Slow Cooker Beef & Vegetable Cottage Pie

A cosy, hearty slow cooker recipe – easy to make, budget-friendly, and perfect for family dinners or meal prep.

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There’s nothing quite like a cottage pie to bring comfort to the table — especially when the filling has been simmering away in the slow cooker all day. This beef & vegetable cottage pie filling is rich, hearty, and full of flavour, without you having to stand over the hob. Just add your favourite creamy mashed potatoes on top and bake until golden. Perfect for busy weeknights, Sunday lunch, or stocking the freezer.

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Slow Cooker Beef & Veg Cottage Pie Filling Recipe

Serves: 4–6
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 6–8 hours (low) / 3–4 hours (high)

Ingredients:

• 500g minced beef
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 celery sticks, diced (optional but adds flavour)
• 150g frozen peas (add at the end)
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 400ml beef stock (made with 1 beef stock cube)
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• Salt & pepper, to taste
• 1 tbsp oil or butter (for browning)

Instructions:

1. Brown the beef — Heat oil/butter in a frying pan and brown the mince until no pink remains. Transfer to the slow cooker.
2. Sauté the veg — In the same pan, cook the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic for 3–4 minutes until just softened. Add to the slow cooker.
3. Add flavour & stock — Stir in the flour, tomato purée, thyme, rosemary, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour over the beef stock and mix well.
4. Slow cook — Cover and cook on LOW for 6–8 hours or HIGH for 3–4 hours, until the vegetables are tender and the sauce is rich.
5. Finish — Stir in the frozen peas for the last 20–30 minutes of cooking. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Serve — Spoon into an ovenproof dish, top with creamy mashed potatoes, and grill or bake for 10–15 minutes until golden.

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Serving Tips:

• Serve with green beans, cabbage, or roasted root vegetables.
• Make extra filling and freeze it in portions for quick dinners.
• Add 100ml red wine with the stock for extra richness.

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I make this recipe in my 6.5 litre Crockpot slow cooker — a very simple, no-frills model that I absolutely love. I only bought it this summer to replace my old slow cooker, which had served me well for nearly 20 years but had gotten a bit rickety. This new one is so easy to use, really reliable, and big enough to batch cook for the freezer. If you’d like to take a look at it, you can find it here (affiliate link). As an Amazon Associate, I may earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase, at no extra cost to you.

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The easy to print version of this recipe is just below! I hope you enjoy it and if you try it out let me know in the comments below or tag me over on Instagram as I love hearing how the recipe works for others.

Chat soon,

Ciara x

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