Sweet Potato Cottage Pie Recipe

Sweet potato cottage pie has a savory vegetable beef filling with a rich, creamy sweet potato topping, and is finished off with a bit of sharp cheddar. It's the perfect cozy casserole when you want a meal that's as healthy as it is hearty.

Course Main Course

Cuisine British

Keyword Cottage Pie with Sweet Potato, Sweet Potato Cottage Pie, Sweet Potato Cottage Pie Recipe

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 1 30

Servings servings

Calories 458kcal

Author Faith Gorsky

Equipment

10.5 by 7.5-inch casserole dish

Ingredients

Sweet Potato Layer (Top):

1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes
3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
4 tablespoons whole milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly-grated nutmeg optional

Meat Layer (Bottom):

2 tablespoons oil such as olive oil, or any oil you have on hand
1 pound 90% lean ground beef
1 large yellow onion diced (about 1 1/2 cups diced)
3 medium carrots diced (about 1 1/2 cups diced)
2 medium stalks celery diced (about 1 cup diced)
4 large cloves garlic crushed
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme plus more for garnish
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/4 cups beef stock
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup frozen green peas thawed and drained
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Other:

1/2 tablespoon butter to grease the dish
3 ounces freshly-grated sharp white cheddar cheese aged English cheddar is great here, for topping

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the Sweet Potato Layer:

Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a small baking tray with foil.
Rinse and dry the sweet potatoes. Poke a few holes in each. Place the potatoes on the prepared tray and roast until a paring knife inserted in the center of the largest potato slides right out, about 1 hour. Cool the potatoes until they’re not too hot to touch.
Slice open each potato; scoop out the flesh into a large bowl and discard the potato skins.
Mash the sweet potato with the butter, milk, salt, black pepper, and nutmeg until it’s smooth and creamy (you can puree it in a food processor if you want it perfectly smooth).

For the Meat Layer:

Make the meat layer while the sweet potatoes are baking.
Add the oil to a large, deep-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the beef, onion, carrot, and celery, and cook (covered) for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in the garlic, thyme, and tomato paste and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Stir in the beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and black pepper. Bring up to a boil, and then turn the heat down to a simmer. Cook (uncovered) until the mixture is thickened, about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove from the heat and stir in the peas and lemon juice.

To Assemble and Bake the Casserole:

Grease a 1.5-liter casserole dish with butter (I use a 10.5-inch long by 7.5-inch wide by 2.5-inch deep casserole dish).
Spread the beef mixture into the bottom of the casserole dish, and spread the mashed sweet potato mixture evenly on top. Sprinkle the shredded cheddar evenly across the top.
To avoid anything dripping in the oven, line a large baking tray with foil and place the casserole dish on top. Bake until the casserole is warm throughout and golden, about 25 to 30 minutes. You can briefly broil it if you want to brown the top more.

To Serve:

Let it cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh thyme and serve.

Notes

Storage: Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Reheating: You can reheat this in the microwave or in the oven. To reheat cottage pie in the oven, preheat the oven to 350F. Put the amount you want to reheat in an oven-safe dish and cover with foil. Reheat until warm, about 15 to 20 minutes for a single serving, or 30 to 45 minutes for a whole pie.
Paleo Version: Here are the changes to make this a paleo cottage pie:
- Use ghee (clarified butter) or coconut oil instead of butter.
- Swap out the whole milk for canned unflavored light coconut milk.
- Omit the Worcestershire sauce and use coconut aminos instead.

Nutrition