If you love a classic Shepherd's pie with lamb, you'll definitely enjoy this Irish Cottage Pie recipe with ground beef. The homemade, silky mashed potatoes lay on top of the rich and savory beef and gravy mixture. Each bite has so much depth and texture that it keeps you going back for more.
Recipe Essentials
- 🍽️ Course: Side Dish
- ⏱️ Cooking Time: 1 hour and 12 minutes
- 🍴 Servings: 12
- 🧄 Flavor Profile: Savory ground beef and vegetables in a rich gravy topped with creamy, buttery mashed potatoes.
- 🍚 Best Served With: A simple green salad or steamed peas.
- 🧊 Make Ahead?: Yes, assemble ahead and refrigerate, then bake when ready.
Summarize and Save This Content On
You don't need a reason to make this cottage pie, it's good any time! I love to make it around St. Patrick's Day since it's traditional Irish cuisine, but it's hearty enough to keep you warm and cozy all winter. If you want a delicious meal that's pretty easy to make and also filling, Irish pie is a great choice, even if you're not Irish!
Some more traditional Irish food recipes for you to try include this Instant Pot corned beef brisket and my air fryer corned beef. This Dutch oven Irish stew is really good too.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It has layers of flavor: Each component is prepared with care and ingredients that add layers of depth of flavor so that each bite is rich and complex, even though it's a simple recipe.
- It's perfect to assemble ahead: You can easily prepare this easy cottage pie in advance and keep it in the refrigerator until you're ready to bake it. This saves time when you're ready for dinner.
- The oven brings it together: This Irish pie recipe feels like two different dishes until you bring them together and bake them in the oven like a casserole, creating a one-pan meal for convenience.
Ingredients
The ingredients below are important for each component of this Irish shepherd's pie. The beef and mashed potatoes are key to keeping it traditional.
- Ground beef: I like to use lean ground beef, around 80% lean, so it doesn't feel or taste greasy, but there's still some fat to add rich flavor. When browning it, let it get a little color to add more flavor to the gravy.
- Russet potatoes: My favorite potatoes to use for mashed potatoes are russets. They are starchy and get perfectly creamy and thick. You can use another variety like red potatoes, but they are firmer and a little waxy when mashed, and I don't enjoy the gluey consistency.
- Gruyere cheese: I love the flavor of the gruyere in the mashed potatoes. It adds a nuttiness and slight sweetness. If you want a melty cheese that helps the potatoes brown in the oven, this is my go-to for this recipe. This French onion beef casserole is another recipe where gruyere works perfectly.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations
- Add mushrooms: Stir in about ¼ cup of sliced mushrooms to the beef mixture to add umami and earthiness.
- Use sweet potatoes: Swap the Russet potatoes for sweet potatoes to create a sweet and savory twist.
- Make it spicy: Add some diced jalapenos (around 1-2 tablespoons) for a little heat.
How to Make Irish Cottage Pie
To get started, preheat your oven to 350°F before you assemble this Irish dish with mashed potatoes. Then grease your 9x13 baking dish and ensure your ingredients are prepared and measured.
Step 1: Brown the beef and add veggies. Brown the beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drain any excess fat, then stir in the onion and celery and cook until softened. Add the tomato paste and let it cook briefly before pouring in the broth, Worcestershire, and spices. Simmer for about 20 minutes, then stir in the slurry and cook until thickened.
Step 2: Cook and mash the potatoes. Boil the potatoes until fork-tender, then drain them and combine with the milk, butter, and cheese. Then, mash them until creamy.
Step 3: Assemble the cottage pie. Stir the peas and carrots into the beef and gravy, and pour it into the bottom of the baking dish. Layer the potatoes on top and scrape with a fork to make lines.
Step 4: Bake and serve. Place it in the oven to bake for about 25 minutes or until hot, and then broil for more color. Serve and enjoy with slices of homemade Cheesecake Factory brown bread.
