Cottage Minced Pies in a Puff Pastry!

Make school lunches exciting again!”! These mini cottage pie pastries are the perfect handheld comfort food that your kids will love and you’ll feel great packing. ✨

Imagine the hearty, comforting flavors of a classic cottage pie tucked into a buttery, flaky pastry—yes, it’s as irresistible as it sounds. These mini pie pastries are not just delicious but also practical, making them an ideal addition to any school lunchbox. They’re easy to eat, packed with flavor, and guaranteed to keep your kids fueled and happy throughout the day. Let’s whip up this lunchbox together.

1 kg mutton mince. Rinse, cover and leave in a colander.

Ingredients:

Vegetable oil

1 large onion diced

1 tsp. Kashmiri chili powder

1 tsp. ground black pepper

Salt

1 tbsp. ground ginger and garlic

5 medium carrots, grated

Table of Contents

Method:

To a pot, add the oil. Add the diced onion and fry until translucent. Now add the Kashmiri chili powder, ground black pepper, ginger, and garlic paste and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes on low heat. Add the mince and mix well, and cook on medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes. Give the curry a mix and add the grated carrots. Do not mix at this stage. Just allow the grated carrots to cook. Keep checking in and give the curry a mix. Cook until all liquids have evaporated. Now set aside and allow the mixture to cool completely.

Now let’s prepare the potatoes. Peel 6 medium potatoes, rinse, and boil until fork tender. Add 1/2 tsp. fine salt. 1/2 teaspoon crushed black pepper. 1 tablespoon butter. 1 cup grated cheese of your choice.

I am using today’s pastry and a muffin pan. Lightly brush the muffin pan.

Use a scone cutter and cut pastry in circles and place into muffin cups. Now fill the curried mince and top with the mashed potatoes; sprinkle with cheese. Preheat oven to 190°C or 375°F and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

Simple and delicious!

Homemade or store-bought pastry is fine!

Whether you prefer making your own pastry from scratch or using store-bought for convenience, both work perfectly. These pastries are ideal to prepare in bulk—simply make, freeze, and have them ready for quick, delicious lunches anytime.

I posted the homemade pastry. Visit my channel and make your own. Simple yet delicious!

How to layer the filling in the muffin pan!

Lightly grease the muffin pan to prevent sticking, then line each cup with pastry, pressing it firmly against the sides and bottom. Spoon in the mince filling, filling each cup about two-thirds full. Top with a generous layer of flavored mashed potatoes, smoothing it out with a spoon. Finish with a sprinkle of grated cheese for that golden, bubbly topping. Ready to bake to perfection.

Let cool before packing the lunch!

Once your mini cottage pie pastries are golden and baked to perfection, carefully remove them from the muffin pan. Allow them to cool completely on a wire rack. Cooling them fully helps the pastry set and hold its shape, making them easier to handle and preventing any messy spills when packing them into the lunchbox. Plus, this extra step ensures that the filling stays intact and doesn’t ooze out when your kids bite into them later.

Wise Words!

As a mom, I know how important it is to send my kids off with a lunch that’s not just filling but also something they’ll truly enjoy. There’s a sense of pride and comfort knowing that the meal I’ve prepared is packed with love, care, and a little extra effort. These mini cottage pie pastries are the perfect way to turn an ordinary lunch into something special. With layers of savory mince, creamy mashed potatoes, and a sprinkle of cheese, they’re a meal that satisfies their hunger and warms their hearts. And best of all, they’re simple to make, so I can spend less time in the kitchen and more time focusing on the things that matter most—like making memories with my kids.”

FAQ’S

Can you use other meat in this besides ground beef?

Absolutely. In fact, ground lamb is actually a more traditional filling for shepherd’s pie than ground beef. (If you’re a purist, you can call a pie made with ground beef “cottage pie” instead.)

Can I make my own mashed potatoes for the topping?

Of course! If you have an Instant Pot, you can do them super fast with this mashed potatoes recipe. Just leave out the chives.

How do you get those pretty swirls of mashed potatoes on top?

Use a piping bag (the kind made for cake decorating) with a large tip. I used a star tip to get that ridged effect you see in the picture. If you’re a little fuzzy on how to use a piping bag, you can find all the info you need at Kitchen. But if you don’t have a piping bag or don’t feel comfortable using one, don’t worry—these mini pies will taste just as good with a simple scoop of mashed potato on top.

Can you make these ahead and freeze them?

Yes! Load up the muffin cups, potato topping and all, and then wrap the entire muffin pan in foil and pop it in the freezer. Once the pies are completely frozen, you can take them out of the pan and pop them in a zip-top freezer bag.
Then you can take out however many you want and load them back into the muffin cups, spritzed with cooking spray so the pies don’t stick. Tent the pan with foil, also sprayed with cooking spray, and bake for 20 minutes, then take off the foil and bake another 8 to 10 minutes.