How to make a veggie cottage pie (2024)

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Comfort food at its best, this easy vegetarian dish has a game-changing cheesy rarebit topping. With chunky veg, hearty beans and fragrant herbs, it'll definitely fill you up. Don't forget to screenshot the handy ingredients list at the bottom ready for your next trip to store.

  1. Cook the soffrito

    Place a heavy-based saucepan on a sheet of baking paper and draw around it, then cut out a circle just smaller than the pan so it fits inside. Set aside.

    Cook the soffrito. