We're back! We're no longer above the little Italian restaurant, but I can't say that we miss it. It's been quite a busy month, but we're (mostly) unpacked and loving our new house. After about a week of eating take out, we graduated to familiar, low-effort dinners. Now I'm finally getting my groove back in the kitchen and trying out some new recipes.
This cottage pie recipe from Cooking Light seemed like the perfect dinner for a chilly night. I made a shepherd's pie last winter, but we much preferred this one-it was easier to make and the flavors were a little more traditional (I say that like I have some authority on traditional English cuisine. Just play along. Jolly good then.).
I only made minor changes to the original recipe. Cooking Light often instructs you to saute your veggies in cooking spray. I think this is stupid, so I ignore them and use vegetable oil instead. I also used 1 teaspoon of dried thyme in place of a tablespoon of fresh. For the low-fat cheese called for, I really like Cabot 50% reduced fat cheddar. If there's anything I like more than a mashed potato crust, it's a cheesy mashed potato crust. Yum.
English Cottage Pie
adapted from Cooking Light
Ingredients
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1 (8-ounce) package cremini or button mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 pound extra-lean ground beef
2 tablespoons no-salt-added tomato paste
1 cup fat-free, lower-sodium beef broth
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray
3 cups leftover mashed potatoes
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp white cheddar cheese, divided
Paprika (optional)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Combine flour and butter; stir well. Heat a large nonstick skillet and vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and carrot; sauté 5 minutes. Add mushrooms; sauté for 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove vegetables from skillet. Add beef to pan; cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Stir in tomato paste, and cook 3 minutes. Stir in broth and pepper. Return vegetables to pan, and bring to a simmer. Stir in parsley, thyme, and salt. Add flour mixture, and cook for 1 minute or until thick, stirring constantly.
3. Spoon meat mixture into an 8-inch square glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray, spreading evenly. Combine the potatoes and half of cheese; spread the potato mixture evenly over meat mixture. Top with remaining cheese. Sprinkle with paprika, if desired. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until bubbly.
Yield: 6 servings
Download a printable recipe
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