This Corned Beef Pie is the love child of Shepherd’s Pie and Corned Beef Hash. Make it with leftover corned beef or canned corned beef. Great comfort food and the perfect thing to make with leftover corned beef!

Corned beef cottage pie in skillet with spoon.
Jump to:

Why you’ll love this Corned Beef Cottage Pie

  • This Corned Beef Cottage Pie is just the thing to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day or any day!
  • It’s perfect to use up leftover corned beef or it can be made with the always handy canned corned beef.
  • It’s not always easy to find great recipes that use canned corned beef recipes beyond hash, so it’s a great, back-pocket recipe.
  • If you enjoy Corned Beef Hash and Shepherd’s Pie, you’ll love this corned beef mash-up version!

What you’ll need

Corned Beef – as noted above, you can use left-over corned beef from a cooked corned beef brisket or reach for canned corned beef any time. If you find yourself a bit short of corned beef, consider some of the Variations below, to add extras to your pie.

Wondering how to cook up your Corned Beef brisket? Scroll down for instructions!

Mashed Potatoes – You can use left-over mashed potatoes or make some mashed fresh for this dish (you can make them ahead and refrigerate, then assemble the dish later). I used Yukon Gold yellow-fleshed potatoes for my mashed potatoes. You could also use Russets if you like.

Breadcrumbs – Breadcrumbs are optional, but if using, you can use dried breadcrumbs or Panko, as you like.

How to make corned beef cottage pie

Softening onion in skillet.
1
Adding remaining sauce ingredients to skillet.
2
Sauce mixture simmering in skillet.
3
  1. Start by softening the onions in a skillet with some butter.
  2. Add the chicken broth, Worcestershire, ketchup, parsley and thyme. Stir to combine.
  3. Simmer the onion mixture over medium heat until it reduces by half.
Adding corned beef to skillet.
4
Simmering the corned beef in the sauce.
5
Corned beef mixture at the end of cooking.
6
  1. When the sauce has been reduced, add the corned beef.
  2. Simmer the corned beef mixture over medium heat to reduce the liquid.
  3. Cook until most, but not all of the liquid has cooked off. (I added some small peas to my dish here).
Corned beef mixture in cooking dish.
7
Corned beef layer topped with mashed potatoes.
8
Potatoes topped with shredded cheese and breadcrumbs.
9
  1. Add the corned beef mixture to an oven-safe dish.
  2. Top the corned beef mixture with the mashed potatoes (I added some extra parsley to the potatoes here).
  3. Top the mashed potatoes with shredded cheddar cheese if using, then finish with some breadcrumbs (I’m using Panko here).

Recipe tips!

  • Be sure not to skip the step of reducing the liquid in the skillet before adding the corned beef. This process concentrates the flavours of the Worcestershire and Ketchup and makes for a fuller-flavoured finished dish.
  • After you have added the corned beef, simmer the mixture until there is just a bit of liquid in the pan, but don’t cook it until ALL the liquid has evaporated. Leaving some liquid will keep your corned beef layer moist as it cooks in the oven.
  • The cheddar cheese and breadcrumb topping is optional. You can skip if you like and you will still have a very nice dish. Since I’ve never been one to “skip the cheese”, I usually add it :)
  • If your cooking dish is filled to the brim like mine, be sure to place it on a baking sheet to catch any bubble over.
  • My favourite way to eat this is with a generous dollop of ketchup on the side.
  • At my house, this dish served 2. Me and a very, very hungry husband. I’ll call it 3 servings, as it is more like 3 average servings. If you are serving more, just double the recipe and cook up in a larger dish.

Variations

  • Add frozen peas to the simmering corned beef mixture.
  • Add some diced tender-crisp, cooked carrots to the corned beef mixture.
  • How about a bit of shredded cabbage? Add some thinly sliced cabbage to the simmering corned beef mixture.
Corned beef cottage pie in skillet with spoon.

How to cook a corned beef brisket

Starting with an uncooked corned beef brisket, you can cook it either on the stove-top or in a slow cooker. Simply remove the brisket from its wrapping. Place in a large pot or slow cooker and cover with about 1 inch of water. If a separate spice pack was included with your corned beef, add the spices to the water.

