Cottage Pie with a twist of health!

I made this on the weekend and decided that it falls into the “yummy” category and also the “healthy” category – bit of a winning combination!

Ingredients for the filling

 

  • 1 finely chopped onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic - crushed
  • Olive oil
  • Black pepper
  • Mixed herbs that you like and enjoy
  • Tomato passata
  • Lots of green lentils
  • Around 800g of extra lean minced beef

 

Ingredients for the topping

 

  • Lots of sweet potatoes
  • Lots of pasnips
  • Black pepper
  • Olive oil

 

Step 1

Bake the sweet potatoes in the over until meltingly soft

Step 2

Peel and chop the parsnips and place in a saucepan and boil ‘til soft

Step 3

In the meantime, fry the onions in a saucepan in the olive oil and add the mince and garlic when the onion is soft. Brown the mince and season with lots of black pepper and herbs.

Step 4

Add the green lentils to the mince and fry before adding the tomato passata. You will then need to gradually add water so that the lentils can cook and absorb the liquid. You can place a lid on this pot when cooking and let it simmer gently.

Step 5

Whilst you let the mince mixture cook, you can mash together the sweet potato and cooked parsnip with a good glug of olive oil and lots of black pepper and some salt.

Step 6

Once the mince and lentil mixture is thoroughly cooked, spread it out in a deep oven dish and then dollop the sweet potato and parsnip mash on the top and spread it out evenly – pop it in the oven and bake until golden brown and bubbling.

This is delicious served with chard and makes a complete meal in itself. Ideal comfort food after your pregnancy exercises and post natal exercise! Nom nom!