Cook up a totally EPIC family dinner – mouthwateringly good Mexican Cottage Pie with a rich, meaty chilli con carne filling topped with CHEESY NACHO MASHED POTATOES! What’s not to LOVE?!
Our super tasty Mexican Shepherds Pie recipe is an amazingly tasty mash up of Mexican beef chilli loaded with extra veggies like sweet potatoes, carrots and black beans.
We then top our cottage pie with fluffy mashed potatoes scattered with crispy nachos and loads of grated mature cheddar. Oh.. and add a little candied jalapeños or two for added spice!
It’s a substantial warming autumn dinner recipe that’s perfect for feeding a crowd or for a Saturday night dinner with the kids.
Mexican Cottage Pie Ingredients
To make the chilli con carne cottage pie filling you will need…
- 1 tbs olive oil – you can swap this for rapeseed oil if you prefer
- 2 cloves garlic – finely chopped – feel free to use garlic powder or jarred chopped garlic instead
- 1 red chilli – finely sliced
- 1 red onion – finely chopped
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp chilli powder – you can use mild or hot to suit your own tastes
- 400g beef mince
- 2 carrots – peeled and grated
- 1 beef stock pot
- 1 large sweet potato – chopped into small cubes
- 2 tbs tomato puree
- 1 tin black beans – feel free to use kidney beans or even baked beans if you prefer
- 2 tins chopped tomatoes
- salt and pepper to season
For the cheesy nacho mashed potatoes you will need…
- 2kg potatoes – peeled and cut into cubes for boiling
- 50g butter
- 100-150ml milk or cream (you may need more or less depending on how dry/wet your mashed potatoes are)
- 100g nachos – I use the plain salted variety – but it’s your cottage pie if you want fiery spicy ones then use those.
- 150g Cheddar cheese – grated
- salt and pepper to taste
How to make Mexican Cottage Pie
Our spicy cottage pie recipe is super simple to make
I use a big cast iron pan (one with a lid) that I can use both on the hob and in the oven to make this recipe – but if you’ve not got one, no worries – just make the chilli in a saucepan and then tip into an oven proof dish with a lid to bake in the oven.
- Preheat the oven to 180C
- Add the olive oil to the pan and throw in the garlic, red onion and chilli and fry for 5 minutes until softening.
- Add the cumin, coriander and chilli powder and stir well.
- Tip in the minced beef and beef stock pot and gently sauté until browned.
- Add the grated carrots and chopped sweet potatoes and stir them into the meat.
- Tip in the black beans, tinned tomatoes and tomato puree.
- Season with salt and pepper and mix everything together, then bake in the oven, covered with a lid at 180C for 1 hour.
- When the chilli con carne cottage pie filling has 30 minutes left to cook start cooking the potatoes – boil them in salted water, cooking for around 20 minutes or until tender.
- Drain the potatoes and mash with the butter, a handful of the cheese and add a splash of milk/cream until they are nice and fluffy.
- Remove the spicy meat filling from the oven and top with the mashed potatoes. Then sprinkle on the nachos – sticking them into the potatoes as you go. And finish by topping with the rest of the cheese.
- Put the Mexican Shepherd’s Pie into the oven at 200C and cook for around 20 – 25 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbling and the nachos are browning and it all looks DELICIOUS!
Now… on my Mexican Cottage Pie I always top it with Haynes Gourmet candied jalapeños because they’re just SO GOOD! They’re fiery hot but sweet and delicious. And they make a great addition to my lovely Mexican Shepherds Pie.
I buy these on subscription so every month two jars of deliciousness are delivered to my house. It’s my favourite foodie subscription EVER! I literally put them in everything!
Make our Mexican Shepherd’s Pie Your Way…
Mexican style cottage pie is so delicious, but don’t just stick to our recipe, mix things up a bit yourself!
Cottage pie is a delicious warming family dinner recipe and there’s loads of ways to switch it up to suit your own tastes.
- Go for mashed sweet potato topping instead of our cheesy nacho mashed potatoes.
- Add in more veggies – celery, peppers and sweetcorn work well in this dish.
- Add in more tinned beans
- Make a vegetarian Mexican Cottage Pie by switching the minced beef for Quorn mince (or similar)
- Switch the Mexican flavours for Indian curry paste and switch the beef for minced lamb, black beans for tinned lentils and create an Indian Spicy Shepherd’s Pie
What goes with cottage pie?
We love to add a side or two of vegetables with cottage pie and if I’m feeding a crowd and need to really bulk up I’ll throw a couple of garlic baguettes in the oven too.
- Steamed broccoli and cauliflower work well with cottage pie.
- Kids just love peas and sweetcorn mix on the side.
- And if you’re feeling a bit traditional you just can’t go wrong with a jar of pickled red cabbage and a jar of pickled beetroot.
More easy dinner recipes you can make with minced beef
- Lancashire Potato Hash – traditional Lancashire dish with minced beef, sliced potatoes, carrots and onions simmered in a tasty gravy – serve with bread and pickled cabbage.
- Quick Chilli Con Carne with Baked Beans – a quick and easy weeknight dinner recipe that’s ready to eat in less than 30 minutes. And the baked beans mean kids just LOVE it!
- Minced Beef Pie – use the slow cooker to simmer up a rich and meaty pie filling. Then pop a sheet of ready rolled puff pastry on top and finish in the oven. Serve with chunky chips and a side of peas for a tasty family dinner.
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Mexican Cottage Pie
An epic spicy cottage pie recipe you'll just LOVE!
Ingredients
For the spicy beef filling
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic - finely chopped
- 1 red chilli - finely chopped
- 1 red onion - chopped
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 400g beef mince
- 1 beef stock pot
- 2 carrots - peeled and grated
- 1 large sweet potato - peeled and chopped into small cubes
- 400g can black beans
- 800g tinned tomatoes
- 2 tbs tomato puree
For the cheesy nacho mashed potato topping
- 2kg potatoes - peeled and chopped into quarters
- 50g butter
- 100ml full fat milk
- 100g nacho crisps
- 150g Cheddar cheese - grated
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C
- Add the olive oil to the pan and throw in the garlic, red onion and chilli and fry for 5 minutes until softening.
- Add the cumin, coriander and chilli powder and stir well.
- Tip in the minced beef and beef stock pot and gently sauté until browned.
- Add the grated carrots and chopped sweet potatoes and stir them into the meat.
- Tip in the black beans, tinned tomatoes and tomato puree.
- Season with salt and pepper and mix everything together, then bake in the oven covered with a lid at 180C for 1 hour.
- When the chilli con carne cottage pie filling has 30 minutes left to cook start cooking the potatoes – boil them in salted water, cooking for around 20 minutes or until tender.
- Drain the potatoes and mash with the butter, a handful of the cheese and add a splash of milk/cream until they are nice and fluffy.
- Remove the spicy meat filling from the oven and top with the mashed potatoes. Then sprinkle on the nachos – sticking them into the potatoes as you go. And finish by topping with the rest of the cheese.
- Put the Mexican Shepherd’s Pie into the oven at 200C and cook for around 20 – 25 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbling and the nachos are browning and it all looks DELICIOUS!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
7Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 833Total Fat: 35gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 111mgSodium: 1064mgCarbohydrates: 92gFiber: 15gSugar: 11gProtein: 41g
Nutritional content will vary depending on the exact ingredients you use and how careful you are with measuring - this nutritional information is given as a general guide only and may not be accurate - you should always calculate your own nutritional information especially if you have specific dietary requirements.
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