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Oh, cheddar topped cottage pie! When it comes to cottage pie and shepherd’s pie, I’m pretty much a girl who can’t say no.
It’s not like I don’t have multiple recipes for various variations of this kind of comfort food casserole recipes. And during the course of coming up with all of these recipes and telling you about them incessantly, I have learned the difference between shepherd’s pie (lamb) and cottage pie (beef).
I’ve made it with and without peas, with sliced potatoes and mashed potatoes. You’d think I’d be over it by now.
But no. Because I realized I had not yet tried it with cheddar cheese mixed into the mashed potatoes, and that was all the excuse I needed to put it back on the menu for the one millionth time.
It was a new variation! It included cheese! I had to.
Ingredients you need
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Ground Beef: We recommend an 80/20 fat version for the best flavor, but you can use a lower fat variety if you like.
- Mashed Potatoes: You can make your own (I love my friend Ree’s recipe for mashed potatoes) or you can use the pre-made kind – look for them in the dair section of your supermarket.
- Cheese: You can use anything from mild to extra sharp cheddar – pick your fave!
- Onion: We like a sweet onion for this recipe, but any onion you have on hand will work.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutritional information.
How to make this recipe
STEP 1: Preheat your oven to 450.
STEP 2: Heat a tablespoon of canola oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add 6 peeled and chopped carrots, 6 stalks of sliced celery, one peeled and chopped onion, and a little dried thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables start to soften, about 10 minutes.
STEP 3: Add a quarter cup each of flour and tomato paste and stir for 1 minute.
STEP 4: Add 2 pounds of ground beef and cook until browned. Add 1 cup water, bring to a boil, and simmer for 1-2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
STEP 5: Mix 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese into 4 cups of prepared mashed potatoes. (You can either buy the prepared potatoes or if you are making your own, try my friend Ree’s recipe for mashed potatoes – it’s AMAZING.)
STEP 6: Put the beef mixture into a large casserole.
STEP 7: Spread mashed potatoes over the top of the beef. Scatter 1/2 cup cheese over the top.
STEP 8: STEP 7: Bake until golden and bubbling, about 15-20 minutes. Let it cool slightly and then serve!
You can serve this any old way you like as long as everyone gets their fair share of mashed potatoes, but I love serving it in bowls with spoons. It just feels so cozy!
PRO TIP: If you cook up the veggies and beef in an oven-safe skillet (like a cast iron skillet) you can put the mashed potatoes on top and bake it right in the skillet!
Equipment we used for this recipe
These are some of my favorite kitchen tools! These are Amazon affiliate links, which means I get a little something if you buy through my links at no extra cost to you. (Which helps pay for all that bacon I keep buying! 😄) And I only share things I use and love. I’m so grateful for your support!
- Medium Pot: You probably have one of these already, but just in case, this is my favorite pot!
- Cutting Board: These Oxo cutting boards are the best. Dishwasher safe, and they come in a whole bunch of sizes from a mini one to Extra Large.
- Measuring Spoons: I love these because they are separated (so you aren’t dealing with a ring of spoons clattering around) and because they have two sizes (which helps you get into that narrow spice jar!).
- Round Casserole: You can make your cottage pie in any casserole you like (and I do switch them up depending on what is clean 😂 but I do love this pretty round version.
- Measuring Cup: I love these angled cups where you can see the measurements on both the side and inside the cup.
Recipe FAQs
They are usually in the dairy section of your grocery store, and I find them to be a pretty good alternative to homemade. Especially since we are going to mix in some cheddar for extra flavor!
It can! Make it all the way up through Step 6, and when you are ready to serve, bring it to room temperature and do the baking part.
This casserole is often called shepherd’s pie (including by me!), but technically shepherd’s pie is made with lamb. If you make it with beef, it’s called cottage pie.
Pop your question in the Comments section below and I promise to answer pronto!
So, the next time you want a completely soothing and wonderful comfort food, or want to make something with “cottage” in the title, or (like me) just can’t resist recipes that include mashed potatoes…here’s your recipe.
I’ll take mine in a bowl with extra mashed potatoes, please.
Want to round out your meal?
One of the great things about cottage pie is that it is a whole meal in one, what with the meat and the veggies all together. But we do love a stuffed cream cheese biscuit on the side, or one of these easy butter biscuits. If you want more veggies, this green bean tomato salad is perfect. And for dessert, let’s keep the comfort food coming with some rice pudding!
Other comfort food casseroles we love!
Looking for more casserole deliciousness? Here is our complete collection of casserole recipes!
We want to know what you think!
If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section.
Cheesy Cottage Pie
This comfort food recipe for cheesy cottage pie features a beef and veggie filled casserole topped with cheesy mashed potatoes!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven, Stovetop
- Cuisine: Irish
Ingredients
- Sea salt and ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 6 medium carrots, cut into halves and then quarters
- 6 celery stalks, thinly sliced
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar
- 4 cups mashed potatoes (either store-bought or homemade. I like The Pioneer Woman’s recipe)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 450.
- Heat oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat and add carrots, celery, onion, and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables start to soften, about 10 minutes.
- Add flour and tomato paste and stir for 1 minute.
- Add beef and cook until browned. Add 1 cup water, bring to a boil, and simmer for 1-2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Mix 1 cup of cheddar into mashed potatoes. Put the beef mixture into a large casserole and spread mashed potatoes over the top of it. Scatter 1/2 cup cheese over the top.
- Bake until golden and bubbling, about 15-20 minutes. Let it cool slightly and then serve!
Notes
- Ground Beef: We recommend an 80/20 fat version for the best flavor, but you can use a lower fat variety if you like.
- Mashed Potatoes: You can make your own (I love my friend Ree’s recipe for mashed potatoes) or you can use the pre-made kind – look for them in the dair section of your supermarket.
- Cheese: You can use anything from mild to extra sharp cheddar – pick your fave!
- Onion: We like a sweet onion for this recipe, but any onion you have on hand will work.
Beth says
Adding cheese to cottage pie is 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼 love this so much!
Cheese makes everything better!
Martha in KS says
Perfect recipe for the first day of Fall! I love cottage pie & adding cheese is brilliant. I’ll be making it as soon as I buy potatoes (I’ve been watching for them to go on sale). Thanks for another great recipe! HAPPY FALL!!
Hurray! And happy fall right back to you, my friend! :)