Cottage Pie {Easy Recipe}

A serving missing from a cooked homemade cottage pie with a spoon.

4.88 from 8 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 Time10

Cook Time1 10

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Family Food

Servings:

Author: Sarah Rossi

Ingredients

For the filling:

1 tbsp Olive oil
500 g Beef mince 5% fat
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 made from a cube is fine
2 tbsp Tomato puree
2 tbsp Worcester sauce or Henderson's Relish
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper To taste

For the topping:

1 kg White potatoes
2 tbsp Salted butter
Sea 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

Type of dish: I used a 20 x 30cm oven proof dish, however you could use any size you have that is suitable for 4 people and roll the pastry accordingly. You could also make individual pies if you preferred.

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