Make a flavorful cottage pie with Guinness, ground beef, and a creamy mashed potato topping. Using Guinness makes it a great dish to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
Cottage pie with Guinness is easy to make, incredibly hearty, and moreish. With just a few simple ingredients, with the stout being the star, you’ll make a dish that’s definitely worth repeating! If you're making it at another time of year, feel free to swap Guinness for another beer or use chicken and beef stock instead.
Cottage pie is a hearty British dish made with ground beef, vegetables, and gravy, topped with mashed potatoes. It's often confused with shepherd's pie, which is made with ground lamb instead of beef. The main difference between the two is the type of meat used.
Check out more St. Patrick’s Day recipes like Soda Bread without Buttermilk or Irish Coffee Cake – this cake is so good that I must make it again this year.
Ingredients: 13 + oil and seasoning
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes for the sauce and 20 minutes for the mashed potatoes. You will cook them simultaneously.
Baking time: 35 – 40 minutes
Recipe ingredients
Guinness is a dark Irish beer with a rich, smooth taste. It’s made from roasted barley, hops, yeast, and water and has a slightly bitter flavor with hints of coffee and chocolate. You can also use more stout to make a delicious Chicken with Guinness or Soda Bread with Guinness.
Ground beef makes this a cottage pie. If you would like to use ground lamb, you will have a delicious Shepherd’s Pie instead. There is no need to change anything else in the recipe. Make this amazing Turkish Pasta with ground beef, too.
Ingredients for the mashed potato topping: Potatoes, milk, butter, cream cheese, and Cheddar cheese. Check out these delicious Red Skinned Mashed Potatoes, too.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make cottage pie with Guinness?
Step #1: Sauté the chopped vegetables for about 3 minutes.
Step #2: Brown the ground beef for about 5 minutes.
Step #3: Add flour and stir. Add stout, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper.
Step #4: Simmer the beef for about 45 minutes.
Step #5: Cook the potatoes until tender. Drain them well.
Step #6: Mash the potatoes with warm milk, cream cheese, butter, and seasoning. Add ½ of the cheese.
Step #7: Transfer the meat mixture to the baking dish.
Step #8: Cover with the mashed potatoes, create a pattern with the fork, and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake until bubbly and golden brown.
Tip
Make the cottage pie in a large cast iron skillet (12-inch/30 cm) or a large Dutch oven. This way, you won’t need to transfer the filling to a separate baking dish after cooking it on the stove, as both cast-iron skillets and Dutch ovens are oven-safe.
Make cottage pie ahead
To make cottage pie ahead of time, assemble the pie up to the point of baking, then cover it tightly with plastic wrap or foil and store it in the fridge for up to 1-2 days. When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and bake for 30-40 minutes or until heated through and golden on top. If the pie has been refrigerated, you may need to bake it a little longer.
To freeze the unbaked Guinness cottage pie, assemble it up to the point of baking, then cover it tightly with plastic wrap and foil. Freeze it for up to 3 months. When you're ready to cook, bake directly from frozen at 350°F (175°C) for about 60-75 minutes or until heated through and golden on top. You may need to cover it with foil for the first part of baking to prevent over-browning.
Store and reheat
Refrigerate: Let the pie cool completely, then cover it tightly with plastic wrap or foil. Store it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freeze the leftovers in airtight containers for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge and reheat well before serving.
Reheat: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Cover the pie with foil and bake for about 20-25 minutes or until heated through. You can remove the foil for the last 5 minutes to help the top crisp up.
What to serve with cottage pie?
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📖 Recipe
Cottage Pie with Guinness
Equipment
- Large, deeper skillet or saucepan
- Cooking pot for the potatoes
- Potato masher
- Casserole dish about 7x10 inches(18x25 cm), a bit larger or smaller than that is ok
Ingredients
Cottage pie filling:
- 1.7 lbs ground beef Note 1
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 1 large carrot finely diced
- 2 celery stalks finely diced
- 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour finely diced
- 1 ⅓ cup Guinness Note 2
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- fine sea salt and ground black pepper
Potato topping:
- 1.7 lbs potatoes chopped
- ⅓ cup whole milk warm
- 1 ½ tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons cream cheese
- 6 tablespoons Cheddar grated, divided
- a few gratings of nutmeg
- fine sea salt and ground black pepper
- 1 ½ tablespoon butter
Instructions
Cottage pie filling:
- Preparations: Finely chop the onion, carrot, and celery.1 medium onion + 1 large carrot + 2 celery stalks
- Brown ground beef: Heat the oil in the skillet, add the chopped vegetables and sauté them for about 3 minutes. Add the beef and cook it until brown (about 5 minutes).1 tablespoon vegetable oil + vegetables + 1.7 lbs ground beef
- Simmer: Sprinkle the flour on top and stir it for 1 minute. Add Guinness, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Bring to a boil, turn the heat down to medium-low, cover the pot, and simmer the ground beef for 45 minutes. Stir occasionally.2 teaspoons all-purpose flour + 1 ⅓ cup Guinness + 1 tablespoon tomato paste + 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce + fine sea salt and ground black pepper
Mashed potato topping:
- Boil potatoes: Peel, wash, and cut the potatoes into cubes. Put them in the pot, cover them with cold water, and bring to a boil. Add a generous pinch of salt and simmer the potatoes for 20 minutes or until tender. Drain them well and return them to the pot.1.7 lbs potatoes
- Make the mash: Add warm milk, butter, cream cheese, nutmeg, salt, and pepper to the potatoes. Mash until smooth, adjusting seasoning if needed. Stir in half of the cheese. ⅓ cup whole milk + 1 ½ tablespoons butter + 2 tablespoons cream cheese + a few gratings of nutmeg + fine sea salt and ground black pepper + ½ of the cheese from 6 tablespoons Cheddar
Assemble cottage pie:
- Spread the meat mixture in a lightly greased casserole dish. Top with mashed potatoes and use a fork to create a pattern on the surface of the mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with the remaining 3 tablespoons of cheese and dot the top of the pie with small pieces of butter.1 ½ tablespoon butter
- Bake the cottage pie for 35-40 minutes until bubbly and golden brown. Let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Ground meat: Use ground lamb instead of beef for a delicious, classic shepherd’s pie.
- Swap Guinness for any stout, dark, or regular beer. If you prefer no alcohol, use beef or chicken stock instead.
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