Cottage Pie ...

The recipe for my Cottage Pie is from this book from the Australian Institute of Sport which has lots of healthy recipes in it. I've featured it before. This pie has lots of hidden vegetables - 1 large carrot, 1 zucchini, 1 onion, 1 can of brown lentils, 150 gms mushrooms, 5 potatoes and 1/2 a cauliflower. You could add corn, peas and beans too.
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(Kids will never know if you put cauliflower in with the mashed potato - Gus didn't!)
I steamed potatoes for 15 minutes then added the cauliflower in on top and steamed both until tender. I mashed them smooth first, then added in the butter and milk to make a creamy mash.
Adding sweet potato in with the potatoes would also be nice.
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(Topped with potato, cheese and sprinkled with paprika, ready for the oven. One advantage of being a 2 person household - an extra Cottage Pie for the freezer - an easy dinner for another day - Yay!)

COTTAGE PIE
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1 tblspn olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 stick celery, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
150 gms mushrooms (your choice)
500 gms lean minced beef (chicken, pork or veal would work too)
400 gm can brown lentils
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1.5 cups beef stock
4- medium potatoes, peeled
1 tablespoon butter/margarine
1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 cup grated cheese
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Preheat oven to 180C. Heat oil in a large pan over medium to high heat. Add onion, carrot, celery and mushrooms and cook gently for 8 minutes until tender.
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Add mince and cook for 6 minutes until browned.
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Add lentils, tomato paste, sauces and stock and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
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Meanwhile, steam or boil potatoes until tender (this is where I added the cauliflower as well). Drain, mash well then add butter and milk and continue to mash smoothly.
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Transfer mince to a baking dish. Top with potato, roughed up with a fork, and add cheese if desired.
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Bake about 20 minutes or until cheese has melted.
~I put a sheet of puff pastry in the oven, cut into triangles, then served it on top of the pie, just so you have a bit of crunch. I could have served greens but figured there was enough veggies happening in the pie. It. Was. Good!
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