I’ve never actually made this cottage pie recipe before today. It was a blustery, snowy day in Calgary. Evan stood at the back door yelling “Mama! Come look at the blizzard!” It was not the kind of day that made you want to go outside for anything….especially not groceries.
Thankfully I made our weekly shopping run on Thursday evening so I didn’t have to run the winter roads gauntlet. After breakfast I started that daily “what are we going to have for dinner?” routine. It felt like a crock pot kind of day but nothing was really jumping out at me. After quite a bit of searching, I flipped over to my friend Julie’s site, Dinner With Julie. I found a great Cottage Pie recipe. Perfect for a cold, winter day. Wondering what cottage pie IS? Well, it’s like shepherd’s pie but made with beef. Officially shepherd’s pie should be made with lamb.
As my cottage pie cooked, the house started smelling delicious. I wasn’t that hungry before I started cooking but by the time it was done, I was ravenous.
I love when a good plan….er, recipe comes together. Evan was not so convinced. When I told him that we were having beef and potato pie, he said “I prefer pumpkin pie, thanks”. Then the whining and complaining started as he was convinced he would HATE it.
We had supper a little late so he was pretty hungry by the time we sat down. He decided that even though he didn’t like beef and potato pie that he would try it.
After a few bites he decided that beef and potato pie was actually quite delicious. He ate his with ketchup and ate the whole bowl. His favourite part was the potato topping with melted cheese. I can see this cottage pie recipe in heavy rotation in the future!
Cottage Pie Recipe

Cottage Pie Recipe
Like Shephard's Pie but with beef instead of lamb. Delicious and hearty!
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 Tbsp all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups broth, chicken, beef or vegetable would work fine
- 3 Tbsp chili sauce or ketchup
- 4 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- salt and pepper
- 4 large potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 cup shredded old cheddar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- In a large skillet over medium high heat, fry hamburger meat and onions until there is no pink and onions are soft.
- Meanwhile, in a large pan boil potatoes in salted water until very soft.
- Drain any grease from the pan.
- Sprinkle flour over the meat and onion mixture and stir.
- Add broth, chilli sauce and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer until the sauce thickens a bit (~3 minutes).
- Add veggies and season with salt and pepper.
- Pour in a large casserole dish or oven proof pan.
- Once potatoes are soft, smash with butter and milk.
- Spoon potatoes on top of the meat mixture and sprinkle with cheddar cheese.
- Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes or until top is browned and bubbly around the edges.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Amount Per Serving: Calories: 391Saturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 89mgSodium: 618mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 5gSugar: 5gProtein: 27g