England’s Minced Beef Cottage Pie
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Celebrate the summer games with this gold medal-winning cottage pie recipe from HelloFresh UK. You’ll whip up a hearty ground beef filling packed with shallot, carrots, and oregano. On top are swoops of creamy mashed potatoes sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and baked to create an irresistible cheesy crust. A side of tender green peas brings it across the finish line, British-style!
Ingredients
12 ounce
Potatoes
1 unit
Tomato Paste
6 ounce
Carrot
2.5 teaspoon
Balsamic Vinegar
4 ounce
Peas
3 tablespoon
Parmesan Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
2 unit
Beef Stock Concentrate
1 teaspoon
Dried Oregano
10 ounce
Ground Beef
2 teaspoon
Garlic Powder
1 unit
Shallot
Not included in your delivery
teaspoon (tsp)
Salt
2 teaspoon (tsp)
Cooking Oil
2 tablespoon (tbsp)
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
teaspoon (tsp)
Black Pepper
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Adjust rack to top position and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash and dry produce. • Dice potatoes into 1⁄2-inch pieces; place in a medium pot with enough salted water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, 10-15 minutes. Reserve 1 cup potato cooking liquid (1 1⁄2 cups for 4 servings), then drain and return potatoes to pot. • Keep covered off heat until ready to mash.
• While potatoes cook, trim, peel, and quarter carrots lengthwise; slice crosswise into 1⁄4-inch-thick quarter-moons. Halve, peel, and mince shallot. • Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add beef*, carrots, shallot, a pinch of salt, and pepper. • Cook, breaking up meat into pieces, until veggies begin to soften and beef is browned, 2-3 minutes. TIP: If veggies begin to brown too quickly, add a splash of water. • Carefully drain any excess grease from pan.
• While beef mixture cooks, in a small bowl, combine tomato paste, stock concentrates, oregano, half the vinegar, half the garlic powder, and 1⁄2 cup reserved potato cooking liquid (all the vinegar and 3⁄4 cup reserved potato cooking liquid for 4 servings). (You’ll use the rest of the garlic powder later.) TIP: Ladle water directly from pot if potatoes are still cooking. • Stir tomato paste mixture into pan with beef mixture and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to a low simmer; cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened and beef is cooked through, 5-8 minutes. • Taste and season with salt and pepper if desired. Remove from heat.
• Return pot with potatoes to medium-low heat. Add 2 TBSP butter (4 TBSP for 4 servings). Mash until smooth and creamy, adding splashes of reserved potato cooking liquid as needed. • Season with salt and pepper. • Keep covered off heat until ready to serve.
• Transfer beef filling to an 8-by-8-inch baking dish (9-by-13-inch baking dish for 4 servings). Top with an even layer of mashed potatoes, leaving a 1-inch gap around the edges of the dish. Evenly sprinkle with Parmesan. • Bake cottage pie on top rack until topping is golden and filling is bubbling, 10-12 minutes. Let rest at least 5 minutes before serving. • Wash and dry pan used for beef filling.
• Once cottage pie has 5 minutes left, heat a drizzle of oil in pan used for beef filling over medium-high heat. Add peas, remaining garlic powder, and a pinch of salt. • Cook, stirring constantly, until warmed through, 2-3 minutes.
• Divide cottage pie and peas between shallow bowls in separate sections. Serve.
Ground Beef is fully cooked when internal temperature reaches 160°.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Many loved the comforting taste, though some found the vinegar too strong; adjusting seasonings to preference can help.
- Ease of prep: While delicious, several noted it was time-consuming with multiple steps; consider streamlining for quicker prep.
- Suggestions: Try adding peas directly to the pie instead of serving separately; precook carrots for tenderness.
- Leftovers: Makes great leftovers; some found it even better the next day and freezes well for future meals.
- Portions: Generous serving size; many had enough for 3-4 people or multiple meals from the 2-person recipe.
Reviews from our home cooks
Just the best cottage pie I've ever made. I did add some wine at the beginning of the beef stew part and throw the peas directly on top of it in the pan, but yeah, I'll be ordering this again.
Delicious!!! So good. Feedback would be that I used an enamel pot for browning the beef and was able to put the mashed potatoes on top and go straight in the oven (may be a useful tip on the side for people who don't cook as often)
This is an iteration of a shepard's pie that I happen to love. The prep is amazingly simple and the results are absolutely delicious. Pea prep leaves peas crisper and tasty
This dish is sooo savory and filling! As with most JF recipes, easy and under 30 minutes makes this perfect for weekday dinners (and lunch next day). You can add cornbread or biscuits for over the top yummyness. Tip: Leftovers are best when reheated in skillet on the stove.
This is one of our favorite recipes, and the portions for the cottage pie are generous. However, the amount of peas enclosed are really not enough for two people.
Loved the addition of balsamic vinegar. I found it made more sense and saved more time to throw the peas in with the beef and vegetables rather than having to wipe out the pan and cook them separately.
I cooked the beef and veggies in an oven-proof pan so it could go in the oven to finish. Added the peas in with the meat and veggies rather than cook them separately.
Very similar to the shepards pie. Liked the peas mixed in with it v just the side. Also peas don't need the oil and that much garlic.
My partner liked it, but half my family is English and I don't know of a single English person who would put tomato paste and oregano in a cottage pie. I really wanted a traditional cottage pie, but I do know how to make that and now this has reminded me that I would enjoy making it.
Wonderful flavor! Large enough for 4 servings. Only complaints: Could use double peas. Beef is tough and chewy. Carrots still crunchy after cooking extra long. Quality issues.
