Extra-veg cottage pie

Cottage pie is a classic for a reason - it is so good! This version has extra veg, and can be customised to make it meat free. You can also make one large pie, or four individual ones.

Credit: Mary Makes It Easy

• serves

  4

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  35 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

Filling

• 14 g (3 tsp) butter
• 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
• 1 carrot, peeled and diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 garlic clove, finely minced
• 340–350 g lean ground beef or plant-based beef alternative
• ½ cup canned lentils, drained and rinsed
• 3 tsp (8 g) plain (all-purpose) flour
• 3 tsp (15 ml) tomato paste
• 3 tsp (15 ml) Worcestershire sauce
• ¾ cup (190 ml) mushroom broth or low sodium beef broth
• ½ cup (65 g) frozen peas and/or corn

Mashed topping

• 2 large yellow flesh potatoes, peeled or unpeeled, halved lengthwise and quartered
• 1 garlic clove
• Kosher salt
• ¼ small head cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1½ tbsp (30 ml) 2% or whole milk
• 1½ tbsp (28 g) butter
• 1½ tbsp (28 g) cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup (100 g) grated cheddar cheese, optional

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 200°C  (400°F).

2. Melt the butter in a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables begin to soften, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add meat alternative or beef. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, breaking up meat alternative or beef until browned and cooked through, about 5 to 7 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add lentils and sprinkle with flour; stir to combine.

3. Whisk together the tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce in a medium bowl. Whisk in mushroom or beef broth and add to the pan, scraping any stuck-on bits off the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil, season with more salt and pepper if needed, then reduce the heat to low and simmer while you prepare the topping.

4. For the topping, cover the potatoes and garlic with a few inches of cold water into a large pot. Season well with salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, add the cauliflower, cover and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until tender. Drain and return to the pot. Using a potato masher or hand mixer, roughly mash the veg. Add the milk, butter and cream cheese and mashing until desired texture is reached. Season with more salt.

5. Stir the frozen veg into the filling and remove from the heat. Top with the mash, spreading it into an even layer and scatter with the grated cheese (or see Note if making individual cottage pies). Transfer the pan onto a rimmed baking sheet just in case there is any bubble over and place in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the top is lightly golden brown and crisp.

6. Allow the pie to cool slightly before serving. If you like tomato sauce with your cottage pie, try Mary's homemade ketchup. 

 

Note

• To serve these as individual pies, transfer the filling and topping evenly into 4 French onion soup crocks or ramekins.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.