Expert Tips
- Drain the beef well: To keep the cottage pie from becoming greasy, drain the ground beef well after browning it.
- Rest before serving: Allow the cottage pie a few minutes to rest when it comes out of the oven so it doesn't fall apart when you serve it.
- Rough potatoes for color: Add plenty of texture to the top of the mashed potatoes so they can brown on top. Smooth potatoes won't brown as well.
- Reheating cottage pie: If frozen, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator before you reheat it. To preserve the texture, reheat it in a 350F oven for 20 minutes or until hot. The microwave tends to dry out the leftovers.
- Storing in the fridge and freezer: Cool and transfer to an airtight container, and store it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Assemble and wrap it tightly, then freeze it unbaked or baked for up to 3 months.
If you like traditional cottage pie, you'll love this turkey shepherd's pie.
Serving Suggestions
- Enjoy a fresh side dish, like an easy asparagus salad or old-fashioned cucumbers and onions, to keep the meal from feeling heavy.
- If you're making this around St. Patrick's Day, prepare pistachio pudding cookies and Lucky Charms cookies as festive treats.
- One of my favorite cocktails to enjoy with this dish is a shamrock sour.
Irish Cottage Pie Recipe FAQs
This happens if the beef mixture doesn't simmer long enough. Allow it a little more time to simmer uncovered and ensure that it comes to a gentle boil after you add the cornstarch slurry to help it thicken.
If either component is too hot or too thin, the potatoes will sink into the beef mixture. Allow the components a few minutes to cool and ensure they are both nice and thick before you assemble the pie.
Sure! It's an optional addition that I love. I find that grueyere adds subtle sweetness and nuttiness that complements the richness of the other ingredients.
More Delicious Ground Beef Recipes
Do you enjoy easy ground beef recipes? Here are some recipes you may also like to try.
If you try this recipe and love it please leave a star rating in the recipe card below or even better, drop a review in the comment section. I always appreciate your feedback. Be sure to follow along with me on Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube for more easy recipes!
Irish Cottage Pie
Ingredients
FILLING:
- 3 pounds ground beef medium or lean
- 1 yellow onion large, medium chopped
- 3 medium celery stalks minced
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 cups beef stock low sodium
- 2 ½ tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tablespoon sea salt
- ½ tablespoon fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons cold water
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 cups frozen peas and carrots
TOPPING:
- 3 pounds russet potatoes peeled and cut
- 10 tablespoons milk
- ½ stick unsalted butter
- 3 cups gruyere cheese shredded
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Cook beef on medium-high heat until almost fully browned then drain most of the excess fat.
- Add chopped onion and celery and cook for 5 minutes.
- Cook tomato paste for 2 minutes, then pour in beef stock, along with Worcestershire sauce, salt, thyme and black pepper.
- Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and cover for 20 minutes.
- While beef cooks, add potatoes to a large pot and bring to a cook for about 15-20 minutes, until potatoes are fork tender.
- Drain potatoes, then melt butter before adding the potatoes back to the pot with cheese, milk and salt. Mash to your desired consistency (taste and season to your preference).
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- When the beef is completed, simmer covered, mix and add in the cornstarch slurry. Cook uncovered for an additional 10-20 minutes or until it has thickened (you do not want to remove all liquid but most).
- Mix in frozen peas and carrots, then transfer to a 9x13 baking. Carefully place mashed potato on top and lightly scrape with a fork to leave lines, if desired (I tend to place cobble stones of potatoes on top to make it even, since it cannot be spread on top).
- Bake for 25 minutes, uncovered. If desired, broil until golden.
Notes
- Allow the mashed potatoes and the beef mixture to cool slightly before assembling the cottage pie. Also, ensure that neither is too thin, or the potatoes will sink to the bottom.
- Drain the beef well after you brown it so your Irish pie is not too greasy.
- Allow your Irish cottage pie to rest for a few minutes before serving it so it doesn't fall apart.
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