Go Back
–+ servings
Healthy cottage pie.

Healthy Cottage Pie

Wendy Faulkner
Healthy and filling, this comforting dish contains 3 portions of hidden veg.
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Main Course
Cuisine Healthy
Servings 6
Calories 369 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 large onion peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 clove garlic peeled and very finely chopped or crushed
  • 500 g minced beef 10-12% fat ideally
  • 2 large carrots, washed and grated
  • 400 g canned chopped tomato
  • 2 tablespoon tomato puree
  • 1 teaspoon mixed dried herbs
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 teaspoon cornflour
  • 400 g canned haricot beans

Sweet Potato Mash

  • 6 medium sweet potatoes
  • 60 g butter or use olive oil if you prefer
  • grated nutmeg to taste or use ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • salt and pepper

Instructions
 

  • Heat a large frying pan and add the oil. Over a medium heat, fry the onion for 5 minutes. Add the minced beef and the garlic and stir until the meat is browned.
  • Add the tomatoes, puree, carrots, herbs and salt and pepper. Cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Stir 2 teaspoon cornflour into a splash of cold water. Stir the mixture into the pan and cook for a few minutes until thickened. Mix in the beans.

Mash topping

  • Whilst the meat is simmering, prepare the sweet potatoes. Peel if desired (I usually just scrub them), and chop into smallish chunks. Simmer for around 15 minutes or until soft. Drain, season with salt, pepper and a pinch of ground nutmeg, and add the butter. Mash by hand or with a handheld mixer until there are no lumps.

Cooking

  • Spoon the meat sauce into an ovenproof dish and add the sweet potato topping. Use a fork to create ridges in the potato. Bake at 180 degrees (160 degrees fan) until slightly browned and piping hot.

Notes

For a lower fat cottage pie, you could use 5% fat minced beef. Or try the recipe using this turkey bolognese for a change.
You can also make the sweet potato mash with low fat yogurt or cream cheese rather than butter or oil if you prefer.
If you are in a hurry and have just made the bolognese and sweet potato mash, assemble the dish and pop it under the grill for a few minutes. It's not essential that it bakes in the oven as all the ingredients are already cooked through.

Nutrition

Calories: 369kcalCarbohydrates: 39.9gProtein: 24gFat: 13.7gSaturated Fat: 5.4gFiber: 6.2gSugar: 13.9g
Keyword Comfort food, Hidden vegetables
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!