Most people would call this “Shepherd’s Pie,” but I’ve found that name might be a little incorrect. Traditional Shepherd’s Pie often calls for lamb as the meat ingredient. When using beef, the dish commonly carries the same name, but many folks call it “Cottage Pie” instead.

Whatever you call it, this recipe appeals to the meat-and-potatoes lovers in your household. It’s also a great alternative to chicken pie, if you have members of your family who don’t enjoy poultry.

Basically, this is a layer pie that can serve as a meal by itself or with a side item or two. (We like it with green peas!) The main ingredients are a crust, cooked ground beef and mashed potatoes. You can choose whether you want to make your favorite recipes for pie crust and mashed potatoes or use pre-prepared options to keep it super simple.

You can even adapt the recipe as we present it to suit your tastes. You might use ground turkey instead of ground beef if you like. You could even try something like mashed cauliflower on top instead of potatoes. Whatever you like goes. We try to encourage creativity in the kitchen as often as we can!

Cottage Pie is warm, filling and a great dinner any night of the week. And as a #FoodieScore Pro Tip: The leftovers make great lunches!

 

Simple Meat-and-Potatoes Cottage Pie

What You Need:

1 pie crust (frozen or homemade)

½ to 1 pound ground beef

½ medium onion, chopped (you can omit if desired)

mashed potatoes

½ cup shredded cheese

 

What You Do:

1. Prepare your pie crust and place it in your pie plate or baking dish. We suggest a regular-sized pie plate or baking dish. If you use a deep dish, you will want to multiply your ingredients.

2. Brown ground beef, drain, wipe down pan, then return beef to pan with chopped onions to saute and season for 5-10 minutes. Evenly spread beef and onions over crust.

3. Make your preferred mashed potatoes recipe, and mix in half your cheese when potatoes are ready. Spread potatoes over top of beef mixture. Sprinkle remaining cheese evenly atop potatoes.

4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

5. Bake for about 30 minutes until crust is cooked and potatoes start to brown just slightly on top.