Slow Cooker Minced Beef Cottage Pie

This slow cooker cottage pie recipe is a great family favourite and so convenient when you cook it in your slow cooker including the mashed potato topping!

Jump to:

• What is cottage pie
• Family slow cooker dish
• Saves you time
• Ingredients
• Step by step
• Recipe variations
• Freezing
• Reheating
• More recipes to try
• Recipe
• Reviews

What is cottage pie

If you aren't familiar with the name, in the UK cottage pie is the name for a dish with a minced beef (ground beef) filling with a rich gravy, topped with mashed potato.

In the USA, where lamb is not used as much as in the UK, the beef version might be referred to as a shepherd's pie.

In the UK though a shepherd's pie is a dish made with lamb (hence "shepherd", since shepherds look after sheep and might have lamb to cook with) and a mash topping, and cottage pie is the beef version.

Traditionally the name cottage pie was supposed to be because the topping of sliced potatoes looked like tiles on a cottage roof, though cottage pie now usually has a mashed potato topping.

Family slow cooker dish

As usual, I'm cooking a lot of warming family meals in my slow cooker.

I just love the convenience you get with the slow cooker of doing the cooking earlier in the day so I don't have to do it when we get home from school and work and everyone is tired and hungry.

Let's face it, the last thing you want to do after a long day is cook something from scratch.

Just move your prep to earlier in the day and you can still have a home cooked meal with a lot less hassle.

My slow cooker cottage pie is one of our favourite family meals.

With rich, warm flavours and packed with vegetables, a cottage pie ticks all the boxes for a family meal for me.

Kids love it, you'll feel a real sense of satisfaction at having made the family meal from scratch, and it is a great winter warmer too.

Saves you time

The big plus with my recipe compared to others is that you cook the filling with the mashed potato topping on it in your slow cooker.

You brown it off in the oven right at the end, using the slow cooker pot.

This isn't one of those recipes where you only make the filling in the slow cooker then have to transfer everything to an oven dish at the end and keep cooking!

I hate having to use loads of pans and leaving even more washing up to be done when you have to do that.

For more one-pot slow cooker meals make sure you look through my slow cooker mains.

Ingredients

You'll find the recipe card at the bottom of the post with all the full details including quantities.

Here is the list of ingredients you will need:

• olive oil
• red onion, carrots, mushrooms, garlic – to add flavour and goodness to the gravy, and to pack in the veggies
• beef mince/ground beef – I normally use 5% fat minced beef but you can use any type of minced beef, just make sure you brown it and drain off the fat for the best texture.
• chopped tomatoes, beef stock pot or stock cube, tomato puree (USA: tomato paste) – to give the rich gravy flavour and depth
• potatoes, splash of milk, a little butter – to make the mashed potatoes

Step by step

First make the filling.

1. In a frying pan or skillet, fry the onions and garlic in a little oil for a few minutes. Note: If you have a slow cooker with a metal pot (Sear and Stew or similar type) that you can fry in on the stove top, you'll save using another pan.
2. Add the beef and cook it well, stirring constantly, for a few minutes until it is completely browned.
3. Now transfer the onion and beef mixture to the slow cooker pot, draining off any fat in the pan. (Or if using metal slow cooker pot, put the pot in the slow cooker now.
4. Chop the carrots and mushrooms and add them to the pot.
5. Add the tin of tomatoes, beef stock pot and tomato puree and stir well. Season it with salt and pepper.
6. Cook the filling on high for 4-5 hours.

Next, when there is approx 2 hours of the cooking time remaining, make the mash.

1. Bring a large pan of water to the boil them simmer the potatoes for 20 minutes or until soft.
2. Once the potatoes are soft mash them with the milk and butter using a potato masher.
3. Spoon the mash on top of the filling in the slow cooker pot, use the back of a fork to make ridges in the mash, and cook for the remaining time.
4. Preheat the grill (broiler) in your oven, put the slow cooker pot in a roasting tray and put the whole dish under the grill to brown the top and make it crispy, for approx 20 minutes.

Note: only put your slow cooker pot under the grill/broiler if you have a metal pot or are using an old slow cooker pot that you don't mind the risk of cracking with. The heat of the grill could make your dish crack.

Then you can serve straight from the slow cooker pot, without leaving the kitchen covered in dirty pans. Bonus at making less washing up right there!

Your family will love this slow cooker version of this traditional family dish.