On the stovetop, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for about 50 minutes per pound of corned beef. For the slow cooker, cook for 4 1/2 hours on HI or 8-9 hours on LOW.

Want to save this recipe?

Enter your email and I’ll send it to your inbox. Plus, you’ll get great new recipes from me every week!

Save Article

By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Seasons and Suppers.
You can unsubscribe at any time.

Corned beef cottage pie in skillet with a spoon.

Get the Recipe: Corned Beef Cottage Pie

The love child of Shepherd's Pie and Corned Beef Hash! With a delicious corned beef filling, topped with mashed potatoes and cheese. Can be made with leftover corned beef or canned corned beef.
4.90 stars from 29 ratings
Print Recipe Pin This Leave a Review
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: 3 servings

Ingredients

Mashed Potatoes (or use leftover mashed potatoes):

  • 1 lb. potatoes, peeled and quartered, about 4 medium-sized potatoes
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • Salt, to taste

Corned Beef Filling:

  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup onion, diced
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons ketchup
  • 1 1/2 cups chicken broth, or beef broth
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped or 1 Tbsp dried parsley
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 2 1/2 cups cooked corned beef, finely diced or 340g/12oz canned corned beef
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper

Topping (optional):

  • 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 3 Tablespoons dried bread crumbs, or 1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs

Instructions
 

  • Make the Mashed Potatoes: Add peeled, cut potatoes (evenly sized) to a large pot of cold water. Add salt to the water. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until potatoes are tender, 10-20 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes.
  • Meanwhile, heat milk and butter in a small saucepan over low heat until warm, then keep warm until needed.
  • Drain the potatoes then return the potatoes to a dry pot. Place over medium heat on the stovetop. Add milk/butter mixture to the pot. Mash potatoes until smooth. *Add a bit more milk, if needed. Taste and add salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste. Cover and set aside (or cover and refrigerate if making ahead).
  • Preheat the oven to 400F.
  • Make the Filling: Heat 2 Tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until softened and just starting to turn golden. Add the Worcestershire, ketchup, chicken broth, parsley and thyme to the skillet. Simmer over medium heat until the liquid reduces by half. Add the corned beef and reduce the heat slightly. Simmer for 3-4 minutes or until there is only a bit of liquid left in the mixture (don't let all of it cook off). Taste the mixture and add additional salt and freshly ground pepper, as needed.
  • Spoon the filling into a small baking dish (8-inch round-ish). Spoon mashed potatoes over top in an even layer. Top with shredded cheese, then sprinkle with bread crumbs. To catch any bubbleovers, place the baking dish on top of a baking sheet.
  • Bake in a preheated oven for about 30 minutes, or until the filling is heated through and bubbling and the top is lovely and golden.

Notes

Recipe tips!
If you find yourself a little short of corned beef, consider adding in some of the Variations listed below to make up for the lesser amount of corned beef.
Be sure not to skip the step of reducing the liquid in the skillet before adding the corned beef. This process concentrates the flavours of the Worcestershire and Ketchup and makes for a fuller-flavoured finished dish.
After you have added the corned beef, simmer the mixture until there is just a bit of liquid in the pan, but don’t cook it until ALL the liquid has evaporated. Leaving some liquid will keep your corned beef layer moist as it cooks in the oven.
Variations
Add frozen peas to the simmering corned beef mixture. 
Add some diced tender-crisp, cooked carrots to the corned beef mixture.
How about a bit of shredded cabbage? Add some thinly sliced cabbage to the simmering corned beef mixture.
Be sure to read the notes above this Recipe Card, where I share some valuable tips, options, substitutions and variations for this recipe! You’ll also find step-by-step photos that you might find helpful.
Cuisine: American, Canadian
Course: Main Course
Author: Jennifer Maloney
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 586kcal, Carbohydrates: 11g, Protein: 33g, Fat: 46g, Saturated Fat: 19g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 18g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 148mg, Sodium: 2663mg, Potassium: 864mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 787IU, Vitamin C: 61mg, Calcium: 77mg, Iron: 4mg
Tried this recipe?Leaving a review is always helpful and appreciated by fellow cooks!

More Corned Beef Recipes to Love!

Cabbage and Corned Beef Pot Pie

Grilled Reuben Sandwich