Masala Spiced Cottage Pie

The magic in this Indian cottage pie is in the balance of warming spices. The garam masala and cinnamon, combined with cumin, coriander, chilli, black pepper and turmeric working with the minced beef and veggies to build layers of flavour.

This dish feel nostalgic and new at the same time. It's hearty, fragrant and impossible not to go back for seconds. For me this is the perfect bowl of comfort food for chilly evenings.

Jump to:

• Why you'll love this recipe
• Recipe ingredients
• How to make MASALA SPICED COTTAGE PIE
• Recipe variations
• Serving suggestions
• Useful hints and tips
• FAQs
• Pin the recipe
• Additional recipe suggestions
• Indian Cottage Pie

Recipe ingredients

Find the full list of ingredients and quantities in the recipe card below.

• Oil - use a light flavoured oil to sauté the vegetables, like sunflower oil.
• Whole spices - I add green cardamom pods and a cinnamon stick to add base flavour.
• Vegetables - I use onion and carrot for the base flavours in the dish. I also add frozen garden peas to the minced meat mixture once cooked.
• Dried spices - I use a combination of ground coriander, cumin, turmeric, garam masala, black pepper and chilli powder in this recipe.
• Garlic & ginger paste - I make my own paste by blitzing together fresh cloves of garlic and ginger with a little water. You can use store bought paste if you prefer.
• Salt - I season both the meat base and the potatoes with sea salt.
• Minced beef - I use 95% lean minced beef in this recipe.
• Tomatoes - use either 4 large chopped tomatoes, or a 400g (14oz) tin of plum tomatoes.
• Stock - I use a rich beef stock in this recipe, store bought is fine. Use gluten free stock if required.
• Worcestershire sauce - I love adding Worcestershire sauce to beef dishes as it adds acidity and depth of flavour. Use gluten free Worcestershire sauce if required.
• Potatoes - use a good mashing potato, something like a Maris Piper, King Edward or Rooster in the UK. Russet would be a good choice if in the US.
• Dairy - I add both double cream and butter to the cooked potatoes once mashed.

How to make MASALA SPICED COTTAGE PIE

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat, add the cardamom pods and cinnamon stick, and sauté for 30 seconds. Add the onion and carrot and cook for 15 minutes, then add the dry spices and cook for a further minute.
• Make a paste with the garlic, ginger and a splash of water. Add this to the pan along with the salt and cook for a minute.
• Push the vegetables to the side of the saucepan and add the minced beef.

• Brown the mince thoroughly, ensuring it is mixed well into the spiced vegetables.

• Add the tomatoes, stock and Worcestershire sauce, and bring to the boil, before lowering the heat and simmering gently for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 200C/180CFan/390F.

• While the mince is cooking, place the potatoes in salted water, bring to a boil, then reduce to medium. Once cooked, drain the potatoes thoroughly, and return to the pan.
• Gently heat up the cream in a small saucepan, do not boil. Add the warm cream and butter to the potatoes and mash the potatoes until smooth, Check the seasoning and add to taste.
• Once the meat has cooked remove the cinnamon stick and cardamom pods, and add in the frozen peas.

• Place the beef mixture on the base of an ovenproof dish. Cover with the mashed potato.

• Fork the top of the pie, and dot a couple of knobs of butter on top.
• Place the dish into the hot oven and cook for 30 minutes. Then remove the dish and allow the pie to stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe variations

• Minced beef - swap the minced beef for minced lamb, and beef stock for lamb stock, in the same quantities and make an Indian inspired shepherd's pie. You could use chicken or turkey mince, but you would need to play the with spice blend and balance of spices as these are leaner meats.
• Spices - the masala spice blend used in this pie add layers of flavour which all work well together. If there is a spice you really don't like you can leave it out.
• Chilli - this recipe only uses ½ teaspoon of chilli powder so only has a mild hit of chilli heat. If you want a spicier dish you can increase the chilli, or leave it out altogether if you don't want any chilli.
• Potato - swap potato for sweet potato for a different twist to the potato topping.
• Cream - swap heavy cream for yogurt or sour cream.

Serving suggestions

This pie can be made in individual sized portions as I've done here, or cooked in one larger dish, both work equally well.

Serve the pie warm, straight from the oven with a crisp green salad, or some steamed greens. Try it with my Lettuce & Herb Salad, Buttered Spring Greens, Mixed Green Vegetables with Lemon & Herb Butter, or Charred Cabbage with Garlic & Herb Butter.

Useful hints and tips

1. Build flavour from the start, caramelise the vegetables, brown the beef properly, and toast the spices - all this adds layers of flavour.
2. Once the meat mixture has cooked, take time to remove the cardamom pods and cinnamon stick, you don't want to crunch down on a cardamom pod.
3. Take time to properly mash the potatoes as nobody will thank you for lumpy mash.
4. Don't be heavy handed with the cream you want the potatoes to be creamy but firm, so they hold their shape in the oven.
5. Rough up the potato topping with a fork to create ridges on the mash, these ridges catch the heat and help you get that golden crust.
6. Allergy advice: gluten free, egg free, soya free and nut free. For comprehensive and detailed allergy advice go to Allergy UK.

FAQs

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Additional recipe suggestions

If you like this recipe then why not try these easy recipes:

• Butter Chicken Curry
• Curried Chicken Breast & Rice One Pot
• Chicken Pilaf
• Lamb & Spinach Curry
• Easy Chickpea & Spinach Curry
• Easy Paneer Curry

Looking for inspiration for feeding the family mid week, then take a look at my Ultimate Guide to Family Dinners. Full of useful hints, tips and recipes.