Cottage pie

Cottage pie

This great-value family favourite freezes beautifully and is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser

Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 10

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 35 mins

Cook time

Cook 1 hr 50 mins

Freezable

Method

  1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large saucepan and fry the mince until browned - you may need to do this in batches. Set aside as it browns. Put the rest of the oil into the pan, add the vegetables and cook on a gentle heat until soft, about 20 mins. Add the garlic, flour and tomato purée, increase the heat and cook for a few mins, then return the beef to the pan. Pour over the wine, if using, and boil to reduce it slightly before adding the stock, Worcestershire sauce and herbs. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 45 mins. By this time the gravy should be thick and coating the meat. Check after about 30 mins - if a lot of liquid remains, increase the heat slightly to reduce the gravy a little. Season well, then discard the bay leaves and thyme stalks.
  2. Meanwhile, make the mash. In a large saucepan, cover the potatoes in salted cold water, bring to the boil and simmer until tender. Drain well, then allow to steam-dry for a few mins. Mash well with the milk, butter, and three-quarters of the cheese, then season with the nutmeg and some salt and pepper.
  3. Spoon meat into 2 ovenproof dishes. Pipe or spoon on the mash to cover. Sprinkle on the remaining cheese. If eating straight away, heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7 and cook for 25-30 mins, or until the topping is golden. Or follow the steps (below) to freeze.
Try

OUR TOP TIPS

To get really smooth, creamy mash, use a potato ricer or sieve. To stop the mash sinking into the filling, allow the meat to cool before topping with the mashed potato. Freeze in individual ovenproof dishes for an easy meal for one. For a really crisp, golden topping, flash under the grill for a few mins before serving.

FOOLPROOF FREEZING

Make sure the pie is completely cold, then cover it well with cling film and freeze. Always freeze the pie on the day that you make it. Defrost in the fridge overnight, then cook as per the recipe. Alternatively, to cook from frozen, heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4, cover with foil and cook for 1½ hrs. Increase oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7, uncover and cook for 20 mins more, until golden and bubbling.

IF YOU WANT TO USE A SLOW COOKER...

Brown your mince in batches then tip into your slow cooker and stir in the vegetables, flour, purée, wine, stock, Worcestershire sauce and herbs with some seasoning. Cover and cook on High for 4-5 hours. Make the mash following step 2, above, and then oven cook to finish according to step 3.

Per serving

600 kcalories, protein 37g, carbohydrate 40g, fat 34 g, saturated fat 16g, fibre 4g, sugar 7g, salt 1.15 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, October 2010.

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Latest comments and suggestions

Results 101-120

  • Binder photo nicky

    12 February 2012

    nicky rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    best cottage pie recipe I've found.

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  • Binder photo Kay Pearson

    12 February 2012

    Kay Pearson rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    This is one of the best cottage pie recipes, family loved it, very tasty. Halved the ingredients and didn't put in the celery.

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  • Binder photo amy126

    15 February 2012

    amy126 rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Wow this is great my boyfriend doesn't really like mince but he loved this, its a bit long winded but well worth it.

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  • Binder photo Suze

    22 February 2012

    Suze rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Gorgeous! More effort to make than some cottage pies but definitely worth it! I tend to make a big batch & then freeze the mixture - it's then a really easy meal as you just need to make some mash. Highly recommend!

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  • Binder photo Mum of Lilia and Riley

    27 February 2012

    Mum of Lilia and Riley commented on this recipe

    Does take a long time to make - but well worth it :). I grated some swede into mine to get some more veg into 2 fussy kids. I also added some sweet potatoes in the mash. Delicious.

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  • Binder photo twint

    28 February 2012

    twint rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    great recipe only thing i added wss more flour to thicken the gravy up as it was a big too runny, does take a long time but hopefully it will be a hit for dinner tonight :)

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  • Binder photo Topcat

    05 March 2012

    Topcat rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I love this recipe and have made it many times! My fiancee said cottage pie was her favourite meal (comfort food) so i looked for a recipe. This one looked good despite taking longer than others to make. But it's worth every minute as it is the best cottage pie i've ever had (complimenting the recipe rather than my own cooking abilities there). Never look for another recipe again.

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  • Binder photo melanie

    07 March 2012

    melanie rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Delicious. Made this last night as we had family over, everybody had second helpings, the meat sauce was lovely and thick, & very flavoursome! Added the wine and reduced which gave it a more grown up feel. Great recipe for feeding a crowd.

