Italian Cottage Pie Recipes

THE BEST COTTAGE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350F
• Heat the oil in a skillet and sauté the leeks and carrots for about 5 minutes. Remove to a plate.
• Brown the ground beef, breaking it up as it browns so it has a nice crumbly texture. If it's excessively greasy, drain some off. I didn't, I like to retain the fat for flavor unless there's a ton of it.
• Stir in the tomato paste, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and broth to combine. Bring up to a simmer and let simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes to allow the broth to reduce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. If your gravy is very thin you might want to stir in a sprinkling of Wondra flour, about a teaspoon to start, which will thicken it up instantly. Be sparing with it, a little will do.
• Add the vegetables back into the pan and mix well. Turn the mixture into a large pie plate or casserole dish. Spread out evenly.
• Meanwhile boil the potatoes until very tender. Drain and mash with the buttermilk and 3 tablespoons of the butter. Add more buttermilk if the potato mixture seems dry. Fold in the cheese and season with a little salt and pepper if needed.
• Spread the mashed potatoes over the top of the pie. Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and gently brush over the mashed potatoes.
• Put the baking dish on a baking sheet to catch any drips, and bake for about 50 minutes, or until browned and bubbling.

ITALIAN COTTAGE PIE

Steps:

• First make the Beef with red wine & carrots (see 'Goes well with'). You will need half the finished stew for this recipe.
• Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Cook the potatoes in boiling, salted water for 10 mins until almost done. Drain well, then mix with the butter and half the Parmesan.
• In a large saucepan, fry the pancetta or bacon until golden. Stir in the fresh oregano leaves or dried oregano, then add the beef stew and heat through. Tip into an ovenproof dish and top with the cheesy potatoes, overlapping. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan and bake for 20 mins until golden and crisp on top. Serve with a green salad.

CLASSIC COTTAGE PIE

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook lamb, carrots and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are tender; drain. Stir in flour, parsley, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper until blended. Gradually add broth and wine; stir in tomato paste and brown sugar. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 10-15 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Stir in peas., Meanwhile, place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook 10-15 minutes or until tender., Preheat oven to 400°. Transfer meat mixture into a greased 9-in. deep-dish pie plate. Drain potatoes; mash with milk and butter. Stir in 1/2 cup cheese, salt and pepper. Spread over meat mixture; sprinkle with remaining cheese., Place pie plate on a foil-lined baking sheet (plate will be full). Bake 20-25 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

ITALIAN SPINACH-COTTAGE CHEESE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9-inch pie plate.
• Combine cottage cheese, spinach, mozzarella cheese, eggs, red peppers, Parmesan cheese, and oregano in a bowl. Pour into the prepared pie plate.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the center of the pie is set, 35 to 50 minutes.

ITALIAN VEGGIE COTTAGE PIE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large, lidded frying pan or flameproof casserole dish. Cook the aubergine, in two batches, over a high heat for 4-5 mins until golden, adding extra oil as you need to. Return all the aubergine to the pan with the garlic, tomatoes and 1 1/2 tsp oregano and cook for 1 min. Stir in the spinach, put the lid on the pan and leave for a few mins to wilt.
• Add the flour and stir through until combined. Pour in the milk, stir gently and bring to the boil. Bubble for a few mins, then stir in the cheese and season. Cook until the cheese has melted and the sauce has thickened.
• Mix the mash with the remaining oregano and spread over the filling. Scatter over a little more grated cheese and bake for 10-15 mins until golden.

ITALIAN SHEPHERD'S PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Stir 1/2 cup of the cheese into the potatoes; set mixture aside.
• In a large skillet, cook ground beef, sausage, and onion until meat is brown and onion is tender. Drain off fat. Stir zucchini or yellow summer squash, undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, and pepper into meat mixture in skillet. Bring to boiling.
• Divide meat mixture evenly among six 10-ounce individual casserole dishes. Spoon mashed potato mixture into mounds on top of hot meat mixture in casseroles. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese. If desired, sprinkle with paprika. Cover with plastic wrap; chill for at least 4 hours or up to 48 hours.
• To serve, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Remove plastic wrap; place casseroles in a 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Cover with foil. Bake for 35 minutes. Remove foil. Bake, uncovered, for 5 minutes more. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

