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The Urben Life

A food and lifestyle blog by Jenna Urben

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Dairy-Free and Egg-Free Cottage Pie

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Dairy-Free and Egg-Free Cottage Pie is a tasty comforting meal with ground beef, carrots, peas, onion, and garlic. Topped off with fluffy mashed potatoes. You may know this dish as Shepherd’s Pie, but I’ll let you know the difference!


Let’s just get right into it – what’s the difference between cottage pie and shepherd’s pie? There are many variations on this meat pie but the main difference between the two is that cottage pie contains beef and shepherd’s pie contains lamb. If you’re vegan or vegetarian, there are meatless versions out there that use lentils, sweet potatoes, and mushrooms. Should I experiment with that next? I think we all know the answer to that is HECK YES!

I have made this dairy-free and egg-free cottage pie a few times and I always want to go back for seconds. It’s just the definition of comfort food! I personally enjoy it most during the fall and winter, when it’s freezing outside. However, this dish can be enjoyed year round.

When I made this earlier in the year, I posted about it in my Dairy-Free & Egg-Free Recipes support group and have received numerous recipe requests. I’m sorry for the wait! I know it’ll be worth it when you take your first bite.

cottage pie, recipe

So how does this delicious dinner come together? Easy peasy! The first step, brown your ground beef. Then toss in onion, carrots, peas, and garlic. This is where I typically pour myself a glass of red wine 😉 Once the veggies have softened, stir in flour, tomato paste, broth, Worcestershire sauce, seasoning, salt, and pepper. As your mixture reduces and thickens up, begin boiling potatoes. Once tender, drain, stir in milk and butter, mash, and set aside. Transfer mixture to a greased baking dish, top with mashed potatoes, and bake.

cottage pie, recipe
5 from 8 votes
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Dairy-Free and Egg-Free Cottage Pie

Dairy-Free and Egg-Free Cottage Pie is a tasty comforting meal with ground beef, carrots, peas, onion, and garlic. Topped off with fluffy mashed potatoes.

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

For the filling

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 onion diced
  • 2 carrots diced
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 cup broth
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
  • Salt and pepper to taste

For the topping

  • 4 potatoes roughly chopped
  • 2/3 cup dairy-free milk
  • 2 tablespoons dairy-free butter
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add ground beef and cook until browned. Stir in onion, carrots, peas, and garlic. Cook until soft.
  2. Add flour, then tomato paste, broth, Worcestershire sauce, seasoning, salt, and pepper. Mix until well combined. Bring to a simmer, stir, and turn down heat to low-medium heat. Let cook until it reduces down and thickens to your desired consistency.
  3. Transfer to a baking dish, cover, then place in the freezer. Preheat oven to 350F.
  4. Cook potatoes in boiling water for about 15 minutes or until fork tender. Drain then return to pot. Add dairy-free milk and butter then mash until smooth.
  5. Take the baking dish out of freezer and top with mashed potatoes. Using a fork, create a rough topping. If desired, drizzle with a little olive oil.

  6. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden on the top and bubbling around the edges. Let cool for about 5 minutes, then serve warm.

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Comments

  3. I’m glad to know the difference between the two! I have always used hamburger and called it Shepherd’s Pie. I’ll have to repent, ha, ha! This is my daughter’s favorite meal, and she has requested it for her birthday tomorrow. So perfect timing on the recipe! Thank you!

    Reply

    • Hahaha – I definitely think Shepherd’s Pie is the more common name, so most people just go with that 🙂 At the end of the day, it probably comes back to personal preference. I found the history really interesting though! Wishing your daughter a very happy birthday!!

      Reply

  6. Well not aren’t you a friggin’ RECIPE GENIUS!!!!!! Love this idea so much and I do have a head of cauliflower I could use for the topping instead of potatoes!

    Reply

  12. The Cottage Pie as a variation of Shepherds Pie is one of those pot meals that our family would love. With the ground beef browned and with onion, carrots, peas, and garlic it is sure to taste delicious.

    Reply

  20. Interesting, I always grew up with it being called shepherd’s pie and we made it with beef or turkey, but it totally makes sense that shepherds pie would have lamb in it! Thanks for the info!

    Reply

  25. This looks so yummy! I loved this growing up but developed dairy sensitivities when I got older. I can’t wait to make this!

    Reply

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