If you are looking for a comforting dinner, with ingredients which should not upset your tummy, then this old staple, Cottage Pie, is guaranteed to keep everyone happy. I make mine gluten and dairy free so use cornstarch to thicken the sauce, but you can use normal flour if you prefer.
Benefits
Cottage pie made with these ingredients offers a nutritious, balanced meal. Lean ground beef provides high-quality protein, essential for muscle repair and growth, along with iron and zinc for immunity and energy metabolism. Carrots, celery, courgette, and broccoli deliver fiber for digestion, antioxidants, and a wide range of vitamins and minerals that support heart and immune health. Potatoes supply complex carbohydrates and potassium, promoting steady energy and healthy blood pressure. Together, these ingredients create a hearty, satisfying dish that supports muscle, heart, digestive, and overall well-being while keeping saturated fat and salt intake moderate, so do stick to the quantities recommended. However, play with the sauce to suit your own tastes with different herbs or soya sauce instead of worcester sauce.
Ingredients Serves 4
- 500 grams Lean Ground Beef
- Stalks Celery X 2
- Carrot X 2
- Courgette X 1/2
- Potatoes (Medium Roosters) X 6
- Small White Onion (Optional) X 1
- Oregano 1 teaspoon dried
- Dried Parsley 1 teaspoon
- Corn Flour 1 dessertspoon
- 500 milliliters Beef Stock
- Worcestershire Sauce (Gluten Free Version – 1 tablespoon)
- 2 tbsps Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Broccoli (16 Florets)
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 180 deg C. Chop the carrot, celery, onion (if using) and courgette.
- Peel and chop the potoatoes for boiling
- Wash the potatoes, add to pot with water and bring to boil, then simmer for 20 minutes. Once soft, drain the water and leave in the pot with lid on to steam for a few minutes before mashing.
- While they are boiling, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on a skillet over a low heat and add the chopped onion to saute slowly
- Once the onions are translucent, add the minced beef and turn up the heat to medium
- Add the oregano and parsley and mix through
- Once the meat has browned, add the chopped vegetables and stir well
- Put a lid on the skillet and leave on medium heat, stirring every few minutes for about 5 minutes.
- Add a little water to the cornflour to dissolve it and mix well to avoid lumps. Them add to your stock and mix again along with the worcester sauce
- Add slowly to the to the mince and vegetables until they are covered in sauce. Put aside what you don’t use and you can add more as needed to maintain enough sauce. Mix well and pop the lid on the skillet, leaving it over a low to medium heat (just enough to keep a simmer).
- Stir every 5 minutes or so until all of the vegetables are soft.
- Once cooked transfer the meat sauce into an oven proof dish and then place the mashed potato over it. Smooth the mash out with a fork, leaving little ridges. Place in the oven for 30 minutes.
- Once cooked serve with broccoli which has been steamed for 5 minutes
Cottage Pie is one of those comfort dinners that I love. I know that the temptation would be to smother the spuds in butter but you don’t need to. Above quantities are for 4, and macro nutrients per portion are 676 Nutrient Dense Calories, Protein 31g, Fibre 9g, Complex Carbohydrates 66g, Healthy fats 33g. I hope you enjoy it!