PROPER ENGLISH COTTAGE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• To Make Meat Filling: Place a large skillet over medium heat. Crumble in ground beef and saute 1 minute. Add onion and carrot, then continue to saute until meat is no longer pink and onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Mix in flour, cinnamon, mixed herbs, and parsley.
• In a small bowl, combine beef broth and tomato paste. Mix together, then add to beef mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste. Lower heat and simmer mixture for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until almost all of liquid has been absorbed. Spoon mixture into a 9 inch pie plate.
• To Make Potato Topping: Place diced potatoes in a medium saucepan. Cover with water and place over high heat. Allow to come to a boil. Boil for 15 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Drain.
• Mash potatoes until smooth, then add butter or margarine, followed by milk. Whip until fluffy. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spread potatoes over beef filling. Sprinkle with grated Cheddar cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes, until top is browned and cheese is bubbly.

COTTAGE PIE

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
• Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add the onion, celery and carrot, stirring them over a brisk heat but not allowing them to brown.
• After 5 minutes or so add the garlic, reduce the heat and soften everything together.
• Increase the heat again and add the ground beef, stirring until browned.
• Stir in the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, wine and stock, season and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes.
• Boil the potatoes until soft and mash them with the milk until smooth and creamy.
• Spoon the meat mixture into a gratin dish and cover with a thick, even layer of mashed potato.
• Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 45-55 minutes until golden and bubbling. Serve with seasonal vegetables.

COTTAGE PIE (OR SHEPHERD'S PIE)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Make mashed potatoes: Add potatoes to a saucepan with 3 inches of water. Cover and bring to a boil. Cook until fork tender, about 12-15 minutes.
• Drain the water and leave the potatoes in the pot. Cover with the lid and allow to steam for a few minutes.
• Mash the potatoes lightly with a potato masher (avoid over-mixing the potatoes). Add butter, sour cream, milk, parmesan cheese and salt and pepper and stir just until smooth. Set aside.
• Make the meat filling: In a large, oven-safe* 12 inch skillet with sides, add the ground beef and ground sausage (or ground lamb, to make shepherd's pie). Season with salt and pepper.
• Cook over medium heat until browned, breaking the meat into small pieces with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Drain some of the grease (reserving some in the pan) and remove meat to a plate.
• Add the onion, celery and carrots to the pan and saute for about 5-8 minutes, until tender. Add garlic and flour and toss to combine. Cook for 1 minute.
• Add the beef broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, herbs and bay leaves and stir to combine.
• Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Taste and add extra seasonings, if needed. Remove bay leaves and stir in frozen peas, corn and cooked meat.
• Assemble the pie: Spoon the mashed potatoes over the meat mixture to completely cover the top. Sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese.
• Bake for about 30 minutes, until golden and bubbling. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving, to allow the gravy sauce in the meat mixture to cool and thicken.

COTTAGE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a large 9-inch by 13-inch (or equivalent)
• Peel the potatoes and cut them in quarters. Place them in the salted cooking water, cover the pot, and cook on high heat (turn to medium-high when the pot begins reaches a hard boil).
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil.
• Brown the ground beef, adding the onion, garlic, chopped carrots, thyme, paprika, parsley, and salt and pepper just before the beef is cooked through.
• Cook over medium heat just until the vegetables begin to soften and the onions become translucent.
• Add the wine and cook until reduced.
• Sprinkle the flour over the meat mixture and stir well to toast the flour.
• Pour in the stock and stir well, adding the green beans (or peas), cooking until the sauce thickens. Remove the skillet from the heat and pour the meat mixture into the bottom of the prepared baking pan.
• Drain the cooked potatoes and mash them in the pot along with the butter, milk, and salt and pepper until the mashed potatoes are smooth.
• Dollop the mashed potatoes over the top of the meat mixture, smoothing them out completely and creating some grooves with a fork on top of the mashed potatoes (this helps with browning).
• Place the baking dish on a baking sheet (it might bubble over the top of the dish in the oven), and bake the Cottage Pie for about 20-25 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit or until the potatoes begin to turn golden brown on top and the filling starts to bubble up around the sides of the baking dish.
• Let sit at room temperature for 5 minutes before serving.