Craving the warmth and satisfaction of a classic Cottage Pie but hesitant to derail your keto journey? Look no further! This recipe transforms a beloved comfort food into a keto-friendly delight, featuring a savory ground beef filling with a luxuriously creamy cauliflower mash.
This recipe is part of my keto ground beef collection, which also includes my juicy keto Swedish meatballs and delicious keto spaghetti sauce.
Why This Keto Cottage Pie Recipe Shines
- Perfect for Keto Dieters: We’ve swapped traditional mashed potatoes for a cauliflower mash, drastically reducing the carb count without sacrificing taste or texture.
- Flavor-Packed Beef Filling: Ground beef, aromatic vegetables, and a touch of red wine combine to create a deeply satisfying, savory filling.
- Simple and Easy: With readily available ingredients and clear instructions, this recipe is perfect even for kitchen novices.
- Meal Prep & Freezer Friendly: Make a big batch and enjoy it throughout the week or freeze for a quick and easy keto meal anytime.
Cottage Pie is a classic British dish that has existed since 1791, around 60 years before Shepherd’s Pie.
Keto Cottage Pie Ingredients
- Ground Beef: The star of the show, providing protein and a rich, savory base for the filling
- Cauliflower: Transformed into a velvety smooth mash, offering a low-carb alternative to potatoes.
- Red Wine: Adds depth and complexity to the flavor profile of the filling
- Aromatic Vegetables: Finely chopped onions, green beans, and chopped celery sticks create a fragrant and flavorful base.
- Seasonings & Herbs: Garlic, oregano, thyme, and other spices elevate the taste of the filling and the mash.
How To Make Keto Cottage Pie
1. Craft The Ground Beef Filling:
- Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over high heat.
- Sauté finely chopped garlic, oregano, diced onion, and chopped celery until softened.
- Add the ground beef, breaking it apart as it browns.
- Stir in tomato paste, then pour in the beef stock and red wine vinegar.
- Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, allowing the liquid to reduce.
- Enhance the flavors with thyme and green beans, simmering for a final 5 minutes.
- Transfer the filling to a casserole dish.
2. Whip Up The Creamy Cauliflower Mash
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Boil cauliflower florets in salted water until tender.
- Drain well and return to the pot.
- Mash or blend the cauliflower with butter, salt, and pepper until smooth.
- Enrich the mash with egg yolks for extra creaminess.
3. Assemble And Bake to Perfection
- Spread the cauliflower mash generously over the beef filling.
- Sprinkle with paprika and dried oregano for a touch of color and flavor
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and the filling is bubbling.
- Let it rest for a few minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld.
The difference between cottage pie and shepherd’s pie is that cottage pie is made with beef, and shepherd’s pie is made with lamb.
Absolutely! A sprinkle of grated Parmesan or cheddar cheese will add extra richness and flavor.
A simple green salad or steamed vegetables complement this dish perfectly.
While traditionally made with beef, feel free to substitute it with lamb, pork, or even a combination.
Keto Cottage Pie
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Equipment
- Saucepan
- Casserole Dish
Ingredients
Base
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 small Onion diced
- 3 sticks celery diced
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup Beef Stock
- 1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 10 ounces green beans cut into 1in lengths
Topping
- 1.6 pounds Cauliflower cut into florets
- 3 ounces Butter
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Pepper
- 3 Egg Yolks
- pinch Paprika
- pinch dried oregano
Instructions
Base
- Place a large saucepan over high heat.
- Add the olive oil, garlic, oregano, onion and celery and saute for 5 minutes, until the onion is starting to become translucent.3 tablespoons olive oil, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon dried oregano, 1 small Onion, 3 sticks celery
- Add the salt and ground beef, stirring continuously to break apart the meat while it browns.1 teaspoon Salt, 2 pounds ground beef
- When the beef is browned add the tomato paste and stir well.3 tablespoons tomato paste
- Add the beef stock and red wine vinegar and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes until the liquid has reduced.1 cup Beef Stock, 1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar
- Add the thyme and green beans and simmer for 5 minutes before removing from the heat.2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, 10 ounces green beans
- Spoon the beef mixture into your casserole dish and set aside.
- Preheat your oven to 175C/350F.
Topping
- Fill a large saucepan two-thirds full of water and bring to the boil.
- Add the cauliflower and cook for 7-10 minutes until tender.1.6 pounds Cauliflower
- Carefully pour the water and cauliflower into a colander and drain well. Return the drained cauliflower to the saucepan, along with the butter, salt and pepper..3 ounces Butter, 1/2 teaspoon Salt, 1/4 teaspoon Pepper
- Using your stick blender, blend the cauliflower into a smooth mash.
- Add the egg yolks and blend well.3 Egg Yolks
- Gently spoon the mashed cauliflower onto the beef mixture in your casserole dish.
- Sprinkle with paprika and oregano.pinch Paprika, pinch dried oregano
- Bake the pie in the oven for 25-30 minutes, until the mash is golden brown.
- Serve immediately or chill and store in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Adjust the servings above to make a larger batch of this Keto Cottage Pie recipe.
Thank you for putting the ingredient measurements in the instructions!! Everyone should do this so we don’t have to go back and forth to make sure! Genius!
No problem Dayna. It helps me too as I get stuck sometimes.
I am trying this tonight and I agree about putting the ingredients in the preparation instructions itโs a big help
This was absolutely delicious! I added a splash of whole milk to the mash, my husband loved it too and found that the mash wasn’t cauliflowery, not overpowering and as good as the potato version.
Thank you so much for the feedback, Pauline, so glad you enjoyed the cottage pie.
I just started Keto a few weeks ago and have been looking for new recipes to keep it โFreshโ. Made this tonight and it tasted A-Mazing!! Thank-you so much for sharing ๐
I did the pie this evening. I added just one teaspoon full of mint sauce and added just 30g of cheddar cheese. I ainโt going to lie, it was probably the best pie Iโve ever had!
Ps. I subbed the beef for lamb.
Thank you for your kind words Ranjit!! I’m so glad that you enjoyed it, and your subs sound like a delicious twist too ๐
I didn’t have everything in the recipe list on hand, but with some Keto-friendly substitutions in the base, I cobbled together something that even our 4 kids devoured! Thank you for this recipe…something satisfying to add to our dinner options!
Hi Lisa,
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping by to leave a comment ๐
That looks delicious!
Made it tonight and was sooo yummy!! 5*
I wonder if grated cheese on top would be extra yummy
I think that sounds great Michelle!
Great recipe! I made this tonight for my son and his family. They did not even know it was not mashed potatoes on top until I told them. Love your site! Thanks
Thank you, thank you for all the Really Great Recipes. By far my favorite site for keto. Also…I like the clean look and scooting around the website on my phone without constant pop-ups and long, long, long, stories! Yours are just the right amount! Did I say thank you yet? Thank you!
I made this tonight and it was easy and delicious
Can this be frozen?
It sure can Aimee ๐
We LOVED it! I really wanted some comfort food for dinner and this was perfect. My husband (a mashed potato lover) found it surprising that he felt like he was eating potatoes ๐
Hi Sue,
That’s so great to hear! Thank you for your kind words.
Delicious and filling
Thank you. Glad you like it Lindsay.