Recipe variations

• If you are vegetarian you could use veggie mince or lentils to replace the meat and make a vegetarian version.
• We also enjoy my slow cooker shepherds pie if we fancy lamb instead of beef.
• Swap the vegetables for your favourites – add in some red pepper, peas or sweetcorn.
• Make an Indian-spiced or keema cottage pie by adding in some chilli powder and garam masala when making the sauce.
• Serve with peas, cabbage or carrots on the side.

Freezing

You can freeze the cooked cottage pie. It is best to freeze portions in individual containers I find. When freezing always leave the dish to cool fully then portion into containers and freeze right away.

As this cottage pie is cooked in the slow cooker with the mashed potato on top, you probably won't be freezing it uncooked.

To defrost, transfer containers to the fridge and thaw overnight.

Reheating

To reheat this cottage pie from room temperature: microwave individual portions in a Tupperware dish or oven dish until piping hot. Or transfer to an oven dish and heat at approx 180 degrees C / 350 degrees F until completely heated through and piping hot, for approx 30 minutes.

More recipes to try

If you like this slow cooker cottage pie recipe, make sure you check out family slow cooker recipes that kids love and my slow cooker archives.

You might also like:

Slow Cooker Shepherd's Pie

A real family favourite made with minced lamb or leftover roast lamb, it can easily be made suitable for Slimming World too

Get this recipe

Healthy Slow Cooker Lasagne

A more healthy version of a family favourite slow cooker dish

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Slow Cooker Moussaka

Moussaka is a delicious Greek lamb dish with layers of aubergine and a creamy white sauce, ideal for a family meal. This slow cooker moussaka is excellent as a one-pot meal.

Get this recipe

Slow Cooker Pastitsio

A Greek-inspired dish with lamb mince in a lightly spiced sauce with red pepper, pasta, béchamel sauce and topped with grated cheese, cooked in your slow cooker

Get this recipe

Pin my slow cooker cottage pie for later!

Recipe

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 large red onion
• 2 large carrots
• 2 large field mushrooms
• 1 clove garlic
• 450 g beef mince
• 1 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 rich beef stock pot melt or a beef stock cube
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• For the mash: 3 large potatoes a splash of milk and a knob of butter, peeled

• Fry the red onion in the oil, and once softened add the garlic and fry for one minute more.

• Add the mince to the pan, turn up the heat and cook until browned through. Drain any fat in the pan away and add the mince and onion mixture to the slow cooker.

• Chop the carrots and mushrooms and add them to the pot.

• Add the tin of chopped tomatoes, rich beef stock pot or beef stock cube, tomato puree, stir well, season it with salt and peppr, and cook on high for 4-5 hours.

• When there is approx 2 hours left of the cooking time, make the mash. Simmer the potatoes for approx 20 mins until softened, then add the milk and butter and mash with a potato masher.

• Spoon the mash on top of the filling in the slow cooker pot. Cook for the rest of the time remaining.

• Preheat your grill/broiler and put the slow cooker pot in a roasting tray, then put it under the grill for 20 minutes to brown the top of the cottage pie. Warning: only do this if you have a sear and stew type slow cooker with a metal pot, or a pot which the instructions say can be used under the grill, or, if you are a bit reckless like me, an old slow cooker pot that you don't mind losing if it cracks.

Recipe variations

• If you are vegetarian you could use veggie mince or lentils to replace the meat and make a vegetarian version.
• We also enjoy my slow cooker shepherds pie if we fancy lamb instead of beef.
• Swap the vegetables for your favourites - add in some red pepper, peas or sweetcorn.
• Make an Indian-spiced or keema cottage pie by adding in some chilli powder and garam masala when making the sauce.
• Serve with peas, cabbage or carrots on the side.

Freezing

You can freeze the cooked cottage pie. It is best to freeze portions in individual containers I find. When freezing always leave the dish to cool fully then portion into containers and freeze right away.

As this cottage pie is cooked in the slow cooker with the mashed potato on top, you probably won't be freezing it uncooked.

To defrost, transfer containers to the fridge and thaw overnight.

Reheating

To reheat this cottage pie from room temperature: microwave individual portions in a Tupperware dish or oven dish until piping hot. Or transfer to an oven dish and heat at approx 180 degrees C / 350 degrees F until completely heated through and piping hot, for approx 30 minutes.

Then please leave a review and rating in the comments at the bottom of the post. If you post your creation on Instagram, tag me @bakingqueen74 or use hashtag #bakingqueen74!

Linking up with the Slow Cooked Challenge over at Farmersgirl Kitchen this month

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Source: https://bakingqueen74.co.uk/comforting-slow-cooker-cottage-pie/

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