Okay, I’m going to squeeze in one more wintry comfort food dish before the weather really starts warming up! This Cheesy Cottage Pie is chock-full of vegetables in a rich beef gravy, and topped with a layer of super smooth and creamy cheddar mashed potatoes. It’s kind of a labor of love, but you won’t regret one minute of it—promise! This Cheesy Cottage Pie tastes even better as leftovers, and I’m not ashamed to admit that I ate it for lunch, then dinner, and then breakfast the next day. Yup, it’s that good.
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Can I Make This Cottage Pie Vegetarian?
If you’re interested in making a vegetarian cottage/shepherd’s pie, check out my Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie, or replace the ground beef in this recipe with about 1.5 cups cooked lentils, and replace the beef broth with vegetable broth.
Fresh or Frozen Vegetables?
I’m all about using frozen vegetables for this recipe because they’re fast, easy, and you can keep them on hand in your freezer without them going bad. My grocery store didn’t have the frozen pea and carrot mix this particular day, so I chopped up one large fresh carrot (about 1 cup chopped) to use in place of the frozen. Whether you use fresh, frozen, or a mix of both, just make sure you have about 3 cups of vegetables total.
The Mashed Potato Short Cut
If you’re in a hurry and looking to make this recipe a lot faster and easier, you can use store bought mashed potatoes, but keep in mind that it will increase the recipe cost quite a bit. You’ll need about 6 cups of prepared mashed potatoes.
Cheesy Cottage Pie
Servings 6Ingredients
Cheesy Mashed Potatoes
- 2.5 lbs. russet potatoes ($0.87)
- 1 tsp salt, divided ($0.05)
- 2 Tbsp butter ($0.36)
- 1/2 cup milk ($0.16)
- 4 oz. shredded cheddar ($0.85)
Cottage Pie Filling
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.23)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.21)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1/2 lb. ground beef ($2.65)
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour ($0.01)
- 1 cup beef broth ($0.13)
- 1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce ($0.03)
- 1 tsp dried rosemary ($0.10)
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme ($0.05)
- 2 cups frozen peas and carrots ($0.26)
- 1 cup frozen corn ($0.30)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
Instructions
- Peel and chop the potatoes into 1-inch cubes. Rinse them in a colander with cool water, then place them in a pot and add enough fresh water to cover them completely. Add 1/2 tsp salt, place a lid on the pot, and bring it up to a boil over high heat. Boil the potatoes until very tender, about 7-10 minutes.
- Drain the potatoes in a colander and rinse them again briefly with hot water. This removes excess starch and helps give the mashed potatoes a light and fluffy texture.
- While the potatoes are draining, add the butter and milk to the pot used to boil the potatoes. Heat the butter and milk over low until the butter is melted and the milk is hot. Add the drained potatoes back to the pot, then mash until smooth. Taste and add salt to taste (about 1/2 tsp). Stir in the shredded cheddar. Set the potatoes aside until you’re ready to assemble the casserole.
- While the potatoes are cooking, begin to preheat the oven to 350ºF and begin the filling for the cottage pie. Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Add the onion and garlic to a large skillet along with the olive oil and sauté over medium until the onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the beef to the skillet and continue to sauté until the beef is fully cooked. Add the all-purpose flour and continue to stir and cook for about 2 minutes more, or until the flour coats the bottom of the skillet.
- Add the beef broth and stir to dissolve the flour from the bottom of the skillet. The broth will come up to a simmer fairly quickly, at which point it will thicken into a gravy.
- Add the Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, thyme, frozen peas and carrots, and frozen corn to the skillet. Heat through, then taste and add salt if needed (I added 1/2 tsp).
- Finally, assemble the cottage pie by transferring the beef and vegetable mixture to the bottom of a 2 quart casserole dish (mine was 9″x11″). Top with dollops of the warm cheesy mashed potatoes, spreading it out smooth to cover the surface.
- Bake the Cheesy Cottage Pie for 30 minutes in the preheated 350ºF oven. If you want extra browning on top, switch the oven to broil after baking and allow it to broil for a few minutes or until the desired browning has been achieved. Let the casserole rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
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Nutrition
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How to Make Cottage Pie – Step by Step Photos
Peel and cube about 2.5 lbs. russet potatoes into 1-inch pieces. Rinse them briefly with cool water in a colander, then add them to a large pot and add enough water to cover the potatoes. Add 1/2 tsp salt, place a lid on the pot, and bring it up to a boil over high heat. Boil the potatoes until they are very tender, about 7-10 minutes.
Once the potatoes are tender, drain them in a colander and rinse them briefly a second time with hot water. Let them drain in the colander. While the potatoes are draining, add 2 Tbsp butter and 1/2 cup milk to the pot you just used. Heat them over low until the butter is melted and the milk is hot. Add the drained potatoes back to the pot and mash until smooth (I also whipped mine with a hand mixer). Taste and add more salt if needed. I added 1/2 tsp salt.
Finally, stir in 4 oz. shredded cheddar. It’s okay if the cheddar doesn’t fully melt. Set the mashed potatoes aside until you’re ready to assemble the cottage pie. Placing the lid back on top will help them keep warm.
While the potatoes are cooking you can begin the filling. Also begin to preheat the oven to 350ºF. Dice a yellow onion and mince two cloves of garlic. Add both to a large skillet along with 2 Tbsp olive oil. Sauté over medium until the onions are soft and translucent. Add the ground beef and continue to sauté until the beef is cooked through.
