The best thing about a cottage pie meal is that it’s so easy to make more than enough for at least two meals. It’s easy to freeze and reheat so you can enjoy not cooking from scratch for at least one night in the week! It’s the food you crave when it’s blowing a gale outside and the homely smell fills the house.

This recipe doesn’t take too long to make, I make mine in the frying pan and just pop it under the grill for a few minutes to slightly colour and crisp the potato top – and make the cheese all gooey inside the mash!

I’m impatient when it comes to waiting for food to cook, so that’s why I like this recipe, you just fry it, grill it a bit and then eat it.

The ingredients I list below made me four portions, two of which I froze for mid-week meals. This recipe is versatile, simply substitute some of the veg mentioned with whatever veg you have in the fridge to cut down on costs.

Ingredients

For the filling:

• 500g steak mince
• Large handful of frozen peas
• 1 garlic glove
• 1 onion
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
• 2 tbsp gluten free flour
• 150g mushrooms
• Handful of spinach
• 300ml beef stock (tip, I use supermarket’s own brand of stock cubes, they don’t have any gluten-containing ingredients – and they’re cheaper and less salty!)
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• Salt and pepper

For the mash:

• 500g potatoes
• Handful of grated cheddar cheese
• 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
• 2 tbsp milk
• 1 tbsp butter

Method

1. Put your potatoes on to boil until soft
2. As your potatoes are cooking away, heat up the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and add the mince
3. When the mince is almost brown, add your onion, garlic and mushrooms. Fry until onion softens and the meat is brown all over
4. Add the peas, beef stock and tin of tomatoes and mix well
5. Sprinkle your flour over and mix in well, this will help to thicken your sauce
6. Once the potatoes are soft, drain and keep them in the pan ready to mash
7. Add your spinach leaves to the mince mixture and stir in, leave the mixture to simmer, the leaves will start to wilt
8. Add your milk and butter to the potatoes and mash until all potatoes are crushed. Add the nutmeg and stir in the cheddar cheese.
9. Season your mince and the potatoes
10. In your dish of choice tip all the mince mixture into the bottom. Top with your mash and spread evenly with the back of a spoon.
11. Place under the grill for 5-7 minutes until the cheese has melted and the topping is golden
12. Serve and enjoy!