Cottage Pie

Updated Feb. 22, 2025

Cottage Pie
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
2 hours
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour, 40 minutes
Rating
5(1,571)
Comments
Read comments

In this hearty and satisfying meal, ground beef is smothered in a delicious and thick gravy along with carrots, onions, celery and peas, then covered in creamy mashed potatoes and baked. Known for being freezer friendly, easy to make and economical, this recipe stretches its simple ingredients to feed many mouths. For variation, try using other vegetables in the base and swapping in sweet potatoes for the topping.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings

    For the Filling

    • 2pounds ground beef 
    • Salt and pepper
    • 2tablespoons salted butter 
    • 1medium white or yellow onion, diced, about 1 cup
    • 2celery stalks, finely chopped, about ½ cup
    • 1medium carrot, peeled and finely chopped, about ½ cup
    • 3garlic cloves, minced
    • 2tablespoons tomato paste
    • ¼ cup all-purpose flour 
    • 2cups beef broth 
    • ½cup dry red wine (or water)
    • ½cup frozen peas
    • 2tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 
    • 4thyme sprigs 
    • 2dried bay leaves

    For the Topping

    • Salt
    • pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes 
    • ½ cup whole milk
    • 5tablespoons salted butter, melted
    • ¾ cup grated Parmesan (about 1½ ounces)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

584 calories; 35 grams fat; 16 grams saturated fat; 2 grams trans fat; 13 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 37 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 28 grams protein; 970 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

  2. Step 2

    Prepare the filling: Heat an ovenproof 12-inch skillet over medium. Add ground beef and a large pinch of salt and cook, breaking up the meat as you go, until slightly pink and just cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the ground beef to a bowl and set aside. Leave about a teaspoon of fat in the pan and discard the rest.

  3. Step 3

    To the same skillet, add butter, onion, celery and carrot and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent and the carrot is just tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato paste, stirring to coat, about 1 minute. Add flour and stir to incorporate.

  4. Step 4

    Add broth, red wine, peas, Worcestershire sauce, thyme sprigs, bay leaves and 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Stir to combine, then bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the consistency of thick gravy, 7 to 10 minutes. Taste and add extra seasoning, if needed. Remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs and stir in the ground beef. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.

  5. Step 5

    Make the topping: To a large saucepan, add 4 quarts of water and 2 tablespoons of salt and bring to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until knife-tender, about 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes and put back into the saucepan. Add the milk, 4 tablespoons butter and ½ cup grated Parmesan. Mash with a potato masher until just creamy, avoiding over-mashing. Taste and add salt if needed.

  6. Step 6

    Dollop the mashed potatoes on top of the beef mixture in the skillet, carefully smoothing the mashed potatoes until it fully covers the beef mixture and reaches the edge of the pan. Drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter over the top, sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup grated Parmesan and bake in the oven until golden and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Tip
  • If you do not have an oven-proof skillet, you can transfer beef mixture to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish for assembly and baking.

Private Notes

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FAQS

  1. Cottage pie is a near twin to its sibling, the slightly better-known shepherd's pie. The main difference between these traditional dishes, which have roots in Ireland and Britain, is that cottage pie embraces ground beef while shepherd’s pie, fittingly, favors lamb.

Ratings

5 out of 5
1,571 user ratings
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Comments

I’m sure this is probably heresy, but if I’m making this on a week night, I just use the mashed potatoes that are in a refrigerated section of the grocery store.

A splash of Cognac in the gravy is incredible.

Grated white cheddar instead of parm is traditional.

I would double to vegetables in this recipe, two cups of frozen peas or mix veg would be great. Two pounds of beef seemed like way too much, 1-1.5 would do it.

Add mushrooms, sauteed until almost carmelized. A touch of cayenne, not to make it hot, just to perk up the other spices. For a change, use curried mashed sweet potatoes on top.

WAAAAY back in the '60's and '70's, my Mom did a super-speedy canned version of this in a cast iron skillet - hamburger, drained green beans, onion, a can of tomato soup (heresy!), then the mashed potatoes and cheddar cheese. It was one of our favorite winter comfort foods. It's nice to see a more "classed up" version of my old favorite here. Next winter, I'll go with this version and see which one I prefer!

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