Add 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour to the skillet with the beef and continue to sauté for about 2 minutes more, or until the flour coats the bottom of the skillet. Add 1 cup beef broth (I use Better Than Bouillon) and stir to dissolve the flour from the skillet. The broth will quickly come up to a simmer, at which point it will thicken into a gravy.
Once the gravy has thickened, add 2 cups frozen peas and carrots (or in my case, 1 cup frozen peas plus 1 cup fresh chopped carrot), 1 cup frozen corn, 1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp dried rosemary, and 1/2 tsp dried thyme.
Stir everything to combine and heat through. Give the beef and vegetable mixture a taste and add salt if needed (I added 1/2 tsp salt).
Finally, assemble the Cheesy Cottage Pie. Pour the beef and vegetable mixture into the bottom of a 2 quart casserole dish (mine was 9″x11″). Add the cheesy mashed potatoes on top in dollops and spread it smooth to cover.
Bake the Cheesy Cottage Pie in the preheated 350ºF oven for 30 minutes. It should be bubbling up all around the edges. If you want extra browning on top, like I have in my photos, switch your oven to broil and broil for a few minutes more, or until you get the desired amount of browning.
Let the casserole rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. This will allow the gravy time to cool just enough to thicken up a bit and make serving a little easier.
ANOTHER KEEPER!!! We made this last week and everyone LOVED it – leftovers in the fridge were GONE in a flash. Love the fact that it only required 1/2 lb ground beef – I was able to splurge on grass-fed beef and still have half a package left in the freezer for next time I make this (which will be SOON!!!) Traditional shepard’s pie always calls for a lot more meat – but we didn’t miss the additional meat at all in this recipe. It was delicious.
I was so bummed when I went to make your original shepherd’s pie recipe this winter and discovered it had been removed. Thank you for bringing a new and improved version back!
I have some ground thyme, would that work? I’m sure the measurement would be different, right?
You’ll probably need slightly less because when it’s ground it’s a little more concentrated.
This looks delicious, especially the topping part. This Sheppard’s Pie is just in time for St. Patrick’s Day. 😀☘️
It looks wonderful and I look forward to trying it! We have enjoyed so many of your recipes. Just a note: it looks like the cup of beef broth has been omitted from the ingredient list.
Thank you! It’s fixed now. :)
This looks so good, but I really do not like rosemary. Could I omit and double up the thyme? Would a little tarragon work?
Yes, you can leave the rosemary out. I can’t imagine tarragon in there, though, so I’m not sure if that would be a good fit. You can increase the thyme a little, or just leave the rosemary out. As long as you’re using a flavorful broth it will still be delish.
Hi Beth, I am rotating my emergency supplies this month.. just found several cans of mixed veggies… I was going to look for a recipe like a meat pie to use them up in. I love your recipes because they (very) rarely fail to please me. I’m wondering if you think I can use my canned veggies in this recipe, and if so, how I ought to do it. Thanks!S
Yes, you definitely can. :) Just make sure to drain them well and you’ll want about 3 cups of vegetables total (after draining). You may also need to use less salt, since the canned vegetables will be providing some.
I use this (I know it as shepherds pie) as a sweep the kitchen type of meal. It always has ground beef (or if I have leftover meat from a previous dinner, it goes in) garlic and onion, but I’ve been known to put in whatever vegetables I have lying around. Yellow and green squashes diced small work well(and gets my family to eat them), I’ve put in green beans, lentils, leftover rice, whatever I have. I like to play around with the flavor profile too depending on what’s going in it. I’ve done traditional, barbecue, Tex-mex, and now I’m contemplating Asian. How will that work with potatoes you ask? I don’t know yet- probably not great, or maybe just weird, but it’s all about experimentation.
With the asian flavor profile idea, maybe take a look at Japanese-style curry recipes for inspiration (it’s sometimes called Karei Raisu). It’s a hearty dish made with potatoes, so it might mesh well with that component.
I popped over here for your colcannon recipe, because I wanted to use the colcannon as a topper for a cottage pie, and here is a cottage pie recipe, too. I’m so excited for dinner tonight.
Two things struck me as odd about this recipe. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen only a half a pound of ground beef for a Cottage Pie, as it’s usually 1-2 pounds. I also find it surprising that your ground beef is $5.30 a pound. I buy extra lean ground beef at Costco or Sam’s Club for no more $3.29 a pound. I’d throw in an extra half pound & have a great Cottage Pie!
I bought grass fed beef this time. Prices are always subjective to what your shopping preference are and what’s available in your area. :) I routinely like to reduce the meat in my recipes by half and increase the vegetables or add beans or lentils to make up for it. That way I still get the flavor of meat, but it helps cut the cost of the recipe. One of my favorite tricks! :)
Am I going nuts or is there not a beef broth in the ingredients list?
This looks great and I can’t wait to try your lentil and veggie broth substitutions!
Sorry, forgot to type it in, but it’s fixed now!
The recipe calls for beef broth but it’s not listed in the ingredients. It says 1 cup under the picture – I just want to confirm that it is 1 cup of broth that’s needed. Thank you!
Yes, it’s one cup! Sorry about that, it’s fixed in the ingredient list now. :)
I recently created a very similar recipe except I put the cheese on top. It is a lot of dishes, but it is SO AMAZING! I can’t wait to try this version!
What would be a good replacement (if any) for the peas? My fiance doesn’t like peas or beans & I’d like to include another type of vegetable with it.
If you want another green vegetable that won’t change the flavor of the dish too much I think some chopped celery would work. You would probably want to throw it in with the onions so it can cook a little.
Mushrooms would be great in this. :)
Can I use canned corn? I can’t get frozen corn where I live.
Yes, just make sure to drain it well and use about one cup once drained. :)