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This single serving Cottage Pie is a hearty, comforting meal made with seasoned ground beef, vegetables, and rich gravy, all topped with creamy mashed potatoes and baked until golden. It’s the perfect choice when you want a classic, satisfying dish without leftovers.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy and Budget-Friendly: Made with simple, affordable ingredients you likely have on hand.
- Incredible Flavor: Savory beef, tender vegetables, and creamy mashed potatoes in every bite.
- Perfectly Portioned: No leftovers, no waste, just the right amount for one.
This little cottage pie has a special place in my heart, and I think you’ll feel the same way after the first bite. It’s warm, hearty, and everything I want in a comforting homemade meal—perfectly portioned just for one.
Treat yourself to single serving cottage pie on its own, or pair it with small batch roasted carrots, a crisp garden salad with a light vinaigrette, crusty small loaf French bread, or our small batch coleslaw recipe.
Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this easy cottage pie recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder.
- Bacon: One strip of bacon, cut into small pieces (lardons), adds smoky flavor to the filling. Extra bacon can be used in small German potato salad, small batch corn casserole, or spaghetti carbonara for one.
- Onion: Use yellow onion for a balance of sweetness and sharpness. White or red onions will work too. Leftover onion can be added to our single serve chicken gumbo or small batch salsa recipe.
- Carrot: Brings sweetness and a slight crunch. If needed, substitute with parsnips or chopped bell peppers. Use leftovers in Carrot Cake or Split Pea Soup.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic adds bold flavor. If unavailable, use 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder.
- Ground Beef: A savory, hearty base for the pie. Ground turkey, chicken, or plant-based meat can be used instead. Extra beef can go into our small batch lasagna rollups, single serve cheeseburger soup, or chili mac for one.
- Dried Basil: Adds a mild herbal flavor. Swap with dried thyme or oregano if needed.
- Kosher Salt: We use Diamond Crystal kosher salt for precise seasoning and flavor.
- Worcestershire Sauce: Adds depth. Soy sauce or coconut aminos are good substitutes.
- Frozen Peas: Add color and sweetness. Fresh peas, corn, or green beans also work. Leftover peas can be used in our spicy peas with mint recipe or our small chicken and biscuits casserole recipe.
- Beef Broth: Builds a rich, savory gravy. Vegetable broth can be used instead. Use leftover broth in our pepper steak for one, single serving pot roast, or our single serve taco soup recipe.
- Grated Parmesan Cheese: Adds a savory, nutty finish. Cheddar, Gruyère, or Pecorino Romano are good alternatives.
- Mashed Potatoes: Made from scratch for a creamy topping. Boxed mashed potatoes or mashed sweet potatoes can be used for convenience or variation.
Recipe Variations
Here are a few easy ways to change up this cottage pie:
- Chicken: Use ground chicken instead of beef for a lighter version.
- Vegetarian: Swap the beef for cooked lentils or a meat substitute.
- Mushroom: Add 1/4 cup sliced mushrooms for extra depth.
- Cheesy: Stir shredded cheese into the mashed potatoes.
- Greek-Inspired: Add feta cheese and chopped olives to the filling.
How To Make Cottage Pie
These photos and instructions help you visualize how to make a single serve cottage pie. See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
Make the Mashed Potatoes
Chop the potato into quarters and place in a small saucepan with the milk and garlic. Cook until tender. Strain and reserve the milk mixture. Return the potatoes to the pan, add a bit of the reserved milk, and mash until smooth. Stir in butter and salt. Set aside.
Note: You can also use boxed or leftover mashed potatoes.
Make the Cottage Pie
- Cook the Bacon and Prep the Oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Cut the bacon into strips and cook in a 2 quart saucepan over medium-high heat. When crisp, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Cook the Vegetables and Brown the Beef: In the same pan, cook the onions, carrot, and garlic with a pinch of salt for 2 minutes, stirring often. Add the ground beef and dried basil. Cook, breaking up the meat, until browned, about 3 minutes.
- Add Sauce and Simmer: Stir in Worcestershire sauce and peas. Add the broth, increase heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid evaporates, 8–10 minutes.
- Add Bacon: Remove from heat and stir in the cooked bacon.
- Assemble the Pie: Spoon the mixture into a buttered 10-ounce ramekin.
- Top and Bake: Top with mashed potatoes, sprinkle with Parmesan, and bake for 20 minutes. Garnish with parsley, if desired.
Expert Tips
- Use Different Meats: Swap ground beef with ground lamb to make a classic Shepherd’s Pie.
- Shortcut for Mashed Potatoes: Leftover or instant mashed potatoes work well.
- Let It Rest: Let the pie sit for a few minutes before serving so the layers can set.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cottage pie is made with ground beef, while Shepherd’s Pie uses ground lamb.
Yes, assemble the pie up to a day in advance, cover, and refrigerate. Bake when ready to eat.
