very tasty. If it’s not, cook for a further 10 minutes at this point
Gluten-free: Use cornflour rather than plain or any other gluten-free flour
Swaps: If you have veggies you need to use up, if you’d like to add a dash of wine, if you feel like adding flavouring to your mash etc… go for it. Any vegetables that will stay intact (like root veg) while it’s cooking is ideal. Peas work well, as does swede, leeks or sweetcorn
To make ahead: Cook up to point 11 in the recipe and you can keep it in the fridge for 2 days. Then bake as normal
To make ahead and freeze: Once your pie is assembled (point 11 in the recipe below) you can chill and then freeze. When you are ready to use the pie, defrost in the fridge overnight, then bake as normal from point 12 in the recipe. It may take a little longer than normal to bake, as always, check it is piping hot inside before serving
To cook from frozen: Cook at 160℃/fan 140℃/Gas 3 for 1 hr-1 hr 20 mins until piping hot in the centre. I have to say I prefer to defrost overnight first as the pie won’t dry out as much
Serving suggestions: You can serve with a side of vegetables or have it on its own. It does come with its own gravy/sauce, but I like it with a bit of extra gravy

Nutrition

Calories: 502kcalCarbohydrates: 55gProtein: 35gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 93mgSodium: 530mgPotassium: 1972mgFiber: 7gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 5343IUVitamin C: 55mgCalcium: 86mgIron: 6mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Family Food
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Sarah Rossi founder of TamingTwins.com and author of 'What's for Dinner?' books.

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Hi, I'm Sarah. I help busy people decide 'What's for Dinner?' Find hundreds of recipes here, and also in my bestselling recipe book. Hope my recipes make your life easier ❤️

5 from 2 votes

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3 Comments

  1. Hi Sarah, stupid question but how much of the frozen Soffritto would you use. Can you tell I am a novice 🙄. I love your casserole type recipes.