This easy cottage pie recipe is perfect way to enjoy a comforting meal on busy weeknights! Like a traditional cottage pie, this simple recipe has a hearty beef and vegetable filling topped with a cheesy mashed potato crust. But we use a few “shortcut” ingredients to make this into a 30-minute meal that’s sure to be one of your new favorite quick family recipes.
You know we love a good hearty dish here in the Midwest. But let’s be real, life get’s crazy sometimes, and quick meals are a lifesaver on busy nights. Luckily with this simple cottage pie recipe, you can have the best of both worlds!
Along with our chicken pot pie with biscuits and our 30-minute Cajun pasta recipes, this savory and rich dish is one of my husband’s favorites! We hope it will be one of your new go-tos as well.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
A hearty dinner option. Nothing beats a hearty ‘meat and potatoes’ dinner, and this delicious cottage pie recipe fits right in! It’s also got a serving of veggies right in the filling, so you don’t have to worry about a side dish to serve along with it.
30-minute meal! This quick and easy version of cottage pie is a great recipe for busy nights. You will probably have all of the ingredients in your pantry, fridge, and freezer to grab too!
A fun and easy option for St. Patrick’s Day. If you’re looking for easy recipes to make for St. Patrick’s Day, this is a great choice!
Easy Cottage Pie Recipe Ingredients
- Ground Beef. You can’t have a cottage pie without ground beef! This is the star of the show in our filling.
- White or Yellow Onion. Onion adds both texture and depth of flavor to our cottage pie.
- Olive Oil. Used to sauté our beef and onion, adding a nice flavor to our filling.
- All-Purpose Flour. Flour is used to help thicken our gravy mix! The starch in the flour will absorb extra liquid, helping create a nice, thick gravy.
- Tomato Paste, Worcestershire Sauce, Soy Sauce, and Salt. These ingredients are used add robust flavor to our gravy! This combination creates a wonderfully savory flavor that marries well with the beef and beef broth.
- Beef Broth (or Beef Stock). Used to create our gravy, and also adds rich flavor to our dish.
- Frozen Peas and Carrots. Vegetables are also a must in cottage pie. Frozen peas and carrots are generally easy to find at your local grocery store, Target, or Walmart. And are two common veggies used in this dish.
- Instant Potatoes (and water to make them). We’re using a packet of instant potatoes for speed and ease in this recipe, allowing for this to be a 30-minute meal.
- Cheddar Cheese. A classic addition to cottage pie which also brings nice flavor and heartiness to our dish.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to make Cottage Pie (Easy!)
Step 1: Place the olive oil, ground beef, and chopped onion into a large skillet over medium-high heat and sauté until the beef is browned (no pink remaining), about 7-10 minutes.
Step 2: Remove any excess fat from your pan and then add the flour to the meat mixture. Stir to coat the beef (the flour will kind of disappear / won’t look white anymore when it’s ready).
Step 3: Add the tomato paste, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and beef broth to the skilling, stirring to combine (and to help break up the tomato paste, allowing it to distribute throughout the gravy).
Step 4: Add the frozen veggies, stir to combine, and reduce your heat to medium. Then simmer the beef filling, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes to thicken.
Step 5: While the ground beef mixture is cooking, prepare your instant potatoes according to the package directions. I generally boil the water in a liquid large measuring cup in the microwave and then mix the potato flakes right into the cup.
Step 6: Stir ½ cup of shredded cheddar cheese into your mashed potatoes and set aside.
Step 7: Transfer the beef filling to a prepared casserole dish, then top with an even layer of mashed potatoes.
Step 8: Add the remaining cheese on top of the mashed potatoes, then cook for 10 minutes in a 400° pre-heated oven.
Step 9: Switch your oven to the broil setting, and watch your dish closely for an additional 1-2 minutes until the cheese is bubbly (the edge of the potatoes or your cheese may also get a little golden brown too).
Step 10: Allow the cottage pie to rest for about 5 minutes, then serve and enjoy!
Simple Cottage Pie Recipe Variations
Swap the cheddar for parmesan cheese. Parmesan is another popular cheese used on cottage pie, and is often an alternative to shepherd’s pie recipes too!
Make homemade mashed potatoes. I’ve learned that people have very strong opinions on mashed potatoes… if instant mashed potatoes are not for you, simply make your favorite mashed potato recipe for your creamy mashed potatoes topping! You’ll need about 3 cups of fluffy mashed potatoes for your topping.
Use leftover mashed potatoes. This is a great way to re-purpose leftover mashed potatoes!