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  • Binder photo Tony Moore

    14 March 2012

    Tony Moore rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Followed the instructions of this very easy resipe, I made two huge pies from the ingredients ate one and froze the other. I served it with extra steamed vegetables and a nice thick onion gravy.

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  • Binder photo joanneeland

    17 March 2012

    joanneeland rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    This recipe is absolutely delicious. I made it tonight again for St Patrick's Day and made champ for the topping. It's sooooooo gooooood. I'm entertaining friends tonight with it! MAKE IT!

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  • Binder photo Maginly

    20 March 2012

    Maginly rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    All smelt lovely and tasted gorgeous, sadly when I put it in the dish to cook in oven, it just refused to heat up. Ended up having it in there for nearly an hour. Might have the been the dish I used! Hubby ate it all he loved it!

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  • Binder photo chocoholic

    25 March 2012

    chocoholic rated and commented on this recipe

    3 stars

    Was okay. Very easy to cook. Added more seasoning and found it to be slightly "sweetish" - for want of a better word. would try again and adjust the vegetable ratios.

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  • Binder photo AllieB

    06 April 2012

    AllieB rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I made this dish for a family get together and I was so pleased how it turned out. It tasted delicious and everyone cleared their plates! I made the filling the evening before and followed the recipe with the exception of adding some soy sauce. I made the topping in advance on the day and again followed the recipe but added some chopped leeks cooked in butter (a la Delia). I then refrigerated until I was ready to heat in the oven. I served with peas. I'd recommend making this dish in advance as it is does take time and generates quite a bit of washing up! The end result is very good and I will definitely make this again.

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  • Binder photo Basil

    22 April 2012

    Basil rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    This is a fantastic recipe - I won't be using any other from now on. Nothing needs changing at all - the only thing I'd recommend is cooking it a couple of days before you need it then warming it through with foil over it - the flavours really develop - fabulous!!!

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  • Binder photo sutty88

    24 April 2012

    sutty88 rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I have always thought that I didn't like cottage pie (I must have had a bad school dinner incident maybe!!??) but now I feel that the last 32 years have been lost, I loved it. I didn't have enough mince so I halved all the ingredients and it worked fine. I left out the celery as my boyfriend can't stand the stuff and added some tobasco sauce for a bit of a kick. It was gorgeous, so will certainly be making this again. I have a lot of catching up to do :-)

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  • Binder photo tinkadall

    25 April 2012

    tinkadall rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Fantastic recipe. It does take a bit of time - but well worth it. Be sure to make extra as the left overs are always so tasty the next day when the flavors have settled

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  • Binder photo ShinyCandi

    21 May 2012

    ShinyCandi rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo Debs007

    22 May 2012

    Debs007 commented on this recipe

    Made this last night, absolutely fantastic. Little effort for a lot of reward. I made to take to my parents for their supper - mum had two helpings which has never been known before. Excellent receipe.

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  • Binder photo Christine

    24 May 2012

    Christine rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Served this for a kids party (without the wine) and it was given the thumbs up by adults, kids and toddlers! Only used 1/2 tbsp of worcestershire sauce and think any more may have been overpowering.

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  • Binder photo Vincent

    10 June 2012

    Vincent rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    As a newby to the kitchen, took me a bit longer to prepare and cook and the sauce didn't quite work out as the mash began to sink but just made afresh batch of mash to rescue. The family loved it, great taste, great flavours, will definitely try again.

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Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 10

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 35 mins

Cook time

Cook 1 hr 50 mins

Freezable

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1¼kg beef mince
  • 2 onions , finely chopped
  • 3 carrots , chopped
  • 3 celery sticks, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves , finely chopped
  • 3 tbsp plain flour
  • 1 tbsp tomato purée
  • large glass red wine (optional)
  • 850ml beef stock
  • 4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • few thyme sprigs
  • 2 bay leaves

FOR THE MASH

  • 1.8kg potatoes , chopped
  • 225ml milk
  • 25g butter
  • 200g strong cheddar , grated
  • freshly grated nutmeg
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Per serving

600 kcalories, protein 37g, carbohydrate 40g, fat 34 g, saturated fat 16g, fibre 4g, sugar 7g, salt 1.15 g

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