Classic Cottage Pie Recipe: Comforting Beef and Mash Dinner

This easy-to-make cottage pie is perfect for a cozy weekend supper. With just a handful of ingredients and a simple process, it delivers comforting flavor that the whole family will enjoy.

Cottage pie recipe from Apron Free Cooking

Cottage pie is true convenience cooking: a one-dish meal built from basic pantry and fridge staples that still tastes homemade and satisfying.

Even picky eaters often like this dish — the most debated ingredient tends to be peas, which some children dislike because of texture. If that’s an issue, peas are easy to omit or swap for corn or green beans.

Traditional cottage pie with servings scooped out of dish

Variations:

The classic cottage pie is made with ground beef, peas, carrots and potatoes. Don’t confuse it with shepherd’s pie, which traditionally uses lamb. Swap the beef for lamb (or mutton) and you’ll be closer to a shepherd’s pie.

If peas aren’t welcome at your table, leave them out or replace them with corn, green beans, or another vegetable your family prefers. You can also add diced onion or sliced mushrooms for more flavor and texture, or sprinkle cheese over the top for a richer finish.

Cottage pie served on blue dish with roast carrots

Make It a Meal:

Serve cottage pie with fresh bread or rolls. For a heartier dinner, add a bowl of soup. It pairs nicely with roasted carrots, a simple green bean or mixed salad, cornbread, or a warming sweet potato soup.

Oven Roasted Carrots
Green Bean Red Onion Salad
Lunch Lady Cornbread
Savory Sweet Potato Soup
Ham and Bean Soup for Two with cornbread

Pin It:

If you like this recipe and want to save it for later, pin an image to your Pinterest board.

Traditional Cottage Pie Recipe

If you try this recipe, I’d love to hear how it turned out. Send a photo, tag on social media, or leave a comment on the recipe page.

Cottage Pie Recipe

Ingredients:

Ground beef, Worcestershire sauce, frozen peas (or substitute), diced carrots, potatoes, salt and pepper.

Frozen peas are convenient and work well here, but fresh garden peas also make a lovely alternative. Use fresh carrots cut into small, even pieces so they cook through with the peas.

Directions:

Mix the ground beef with the Worcestershire sauce and press it into the bottom of a pie pan. Layer the peas and diced carrots over the beef, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Slice the potatoes thinly (cut in half first if they’re large) and arrange the slices on top of the vegetables, overlapping like roof shingles. Sprinkle with a little more salt and pepper. Cover and bake at 350°F for 45 minutes, then uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes until the potatoes are tender and lightly browned.

Traditional cottage pie with servings scooped out of dish

Cottage Pie Recipe

A traditional, filling dish that’s ideal for a family dinner.

Course
Main Course
Cuisine
American
Keyword
classic supper dish, cottage pie, hamburger recipe, traditional recipe
Prep Time
20
minutes
Cook Time
1
hour
Servings
8
people

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. Ground Beef
  • ½ c. Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1 c. Frozen Peas
  • 1 c. Diced Carrots
  • 2 Potatoes
  • Salt & Pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
  2. Mix the ground beef with the Worcestershire sauce.
  3. Pat the mixture into the bottom of a pie pan.
  4. Layer peas and carrots over the beef and season lightly with salt and pepper.
  5. Cut potatoes in half and slice thinly. Arrange the slices over the vegetables, overlapping like shingles.
  6. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
  7. Cover and bake at 350°F for 45 minutes.
  8. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes until the potatoes are tender and the top is lightly browned.

Approximate Nutritional Information:

Servings per recipe: 8. Per serving (approx.): Calories 159, Fat 4g, Cholesterol 51mg, Sodium 214mg, Carbohydrates 11g, Protein 9g.

Cottage Pie Nutrition
Author books

If you’re interested in the books shown above, they are available for purchase.

Follow ApronFreeCooking:

Facebook

Pinterest

Instagram

This post may contain affiliate links. There are no additional costs if you click through; any commission helps cover website expenses.