Pork Sausage Cottage Pie
topped with Cheesy Thyme Mashed Potatoes
- Milk
- Wheat
No matter the weather, we firmly believe that there’s nothing better than homey, comforting classics that warm you from the inside out. If you agree, look no further! Enter: our chefs’ ode to the classic cottage pie. The base is a rich, tomatoey pork sausage filling chock-full of fresh veggies and herbs. On top, swoops of creamy, thyme-flecked mashed potatoes are sprinkled with white cheddar, then broiled to create an irresistible crust. It all bakes up in the same pan that the sausage is cooked in, making it as easy as... well, you get it!
Ingredients
3 ounce
Carrot
¼ ounce
Thyme
1 unit
Onion
4 tablespoon
Sour Cream
½ cup
White Cheddar Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
1 unit
Crushed Tomatoes
1 clove
Garlic
1 unit
Beef Stock Concentrate
16 ounce
Potatoes
1 tablespoon
Flour
(Contains: Wheat)
9 ounce
Italian Pork Sausage
2.5 ounce
Celery
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Heat broiler to high. Wash and dry produce. • Dice potatoes into ½-inch pieces (peel first if desired). Strip thyme leaves from stems; roughly chop leaves. Trim, peel, and halve carrot lengthwise; slice crosswise into ¼-inch-thick half-moons. Finely dice celery. Halve, peel, and finely chop onion. Peel and mince garlic.
• Place potatoes in a medium pot with enough salted water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, 15-20 minutes. • Drain and return potatoes to pot. Mash with sour cream, 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4 servings), and 1 tsp chopped thyme until smooth and creamy, adding splashes of water as needed. Season generously with salt and pepper. • Cover to keep warm.
• Meanwhile, heat a drizzle of oil in a medium, preferably ovenproof, pan (use a large pan for 4 servings) over medium-high heat. Add carrot; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until slightly softened, 2-3 minutes. • Add celery, onion, and a large drizzle of oil; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until veggies are just tender, 5-7 minutes. TIP: If veggies begin to brown too quickly, add a splash of water. • Stir in garlic and 2 tsp chopped thyme; cook until fragrant, 30 seconds.
• Remove sausage* from casing; discard casing. • Add sausage to pan with veggies. Cook, breaking up meat into pieces, until browned and cooked through, 4-6 minutes. • Add flour; cook, stirring, until thoroughly combined, 1 minute.
• Add ¾ cup crushed tomatoes (1 cup for 4 servings) to pan with sausage mixture. (Be sure to measure crushed tomatoes.) Stir in stock concentrate and bring to a boil. Cook until mixture is very thick, 1-2 minutes. • Turn off heat. Taste and season with salt and pepper. TIP: If your pan isn’t ovenproof, transfer filling to a baking dish now.
• Top sausage filling with an even layer of mashed potatoes, leaving a 1-inch border around edge of pan. Evenly sprinkle mashed potatoes with cheddar. Broil until browned, 3-4 minutes. TIP: Watch carefully to avoid burning. • Let cool at least 5 minutes, then divide between plates and serve.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Many loved the savory blend of sausage, veggies, and herbs; some found it too tomato-heavy or greasy.
- Ease of prep: Several noted it was time-consuming with lots of chopping, but most felt the delicious result was worth the effort.
- Suggestions: Consider draining excess grease from sausage; some preferred ground beef or pork over Italian sausage links.
- Leftovers: Many praised the generous portions, with some reporting delicious leftovers for lunch the next day.
- Modifications: Some added extra veggies like peas, corn, or mushrooms for more variety and nutrition.
Reviews from our home cooks
I think this may be my new, favorite cottage pie. The flavor of the sausage with the thyme is so satisfyingly savory. I'll be watching for this one again.
I used instant mashed potatoes and added the thyme to the boiling water for this meal. I was trying to clear out my pantry and this option used fewer dishes and required less time overall. The potatoes that came with the meal will be used later. I enjoyed the prep and cooking of this meal. I am fond of cottage/shepherd's pies so this would always be a go-to for me.
The Pork Sausage Cottage Pie was delicious and easy to prepare. I am a single person and always have leftovers and this was just as good the second time around.
This was my first time using Hello Fresh and the pork sausage cottage pie was amazing. The only thing I recommend for others is to utilize less salt that the recipe recommend which we did.
Both quite tasty--though potato topping for cottage pie is a bit too rich with sour cream and cheese.
I have a delightful recipe that I use to make Shepard's Pie using either beef or lamb, but I have never made Cottage Pie or used sausage in my recipes. My husband and I enjoyed this meal very much and for convenience, we would purchase this again from you for the easy prep and ingredients at my fingertips.
The italian sausage was an incorrect choice for cottage pie. For the right mixes of flavor, you need a country sausage. The spicing of the italian overrode the more subtle tastes in the rest of the ingredients.
I dreamt about this cottage pie the night we had it. I expected it to be kind of bland and rustic, it was an explosion of flavor. Have already made the recipe on my own several times. Huge hit.
Wow!! Pork sausage takes this meal to a whole new level of delicious! I just love how we get a lunch out if this meal each time, it's a food stretcher for sure! So happy with this recipe! Thyme is called that because it takes so much time to prep 🤣, but so worth it!
LOVE this recipe. I always order this dish when it is available to purchase. Love the thyme in the meal and especially the potatoes. This is always a hit with us.
