Name: Ground Beef Recipes For Dinner: Savoury Mince Base
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Cuisine: Budget
Ingredients: 4 tablespoons olive oil; 2 small to medium onions, finely diced (about 2 cups chopped); 2 celery ribs, chopped into small cubes (about 1.25 cups chopped); 1 large carrot, chopped into small cubes (about 1.25 cups chopped); 3 large cloves of garlic, minced or chopped; 1 kg ground beef mince (2.2 lb); 1 teaspoon onion powder; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1 tablespoon soy sauce or gf Tamari; 2 teaspoons salt; 1 teaspoon white or black pepper

Description

Here is the recipe for how to make budget-friendly, nutritious Shepherd’s Pie (or Cottage Pie) with pre-made savoury beef mince, mashed white and sweet potatoes and grated cheese. Yum!

Ingredients

Scale

For Shepherd’s Pie filling

1 teaspoon butter

1 larger portion of the pre-made beef (2 cups)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup frozen baby peas

1/2 cup frozen sweet corn

1 cup tomato passata (pureed sauce)

1/2 cup water

For flour slurry

2 tablespoons flour

3–4 tablespoons water

For mashed potatoes

5 medium white potatoes

1/2 medium to large sweet potato

1 teaspoon salt

2–3 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup milk

For baking

1 – 1.5 cups grated cheese (can be omitted)

Instructions

Prepare the mashed potatoes ahead of time. Place the potatoes in a small pot and cover with cold water, season with salt. Bring to a boil and cook for 10-15 minutes until soft. Drain, return to the pot and add the butter and milk. Mash together until smooth-ish and set aside. Taste for salt and season if needed.
Heat a heavy saucepan or pan over medium-high heat and add a splash of olive oil. Add the pre-made beef, cinnamon, thyme and salt and stir through. Add the frozen peas and corn, no need to thaw out. Stir for a minute and then add the tomato sauce and water. Stir and cook together for a couple of minutes.
In the meantime, whisk the flour and a little water in a bowl until smooth. Stir it in this flour flurry into the beef mixture. It will thicken the sauce into a nice, glossy gravy.
Transfer the filling to a casserole dish and flatten with a spatula. Spread the mashed potatoes over the top and sprinkle evenly with cheese.
Bake in the 200 C / 400 F for 12-15 minutes until the cheese melts and turns golden brown.

Notes

You can use gluten-free flour or tapioca flour for the slurry.

The nutrition below is for Shepherd’s pie baked with cheese.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1/4 of the casserole
Calories: 698
Sugar: 10 g
Sodium: 1499.4 mg
Fat: 36.3 g
Carbohydrates: 57.7 g
Protein: 37.7 g
Cholesterol: 128.2 mg

Keywords: Shepherd's Pie, Cottage Pie, Beef Potato Casserole, Beef Potato Casserole, Ground Beef Casserole