I love cottage pie. It is a delicious hearty meal for a cold day. I’ve always wanted to make my own version without the addition of gravy granules. I’m just not crazy about the flavour, or maybe I’m just not crazy about artificial flavours. This Hearty Vegetable-Filled Cottage Pie recipe has no gravy and is flavoured with herbs instead.
I like this recipe as it is packed with nutritious veggies that can make you feel less guilty about consuming lots of carbs. This is a great alternative to the regular cottage pies you whip up using regular ingredients.
Hearty Vegetable-Filled Cottage Pie Recipe
Ingredients
Topping Ingredients
- 1 kilogram sweet potatoes peeled and diced
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1 pinch ground pepper
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 1 drizzle extra virgin olive oil
Filling Ingredients
- 700 grams lean beef mince
- 2 medium onions finely diced
- 1 large leek cleaned, sliced finely
- 2 sticks celery chopped finely
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 medium carrots grated
- 1 cup baby peas thawed
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup stock
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch ground pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius.
- Place the potatoes in a pot of fresh salted water and bring to a boil. Cook until easily pierced by a fork.
- Add the carrots, onions, leeks, celery, garlic and herbs to a pan and cook until the veg is soft. Add the mince and cook until the meat has thoroughly lost its pink colour. Break up the mince here to avoid lumps. Add the peas, Worcestershire sauce and stock and stir through. I try to use enough stock to create a little “juice”. You’ll need to simmer off the excess water if the mixture is too watery. Season to taste with sea salt and pepper. Remove from heat and layer in the bottom of a casserole or baking dish.
- Drain the potatoes. Season with sea salt, ground pepper and nutmeg. Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil and mash! Layer on top of the mince layer in the casserole dish and add your own design on top if you like.
- Bake in the centre of a preheated oven until bubbling and hot for about 25 to 30 minutes.