The best beef and lentil cottage pie

Sweet mashed kumara tops this delicious cottage pie

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.

Brooke Campbell

Save recipe

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

To Make Topping

Boil kumara in lightly salted water until tender.

Drain and dry over the heat then mash well.

Using a fork, whip in the milk and butter.

To Bake and Serve

Preheat the oven to 190°C.

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.

Serve cottage pie with you favourite seasonal greens.