What kind of meat is traditionally used in cottage pie?

Typically, cottage pie uses ground beef or beef mince. The main difference from shepherd's pie is that shepherd's pie uses ground lamb.

How long does cottage pie take to bake?

Cottage pie bakes for 30 minutes at 350F. You'll also want to broil the mashed potato topping for 3–15 minutes.

Should you let cottage pie rest before serving?

Yes, it's helpful to let cottage pie rest for anywhere from 5–20 minutes to let it set.

What vegetables go well in cottage pie?

Hearty, savory vegetables like onions, carrots, celery, and peas are ideal for cottage pie. For richer and deeper flavor, we caramelize the onions in this recipe.

Delicious Cottage Pie Recipe with Caramelized Onions

Name: Classic Cottage Pie Recipe
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil; 2 yellow onions, medium sized; sprinkle of salt; 2 pounds russet potatoes; 4 tablespoons butter; 1/2 cup potato water, milk, or buttermilk; 1 1/2 cups gruyere cheese, grated; 2-3 teaspoons salt (for the cooking water); 1 1/2 pounds ground beef (sub Beyond Meat or Impossible Burger for vegetarian); 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, minced; 1 teaspoon salt; 3/4 teaspoon black pepper; 1 cup carrots, diced; 1 cup celery, diced; 6 cloves garlic, minced; 2 tablespoons flour (can use gluten-free blend); 2 cups beef broth, chicken stock or vegetable broth; 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (or vegan Worcestershire sauce); 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar; 2 bay leaves; 1 cup frozen peas

Description

Cozy, comforting Cottage Pie made with sweet, velvety caramelized onions, veggies, ground meat, and a fluffy gruyere-potato crust. Gluten-Free.

Ingredients

Units Scale

Caramelized onions

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 yellow onions, medium sized
sprinkle of salt

Mashed Potato-Gruyere Topping

2 pounds russet potatoes
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup potato water, milk, or buttermilk
1 1/2 cups gruyere cheese, grated
2-3 teaspoons salt (for the cooking water)

Meat Filling

1 1/2 pounds ground beef (sub Beyond Meat or Impossible Burger for vegetarian)
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, minced
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup carrots, diced
1 cup celery, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons flour (can use gluten-free blend)
2 cups beef broth, chicken stock or vegetable broth
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (or vegan Worcestershire sauce)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 bay leaves
1 cup frozen peas

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Instructions

Caramelize onions: Slice into 1/8-1/4 inch slices, slicing with the grain. Heat pan to medium- high, add onions stirring without oil, for 5 minutes. Add olive oil, and season with salt (salt helps the onions soften and cook faster) turn heat down to medium-low. Stir every 5-10 minutes for 30-40 minutes, until dark golden and sweetly fragrant. This can be done up to 3 days ahead.
Mash potatoes: Peel and slice potatoes into large chunks. Place in a pot with cold water just covering. Add 2-3 teaspoons of salt so the water tastes like the sea. Bring to a boil over high heat, cover, and lower heat to medium-low, simmering until fork-tender, roughly 15-20 minutes depending on size of the potatoes. Drain, *saving a cup of hot potato water. Add butter, 1/2 cup of potato water (or milk), and use a potato masher to combine until smooth. Stir in the cheese. Adjust salt, add more potato water if needed.
Preheat oven to 350F
Brown meat: Heat a large oven-safe skillet, a cast-iron skillet, or a braiser over medium-high heat. Crumble the ground beef into the hot pan, let it sit without stirring for about 5 minutes or until it starts to brown. As it is cooking, sprinkle in rosemary, salt, and pepper. Stir, breaking the meat into smaller pieces, then let it sit again to continue browning. Repeat as needed until the beef is evenly cooked and lightly browned. Drain any excess oil. Set meat aside.
Sauté vegetables: Add carrots, celery, and garlic to the pan. Cook for 2 minutes over medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons of the broth, put a lid on the pan and simmer for 4 minutes. Remove lid and continue to cook until the liquid evaporates. Stir in the flour until it is evenly distributed. Add the remaining broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire, and balsamic vinegar. and bay leaves. Stir until it begins to thicken and bubble lightly. Turn off the heat.
Combine the filling. Add the caramelized onions (sprinkling them in a little at a time- they tend to clump together, so distribute them evenly as you go, stirring gently to ensure they’re well incorporated), browned beef mixture, and peas into the pan with the veggies and gravy, stirring to combine. Smooth the filling into an even layer.
Potato Crust. Spoon the mashed potatoes over the filling in mounds. Gently spread them out with the back of a large spoon to fully cover the filling. Use a fork to make decorative lines across the surface—these ridges help the topping turn golden and crisp, and they add a pretty finishing touch (classic cottage pie style).
Bake. Place the skillet over a tray in the oven to catch any spills- on the center rack. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling on the edges. Broil (watch it like a hawk!) for 3-5 minutes until perfectly golden brown and crisp on top.

Equipment

braiser

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Notes

Pans: Use a 12″ cast iron skillet, a braiser, or a 9×13 baking dish.

Make in advance: Assemble the pie completely (meat filling and mashed potato topping), let it cool, then cover tightly and refrigerate for up to a day ahead. When ready to bake, let it sit at room temperature for 20–30 minutes, then bake as directed, adding an extra 5–10 minutes if needed.

Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge up to 4 days.

Freeze: To freeze, use a freezer/oven-safe dish; a 9×13 casserole dish may work best here. Freeze unbaked: Assemble the pie, let it cool completely, then wrap tightly. Freeze for up to 3 months. Freeze baked: Let the baked pie cool fully, then wrap well and freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat: Thaw overnight in the fridge. Bake at 375°F for 45 minutes.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1/8 of the pie
Calories: 378
Sugar: 5.8 g
Sodium: 363.5 mg
Fat: 13.6 g
Saturated Fat: 6.2 g
Carbohydrates: 34.6 g
Fiber: 4.2 g
Protein: 30.2 g
Cholesterol: 73.3 mg