The Nostalgic 3-Ingredient Ground Beef Dinner That Never Goes Out Of Style

Hearty and extremely satisfying, cottage pie is the ultimate comfort food. A layered and baked dish of ground beef and vegetables in a velvety gravy with a mashed potato topping, the aromas alone are enough to bring even the pickiest of eaters to memories of their childhood kitchen. My mother can attest to this; mashed potatoes were not only a staple at dinner, they were also a vehicle for me to sop up the rest of the meal.

The recipe has stood the test of time due to its simplicity: brown seasoned ground beef (often with added diced vegetables) in a pan before thickening the fat with all-purpose flour to create a gravy, then simmer to a velvety consistency. The finished product is then poured into a casserole dish, topped with ultra-creamy mashed potatoes, and baked until golden. Cottage pie has even been served in school cafeterias around the globe for decades now — the USDA even has a standardized recipe for it. As an added bonus, leftover cottage pie is even better the next day. It's a gift that keeps on giving.

Though the concept dates back further, the first mention of cottage pie in print was in James Woodford's "The Diary of a Country Parson," published in 1791. It was named after England's "cottagers," aka a person who lives in a cottage. Shepherd's pie, which is different from cottage pie according to some, usually calls for lamb or mutton while cottage pie usually calls for beef (though many people use the names interchangeably). Whatever you call it, it features a potato topper because potatoes were in abundance and affordable at the time the recipe was created. Cottagers keen on reimagining leftovers found themselves making a dish that would become an instant classic, though you can also make shepherd's pie from scratch.

But you can take cottage pie to new heights. Go beyond the traditional beef or lamb, and opt for ground chicken or turkey. Enhance the flavors of your ground meat mixture by adding red wine, tomato paste, or a spoonful of miso paste for an umami bomb. Also, use in-season vegetables, such as butternut or acorn squash during winter months or leeks in the spring and summer — or make it entirely vegetarian by using your favorite ground beef substitute. You can also swap the mashed potatoes for thinly sliced, giving your pie a gratin-style vibe, or use mashed sweet potatoes for added fiber.