A hearty, comforting meat pie with cheesy potato “crust” that is surprisingly healthy, yet delightful, comforting meal. Carrots, sweet peas, broccoli and onions add flavor, texture, color, fiber and nutrients.
After my daughter’s birthday party, I found myself with leftover beef piroshki filling (from the party) AND also there were leftover mashed potatoes in the fridge. When I looked in the fridge, the two seemed to be just dying to be made into a cottage pie. So I began looking about at cottage pie recipes and they all looked very bland and boring, strictly meat filling with mashed potatoes on top. I wanted more than that. So I pulled some veggies out of my vegetable drawer and a couple from my freezer and started making my pie.
I made my cottage pie in a pie pan, so at first I just scooped out servings with a spoon, but when I was having trouble getting an “acceptable” photo (to my standards), so I eventually decided to try cutting a square piece. This last photo shoot was the best yet, really showcasing almost all the ingredients of the pie. I know, you still can’t very well “see” the broccoli, but trust me, it’s in there.
Of course, the quality of the pie depends on the quality of the mashed potatoes, so make sure you use a good mashed potato recipe–here’s a good one, although you may have to double it to have enough. Feel free to switch up the veggies to whatever you prefer and make this pie your own.
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Cheesy Cottage Pie
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: About 6 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb. very lean ground meat (beef, elk, venison, etc.)
- 1 large onion, peeled and chopped fine
- 5 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped fine
- 1/2 teaspoon salt & fresh ground pepper, to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried dill (or fresh)
- 2 large carrots, peeled & chopped
- 1 Tablespoon butter or olive oil
- 1/4 cup flour (for GF, use tapioca flour)
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 1 1/4 cups beef broth
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 4 – 6 oz. frozen broccoli, thawed slightly and chopped
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
- 2 – 3 cups leftover mashed potatoes
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Heat a large saute pan over medium heat, then cook the ground meat with the onion and garlic until the meat is browned and the onion is soft and translucent. Add the salt, dill and fresh-ground pepper to taste, then add the carrots and butter or oil and cook briefly until the carrot just begins to soften.
- Stir in the flour to coat the beef & veggies, then add the red wine & broth with the Worcestershire sauce. Cook until thickened, then stir in the peas, broccoli and hard-boiled eggs.
- Meanwhile, warm the leftover mashed potatoes, stirring in some of the shredded cheese.
- Pour the meat & veggie mixture into a 9 or 10-inch pie plate. Top with the warmed mashed potatoes and the rest of the shredded cheese.
- Bake at 400 F or until the top of the potatoes is browned and the center of the pie is hot. Enjoy!
Notes
RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/
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This recipe was shared at Foodie Friends Friday and Weekend Potluck.
