<aside> 📋 Cottage Pie Recipe (Best Shepherds Pie)

Easy One-Pot Cottage Pie with cozy beef filling and a crispy mashed potato crust!

8 servings • Prep time: 15 minutes • Cook time: 40 minutes • Total time: 55 minutes

Ingredients

• [ ] 2 pounds ground beef ((or ground lamb))
• [ ] 1 large sweet onion, (peeled and chopped)
• [ ] 1 1/2 cups chopped carrots
• [ ] 5 cloves garlic, (minced)
• [ ] 1 cup frozen corn
• [ ] 1 cup frozen peas
• [ ] 1 1/2 cups beef broth
• [ ] 1/4 cup tomato paste
• [ ] 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• [ ] 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• [ ] 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• [ ] 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• [ ] 5 cups mashed potatoes ((store-bought or homemade))
• [ ] 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• [ ] salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Place a deep 13-14 inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the ground beef, and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Break the ground beef into small pieces, with a wooden spoon, as it browns.
3. Once the ground beef is fully cooked, move it to the sides of the skillet. Add the onions, carrots, and garlic. Sauté for 5-8 minutes to soften the onions and carrots. (The carrots should be partially cooked before baking.)
4. Stir the mixture together. Then add in the frozen corn and pea, broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, cornstarch, and thyme. Mix well. Taste, then salt and pepper as needed.
5. Turn off the heat. Spread the mixture evenly over the bottom of the skillet.
6. Mix the shredded cheese into the mashed potatoes. (If using store-bought mashed potatoes, you may need to drain off the extra liquid or press the top with paper towels, before mixing in the cheese.)
7. Scoop the mashed potatoes over the meat filling and spread it to the sides of the skillet, making sure there are no gaps. Immediately place the cottage pie in the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden on top. </aside>

This Best Cottage Pie Recipe, aka Shepard’s Pie with Beef, features a savory meat filling topped off with creamy mashed potatoes and baked to golden brown perfection! Learn how to make Shepherd’s Pie in on pan, just in time for Saint Patrick’s Day!

Cottage pie with some of it missing to see the inside filling.

Cottage Pie vs Shepherd’s Pie – What’s the Difference?

Cottage Pie and Shepherd’s Pie are very similar.

Both are British recipes. Both are savory pies filled with meat and vegetables, then topped with mashed potatoes.

In fact, Shepherd’s Pie is a type of the broader term “Cottage Pie.”

The only real difference is that Cottage Pie usually refers to a savory pie made with beef filling, while Shepherd’s Pie is traditionally made with lamb.

However, the terms are often used interchangeably.

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Shepherds Pie being spooned out of pan

Easy Cottage Pie for Saint Patrick’s Day (Or Any Other Day!)

Today I’m sharing my fast and Easy Cottage Pie, which is started on the stovetop and finished in the oven.

Although we already posted a lovely Crockpot Shepherd’s Pie Recipe, it’s not quick to make. The chunks of lamb roast need ample time to slow cook and soften.

However, this Shepherd’s Pie is prepped and baked in less than 1 hour.

This is accomplished by using ground beef, instead of a beef or lamb roast, and by using store-bought or leftover mashed potatoes.

(Instead of making mashed potatoes from scratch before making the Cottage Pie.)

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Portion of the Ultimate Shepherd's Pie served on a plate