This recipe for Cottage Pie is a delicious way to enjoy an Irish staple whether you’re making it for St. Patrick’s Day or just because you love it!
If you’re looking for comfort food, then I think we can all agree that any kind of casserole dish will always fit the bill. For some reason, casseroles just remind me of growing up and they make me feel warm and cozy. My mom or grandma could quickly whip up a casserole and it was a whole meal in one baking dish for everyone to enjoy. Certain recipes – like my recipe for Cottage Pie – still remind me of this time. Even though, my mom was more than likely making Tuna Casserole and my grandma was probably making some sort of baked pasta dish.
Today, a lot of casseroles help to convey this nostalgia to me, but this one really sits differently. Maybe because it’s called pie? Maybe because it’s just a simple, delicious dish that you can actually make fairly quickly.
What is Cottage Pie?
Cottage Pie is a dish that originated in the United Kingdom and my recipe for Cottage Pie is something we bring out seasonally. Either when the weather gets cold or when we’re all hoping to feel a wee bit more Irish. Although, Kevin is half Irish so he doesn’t need to ‘feel” it like I do.
When you are looking for a recipe for Cottage Pie, a lot of people think it’s Shepard’s Pie. Actually the two are very similar. Cottage Pie is ground up beef and vegetables topped with mashed potatoes and baked. Shepard’s Pie is lamb instead of beef. Often in the United States we use Shepard’s Pie to refer to what’s really Cottage Pie. Technically though, Cottage Pie is older than Shepard’s Pie. It originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1700s and it was an easy and affordable meal for the peasants that were living in cottages. Hence, “Cottage” Pie.
How do I make Cottage Pie?
Cottage Pie might be one of the easiest “pies” you ever make. It’s crustless so you don’t have to worry about messing with dough or burning a crust like you would with a pot pie.
In my recipe for Cottage Pie you will find it has some pretty basic ingredients that all come together in a way that’s pleasing. In fact, Kevin – who is not a big fan of Irish food – kept coming into the kitchen as I was cooking this and asking me when it was going to be done. Then he proceeded to eat a giant plate full of it and came back for seconds.
At it’s most basic level, my recipe for Cottage Pie includes the ground beef, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, and peas. I combine all of that with tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, rosemary, a few bay leaves and a little beef broth. Then, I top it all off with my red skinned mashed potatoes {HERE}.
It’s baked together and everything really kind of sinks into one another – making the potatoes and the meat mix really work as one.
Tips for making this recipe for Cottage Pie
- Have everything ready to go when you’re ready to make the recipe. This means go ahead and pre-measure and cut everything. Once you get going, the recipe for Cottage Pie comes together pretty quickly.
- I use Hunt’s tomato paste and Swanson Beef Broth in my recipe for Cottage Pie, but feel free to use whatever you like.
- You can find my recipe for my full recipe for my Red Skinned Mashed potatoes {HERE}. You can make these ahead of time if you like or make them at the same time as you make the base for the Cottage Pie. I use an abridged version of the recipe in this recipe for Cottage Pie.
- This recipe can use fresh or dried herbs. generally I’m a stickler for fresh herbs but dried ones work well in this recipe since it’s double cooked.
Thank you so much for visiting today, friends! I hope that you enjoyed this recipe for Cottage Pie. You can find the full, printable recipe below!
Recipe for Cottage Pie
Ingredients
Pie ingredients
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 2 carrots, sliced
- 2 celery stalks, sliced
- 2 tsp. garlic, minced
- 3 Tbsp. tomato paste
- 3-4 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 cup peas
- 1 cup corn
- 1 Tbsp. thyme leaves
- 1 Tbsp. crushed rosemary leaves
- 2 bay leaves
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Optional: Cheese for topping the pie, additional thyme and salt and pepper as desired.
Mashed Potato Ingredients
- 3 lbs. red skin potatoes, chopped leave skin on
- 4 Tbsp. butter
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2-1 Tbsp. salt
- 2 Tbsp. green onion
- Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Boil water for the potatoes and add them to the pot. Boil for 10-12 minutes or until the potatoes are soft enough to easily pierce with a fork.
- Add olive oil to a large pan and when it's heated through add in the onions, garlic, carrots and celery. Cook for 4 minutes or until the onions start to become translucent.
- Add in the beef and begin to brown it.
- Once browned, add in the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce and beef broth. Combine well and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add in the peas, corn and the herbs. Simmer for another 5 minutes.
- Once the potatoes are done, drain them and then add them back to the pot with the other ingredients for the potatoes (except the onions). Use a potato masher until they are smooth and creamy. Then stir in the onions.
- Add the beef mixture to an oven safe baking dish and then layer the potatoes on top of that.
- Add on cheese if you like and then bake for 25 minutes.
- When done, sprinkle with additional thyme and serve.
This looks delicious. I don’t think I’ve ever had cottage pie before so I’m excited to try it out!
Everything about this recipe is amazing! I adore all the ingredients, and I mean, it’s topped with mashed potatoes. Winner!
This is similar to sheppards pie. It sure does sound delicious for dinner.
I never had cottage pie before, this looks really divine.
Looks scrumptious and healthy. Will try. Thanks for sharing!
I love cottage Pie. I’ve always wanted to make this. Now is the perfect time to make it. I hope it will turn out okay.
Thank you for calling it by the correct name! I cringe when I see people calling this shepherd’s pie. It looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it this St. Patrick’s Day.
Mmmmm…. How delicious and inviting this cottage pie looks! It seems so easy to make and I have all the ingredients.
This Cottage Pie came together pretty quickly. I can’t wait to give it a try. looks tasty!
This looks delicious and quite filling!
I love making cottage pie and shepherd’s pie! I have never added corn to mine, but you can bet I will be using this recipe next time so I can try that!
Cottage pie has always been one of my husband’s favouite meals. We’ve not tried it with the corn or herbs you used. It sounds great!
Oh my! This is such a really amazing recipe! It look so good! I know my family would love this so much!
I can’t remember when was the last time I had a taste of this cottage pie, I think it’s time to try making on my own with this great recipe!
Yum tis the season for this type of pie! I love that you call yours a Cottage Pie and you kept it very traditional. We don’t do peas over here, LOL so those get left out.
I never realized that Shepherd’s Pie was made with lamb vs beef. I also didn’t realize that Cottage pie was made using red potatoes. I have printed this out so I can make this for my husband. Now I can’t wait. Thank you for such a great recipe and post explaining these things that I didn’t know.
Love that this is really easy to prepare! Never tried this at home but looks like we will be having this for the weekend!
It looks delicious. I don’t think I’ve ever had cottage pie before, can’t wait to try your recipe!
thanks for the history behind this, it is always interesting to learn about the how and why of foods around the world.. I love that it is a hearty meal and will definitely try making a vegetarian version of this..
Your photos of cottage pie are making me hungry! I am one of those people who have always called it Shepherd’s Pie, I’m glad to know the proper term and origin!
I didn’t know what cottage pie was, and I’ve only had shepherd’s pie a few times. This sounds like a great, hearty dish, and it is nice to try something a little different.
This is one of my favorites! Thank you for inspiring me on what to have for dinner tomorrow. Can’t wait to try your recipe. Appreciate the printable.
Cottage pie is one of my favourite things to eat in the winter so warming and tasty! This recipe sure looks amazing, I need to give it a try
Classic comfort food! One of my favs!
I am going to try this cottage pie recipe for sure. It looks absolutely delicious.