Slow cooker cottage pie is one of those dinners that you would love to cook irrespective of weather. Moreover, it is delicious, and you store it for later use, we bet that it would taste much better second time.

If your kids don’t eat veggies, then you’ll love this slow cooker cottage pie recipe. It is easy to hide vegetables in this cottage pie recipe, and your kid won’t even notice. You can make slow cooker cottage pie recipe in advance and store it in the fridge for later use.

Before we jump to the recipe, there are a few frequently asked questions regarding cottage pie recipe that we would love to answer.

  • Can I make slow cooker cottage pie recipe in advance?

Yes! As we said that you could cook the cottage pie in advance and store it in the fridge. Moreover, there is a benefit of cooking it in advance, i.e., the layer will remain in better shape.

  • How to reheat cold cottage pie?

Reheating cottage pie is simple, just put it in the oven at 160oC for 20-25 minutes, and you’re good to go. The pie will be hot and ready to be served.

  • Is a slow cooker the only option to cook cottage pie?

Slow cooking is not the only method to cook the pie, but we recommend that you use a slow cooker. The recipe will taste much better if you slow cook all the ingredients.

Let’s jump to the recipe!

Ingredients

For Filling

  • Minced beef – 500 g
  • Onion (chopped) – 1
  • Carrot (grated) – 1
  • Leek (chopped) – 1
  • Mushrooms (chopped) – 100 g
  • Tomatoes (chopped) – 400 g
  • Beef stock – 600 ml
  • Basil (dried) – 1 tbsp.
  • Thyme (dried) – 1 tbsp.
  • Bay leaves – 2
  • Tomato puree – 4 tbsp.
  • Worcestershire sauce – 1 splash
  • Flour – 4 tbsp.
  • Oil – 1 tbsp.
  • Salt and pepper – as per taste

For Topping

  • Potatoes (chopped) – 4
  • Butter – 1 tbsp.
  • Milk – 100 ml
  • Cheese – 200 g
  • Salt – as per taste

Method

For the pie filling, follow the following steps:

  1. Take a slow cooker, add minced beef, place it on high heat until it turns brown. Set aside for later use.
  2. In a saucepan add onion, carrot, leek, and fry until they are slightly soft. Add tomato puree, basil, thyme, and flour. Cook again for few more minutes.
  3. Next, add beef stock, tomatoes, bay leaves, Worcestershire sauce, and stir until all the ingredients are combined. Check the sauce consistency and add the minced beef, salt, and pepper.
  4. Transfer the mixture into the slow cooker and cook. If you’re cooking on high heat cook for 4-hours if you’re cooking on low heat cook for 7 to 8-hours.

To prepare pie topping, follow the steps below:

  1. Take a pan one hour before the filling is ready and boil potatoes until they’re tender.
  2. Drain potatoes, add milk, butter, and half of the cheese. Mash all the ingredients.

For pie constructions follow these steps:

  1. Eliminate bay leaves from the filling, take a pie dish and transfer filling from the slow cooker. Allow the filling to cool down a little bit before topping it with mashed potatoes.
  2. Now, add the topping and grill on high heat for another 5 minutes or until the potato topping turns crispy. Add the remaining cheese and grill again for five more minutes.

Delicious cottage pie is ready!