Change up your veggies. Fresh or frozen peas, green beans, and cooked carrots are the most common vegetables in a cottage pie or classic shepherd’s pie recipe. You could also add a half pound of sliced mushrooms, or a stalk or two of diced celery if desired. If your store only carries the standard frozen mixed veggie pack which usually includes green beans, peas, carrots, and corn, that will work too!
Use fresh vegetables. To keep this as a quick cottage pie recipe, we’ve used frozen veggies. But you can definitely use fresh if you have the time to chop them up.
Possible Dietary Restrictions?
This cottage pie recipe can be made gluten free with one easy swap! Using corn starch in place of all-purpose flour will work to thicken your meat gravy, and pure cornstarch is considered gluten free. In general, it’s recommended that you use twice as much white flour as cornstarch for thickening purposes. So for our recipe, you’ll need 1.5 tablespoons of cornstarch.
Storing this Simple Cottage Pie
Store leftover cottage pie in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days. Reheat in the oven or microwave until heated to your desired temperature.
Can You Freeze Cottage Pie?
You may be concerned about freezing leftover cottage pie because potatoes don’t always freeze well. However, with the added fat from butter and milk in the mashed potatoes, cottage pie generally freezes pretty well! To do so, ensure your leftovers are completely cooled, place into an airtight container, and freeze for up to 3 months.
Recipe FAQs
The main difference between cottage pie and shepherd’s pie is the type of ground meat used and what makes the gravy. A traditional shepherd’s pie is made with ground lamb (or lamb mince) and uses the juices from the lamb to create the gravy. A cottage pie uses ground beef (beef mince) and either beef stock or beef broth to create the gravy sauce.
Originally, a cottage pie was topped with slices of potato but mashed is also very common.
Otherwise, both of these dishes are pure comfort food that use ground meat, mixed vegetables, and a potato topping.
A soggy shepherd’s pie is usually a result of too much liquid in the meat mixture, so it was likely not simmered long enough to thicken up properly. It could also be caused by adding too much broth or stock, adding too many watery veggies, or by using overly runny mashed potatoes.
Love This Recipe? Try One of These Ground Beef Recipes for Dinner Next!
Quick & Easy Cottage Pie
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef (shown with 85/15)
- 1 small yellow or white onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1.5 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 , 15 ounce can of beef broth (or beef stock)
- 12 ounces frozen peas and carrots
- 1 , 4 ounce packet of instant potatoes + water for cooking per package directions
- 1.25 Cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
Instructions
- Place the olive oil, ground beef, and chopped onion into a large skillet over medium-high heat and sauté until the beef is browned (no pink remaining), about 7-10 minutes.
- Remove any excess fat from your pan and then add the flour to the meat mixture. Stir to coat the beef (the flour will kind of disappear / won't look white anymore when it's ready).
- Add the tomato paste, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and beef broth to the skilling, stirring to combine.
- Add the frozen veggies, stir to combine, and reduce your heat to medium. Then simmer the beef filling, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes to thicken.
- While the ground beef mixture is cooking, preheat the oven to 400°F.
- While the ground beef mixture is cooking, prepare your instant potatoes according to the package directions. (Note: I generally boil the water in a large liquid measuring cup in the microwave and then mix the potato flakes right into the cup.)
- Stir ½ cup of shredded cheddar cheese into your mashed potatoes. Set aside.
- Spray a casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray, and then transfer the beef filling to the prepared baking dish.
- Top the beef and vegetable filling with an even layer of mashed potatoes.
- Add the remaining cheese on top of the mashed potatoes, then cook for 10 minutes.
- Switch your oven to the broil setting, and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes until the cheese is bubbly (the edge of the potatoes or your cheese may also get a little golden brown too).
- Allow the cottage pie to rest for about 5 minutes, then serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Make homemade mashed potatoes. If instant mashed potatoes are not for you, simply make your favorite mashed potato recipe! You’ll need about 3 cups of mashed potatoes for your topping.
- Use leftover mashed potatoes. This is a great way to re-purpose leftover mashed potatoes! You’ll need about 3 cups of mashed potatoes for your topping.
- Change up your veggies. Fresh or frozen peas, green beans, and cooked carrots are the most common vegetables in a cottage pie. However, you could also add a half pound of sliced mushrooms, or a stalk or two of diced celery if desired. Option to use a frozen mixed veggie pack that includes green beans, peas, carrots, and corn if needed.
- Use fresh vegetables. To keep this as a quick cottage pie recipe, we’ve used frozen veggies. But you can definitely use fresh if you have the time to chop them up.
- Swap the cheddar for parmesan cheese. Parmesan is another popular cheese used on cottage pie, try this version if desired.
David says
Super delicious! and really easy to make too!
Meredith says
YAY! Thanks 🙂