Healthy Cottage Pie
This Healthy Cottage Pie is a classic dish from my childhood that has been reimagined with a nutritious twist. If you’ve never had Cottage Pie or Shepherd's Pie; imagine succulent ground beef with a medley of vegetables, including carrots, celery, corn, and peas, all nestled under a blanket of creamy mashed potatoes! This dish is gluten free, packed with protein and gives all the comforting feels.Ingredients (include measurements, one row per ingredient):
Equipment
- large oven safe cast iron pan or deep sided pan, large pot, casserole dish, chefs knife, cutting board, spatula, ice-cream scoop
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp chili flakes
- 1 medium onion finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 medium carrot small dice
- 1 celery stalk small dice
- 1 pound grass fed organic ground beef
- 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp each dried thyme and oregano
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp gluten-free flour
- 1 cup bone broth
- ½ cup frozen corn
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 fistfuls baby spinach
- sea salt and cracked pepper
Creamy Mashed Potatoes Ingredients
- 3 russet potatoes peeled & cubed
- 2 tbsp butter
- ½ cup parmigiano cheese
- 1 cup bone broth
- big splash heavy cream
- sea salt and cracked pepper
- paprika for garnish
Instructions
- Place peeled potatoes in a large pot and run cold water over them until the starch on the potatoes washes away.
- Cover the potatoes with water by 2”, salt the water and bring to a boil. Reduce the meat to medium and cook until fork tender. Drain water, put the lid on the potatoes and let them steam for 5 minutes.
- Add the remaining ingredients and mash using a potato masher or potato ricer if you want a smoother texture (I used a masher). Set aside while you make the filling.
- Preheat oven to 400d.
- Heat oil and chili flakes in oven safe pan over medium high heat.
- Cook onion, carrot and celery for 5-7 minutes, stirring often. Add in garlic and saute for 1 minute more. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add in ground beef. Break beef up with and cook until no pink remains. Stir in dried herbs and Worcestershire sauce.
- Create a small well in the centre of the pan and add tomato paste. Stir into the beef cooking for 1 minute.
- Stir in corn and peas.
- Sprinkle flour on top of beef and then pour bone broth over meat mixture, stirring to combine. Bring mixture up to a bubble and cook for 3 minutes. Fold in spinach and remove from heat.
- Smooth the top of the meat mixture using a spatula.
- Use an ice cream scoop to measure out mashed potatoes. This isn’t mandatory but I find it helps evenly distribute the potatoes. Next, use spatula to smooth out the potatoes in an even layer. Sprinkle top of the potatoes with paprika and bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove the oven and let it sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
The cottage pie will be quite soft if serving immediately. Thats OK!
If you are making this in advance, allow for it to cool completely before covering and storing in the fridge. Re-heat when ready to eat!
This makes a great make ahead meal as well. Allow for the pie to completely cool before portioning out. The pieces will hold together easier if you wait.
This freezes like a dream as well.
If you are making this in advance, allow for it to cool completely before covering and storing in the fridge. Re-heat when ready to eat!
This makes a great make ahead meal as well. Allow for the pie to completely cool before portioning out. The pieces will hold together easier if you wait.
This freezes like a dream as well.