Reheat in the microwave or reheat in the oven at 350°F until heated through.
A 10-ounce ramekin is ideal.
Yes! To make Cottage Pie for two, double the ingredient amounts and use a 5×5-inch baking dish.
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder or you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
If you’ve tried this single serving Cottage Pie recipe or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
Also, if you take a picture please tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) we’d love to see it!
Cottage Pie For One
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Mashed Potatoes (or use leftover mashed potatoes or instant mashed potatoes)
- 1 medium Yukon gold potato (about 7 oz)
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 clove garlic -minced
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
For the Filling
- 1 strip bacon
- 2 tablespoons chopped onions
- 1 small carrot -diced
- 1 clove garlic -minced
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 ounces ground beef
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ cup frozen peas
- ¼ cup low sodium beef broth
- 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
- chopped parsley for garnish (optional)
Instructions
Make the Mashed Potatoes – You can use instant or leftover mashed potatoes if preferred.
- Cut the potato into quarters and place in a 1-quart saucepan. Add milk and garlic. The potatoes should be mostly covered by the milk—add more if needed. Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes, or until tender.
- Strain the potatoes over a bowl to reserve the milk mixture.
- Return potatoes to the pan. Add 1/4 cup of the reserved milk and mash until smooth and creamy, adding more milk as needed. Stir in butter and salt. Set aside.
Make the Cottage Pie
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Cut the bacon into small strips and cook in a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- In the same pan, cook onions, carrot, and garlic with 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt for 2 minutes, stirring often.
- Add ground beef and dried basil. Cook until browned, breaking up the meat, about 3 minutes.
- Stir in Worcestershire sauce and peas.
- Add broth and increase heat to medium-high. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 8–10 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated.
- Remove from heat and stir in the cooked bacon.Pro Tip: Taste and adjust salt if needed.
- Spoon the mixture into a buttered 10-ounce ramekin.
- Top with mashed potatoes and sprinkle Parmesan on top.
- Place ramekin on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Garnish with parsley, if desired.
Notes
- Use Different Meats: Swap ground beef with ground lamb to make a classic Shepherd’s Pie.
- Shortcut for Mashed Potatoes: Leftover or instant mashed potatoes work well.
- Let It Rest: Let the pie sit for a few minutes before serving so the layers can set.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
I forgot to mention that I doubled the quantities for the meat filling, thinking I could freeze half of it. That way, the next time I can use the ready-made frozen filling, and just put fresh mashed potatoes on top.
I tried this today, and it was delicious! I left out the bacon, as for a single person it’s not convenient to buy an entire pack when you only want to use one slice. One query though – you said to bake it for 20 minutes, but at the top of the page you wrote Cooking time: 50 min, Total 1 hr 10 min. Perhaps you were calculating the additional 15 minutes cooking time before putting the dish in the oven, but that adds up to 35 min. So where did the 50 come from? Since the basic ingredients were already cooked, I decided 20 min in the oven would probably be enough, and it was.
Thank you so much for the kind words—I’m thrilled you enjoyed the Cottage Pie! I completely understand about the bacon; skipping it works just fine, and I love your idea of doubling the filling to freeze for next time. That’s such a smart way to make a future meal easier.
Regarding the cook time, you’re absolutely right to notice the difference. The total time listed includes the steps for making the mashed potatoes, cooking the bacon and beef, and then the 20-minute bake time. It can definitely be a little confusing, and I appreciate you pointing it out—I’ll take another look to make sure it’s as clear as possible.
Thanks again for sharing your experience!
I think this one is next, may pretend I’m a cook and deglaze with some red wine and add some other vegetables like celery and such. still this looks like a great start for us single guy cooks.
thank you for your site. I’ll try to remember to come back with a rating. to be continued…
Thanks so much for your comment! Deglazing with red wine is a great idea—it adds such wonderful depth of flavor. I love that you’re planning to add extra vegetables like celery too! I’m excited to hear how it all turns out for you. Thank you for checking out the recipe, and I really appreciate your kind words. Looking forward to hearing back from you with a rating—can’t wait to see how it goes!
Well, I just have to complain, first you never told me to make sure I had more than enough potatoes, do you know how hard it is to not eat them all before you make this???? But I made it, and still had enough ‘taters. the added vegies worked well, I do wish it could have been a little crispier on top, I did Fork the top, but maybe not high enough butter content in the potatoes. Also tried to make a small hole in the center to capture the run over on the potatoes (I envisioned a flavor volcano) but still some escaped out the sides.
I just can’t believe how close to great this is, guess I’ll have to make it again to make sure.
thanks for the dinner.
I love your sense of humor! It’s always a challenge to resist snacking on those potatoes. For a crispier top, you could try brushing a little more butter on before baking or even pop it under the broiler for a minute or two. I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe, and I think a flavor volcano sounds like a fun idea! Thanks for sharing your experience, and I hope your next one turns out even better.
Great recipe.
Thank you!