The best beef and lentil cottage pie

Sweet mashed kumara tops this delicious cottage pie

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Serves

6 - 8

Prep Time

1 hr 15 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

A twist on your classic cottage pie, we use a naturally sweet kumara topping and have added lentils, carrots and spinach to deliver a nutrient packed mince mixture. We love this delicious go-to recipe - it's perfect to make ahead of time, freeze and use (within 3 months) for an easy go-to meal.

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Ingredients

Beef
  • 1kg Quality Mark beef mince

  • 1 onion

    finely chopped
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil

  • 2 garlic cloves

    crushed
  • 2 carrots

    grated
  • 150ml red wine

  • 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

  • 1 Tbsp tomato paste

  • 250ml beef stock

  • 400g lentilsi

  • 1/2 cup spinach

  • 2 Tbsp finely chopped parsley

  • 2 tsp fresh thyme

  • 400g chopped tomatoes

Topping
  • 1.2kg kūmara

    peeled and chopped
  • 200ml milk

  • 25g butter

  • 1/2 cup grated tasty cheddar cheese

To serve
  • seasonal greens

Method

To Cook Beef
1

Heat a dash of oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over a medium-high heat.

2

Add the beef mince and brown, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up the mince as it browns. Remove and set aside.

3

Reduce the heat to low, add another dash of oil and cook the onion and garlic for at least 5 minutes until soft.

4

Increase heat and add carrot and cook for a further 5 minutes.

5

Return beef mince to the saucepan with Worcestershire sauce, tomatoes, tomato paste, stock, red wine, and lentils. Season as required.

6

Reduce heat, cover and cook mince mixture at a gentle simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until the sauce thickens.

7

5 minutes before you take the mince of the heat add the spinach and chopped herbs and stir through.

To Make Topping
1

Boil kumara in lightly salted water until tender.

2

Drain and dry over the heat then mash well.

3

Using a fork, whip in the milk and butter.

To Bake and Serve
1

Preheat the oven to 190°C.

2

Spoon mince mixture into a large ovenproof dish (6 cup capacity), top with the kumara mash and sprinkle with grated cheese. Place in the oven and cook for 30 minutes until hot and bubbling.

3

Serve cottage pie with you favourite seasonal greens.

Nutrition Information per Serving (528g)

This nutrition analysis is based on 8 serves and doesn't include the seasonal greens to serve.

Energy2099kJ (502 kcal)
Protein38g
Total Fat18.5g
Saturated Fat8.5g
Carbohydrate37.9g
Dietary Fibre7.3g
Sodium642mg
Iron6.0mg
Zinc7.0mg
Vitamin B121.2µg