OUT WEST: Food & Lifestyle

budget friendly dinner

Classic Cottage Pie

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Classic Cottage Pie is made with spiced ground beef, tender carrots and peas. Topped with creamy potato cheese mixture and carrot tops.

Rich & Hearty ~ Classic Cottage Pie

Talk about easy! The Classic Cottage Pie checks all the boxes. Pantry recipe, YES. One pot meal, YES. Under 30 minutes, YES.

Budget friendly ground beef is browned with garlic, onion, smoked paprika and a pinch of red pepper flakes for added spice. The best part, though, are the creamy, cheesy mashed potatoes that are browned to perfection on top. Blending a creamy cheddar with a pungent Parmesan really adds flavor. If you have a few carrot tops, garnish the top for extra special presentation.

Classic Cottage Pie is made with spiced ground beef, tender carrots and peas. Topped with creamy potato cheese mixture and carrot tops.
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Classic Cottage Pie

Rich and savory cottage pie topped with creamy potatoes and filled with spiced ground beef, tender carrots and peas.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Irish
Keyword Irish Recipes, One Pot Meal, Pantry Recipes, Shepherd’s Pie, St. Patrick’s Day Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients

Potato Topping

  • 4 russet potatoes peeled
  • 6 tbsp butter
  • 1/4 cup whipping cream
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated
  • 1/2 cup medium cheddar cheese grated

Beef Filling

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 1/2 cup yellow onion diced
  • 1 cup carrot diced
  • 1/2 cup frozen peas
  • 1 cube tomato chicken bouillon (Knorr's in Mexican section grocery)
  • 1/2 tsp beef 'Better than Bouillon' bouillon
  • 2 cups potato water
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 pinch red pepper flakes
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Potato Topping

  • Place peeled potatoes in a pot of lightly salted cold water and bring to boil. Boil until fork tender. Reserve 2 cups of potato water. Drain and return to pot.
  • Using the tines of your fork, 'rice' the potatoes until fluffy.
  • Add butter and blend.
  • Add whipping cream and blend.
  • Fold in cheese and set aside.

Beef Filling

  • Brown ground beef in a large cast iron pan over medium high heat. Drain excess fat, leaving about 1 tbsp in pan.
  • Push ground beef over to one side of the pan. Add garlic, onion and carrot. Saute until almost tender. Add peas and combine with ground beef.
  • Add tomato chicken and beef bouillon, potato water and remaining spices. Simmer for 10 minutes.
  • Spoon potato mixture over top of beef filling. Broil until browned. Top with fresh carrot tops or parsley.

This Classic Cottage Pie can be reheated with ease! Just pop it in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until heated through. Serve with salad or fresh cheddar biscuits.

Make it Your Own

Add your favorite ingredients to make it your own. Here are a few ideas:

  • Switch out mashed potato topping for mashed cauliflower topping
  • 1/2 cup corn
  • 1/2 cup mushrooms
  • 1/2 cup parsnip
  • Mix up the cheeses in the potato topping with sharp white cheddar or smoked cheddar.

More Recipes Like This:

Roasted Cod with Spinach and Mushrooms

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Flakey roasted cod on a bed of wilted spinach and mushrooms with a lemon shallot sauce.

Monday’s dinner needs to be simple. This Roasted Cod with Spinach and Mushrooms is ready in 15 minutes. Yes, I said 15 minutes! Grab a bag of spinach, a pack of cremini mushrooms and a few fillets of cod, the rest of the ingredients I bet you have on hand.

I like good food. I want it to taste like fine dining restaurant food every time. Perhaps I’ve been spoiled. I like to say I had a really good mom who made meals from scratch and that is what I’m passing down to my kids. Some people look at this plate and think it takes too much effort, but really it just takes a little planning and some fresh items in your fridge.

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Roasted Cod with Wilted Spinach & Mushrooms

Course Main Course
Cuisine Seafood
Keyword 15 minute meals, cod, weeknight dinner
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 7 minutes
Total Time 12 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

Roasted Cod

  • 4 fillets cod
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste

Wilted Spinach & Mushrooms

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 cup cremini mushrooms, sliced 1 small package
  • 1 tbsp garlic, mined
  • 8 cup spinach 1 small bag
  • 1 pinch red chili flakes

Shallot Lemon Sauce

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 cup shallot, thinly sliced
  • 1 tbsp garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 2 cup chicken broth
  • 1 tbsp basil, dried
  • tbsp tarragon, dried
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 pinch salt

Instructions

  •  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Shallot Lemon Sauce

  • In a small sauce pan over medium high heat, sauté shallot and garlic in olive oil for about 2 minutes.  Add butter and stir until melted. Add chicken broth, basil, tarragon and lemon. Keep warm until ready to serve. 

Roasted Cod

  • Heat a large oven safe pan over medium high heat. Season each side of cod fillets with salt and pepper. Add olive oil to hot pan and sear each side of each cod fillet, one minute each side. Place pan in oven and cook for about 5 minutes. This really depends on how thick your fillets are. Cook until opaque in the middle and just starting to flake.    

Wilted Spinach & Mushrooms

  • Heat a large pan over medium high heat. Add olive oil, then mushrooms, sauté until browned about 4 minutes. Add garlic, spinach and red pepper flakes. Cook until spinach is wilted.

Plate Food

  • Place spinach and mushroom mixture in a mound on plate. Place fillet on top and spoon over shallot lemon sauce.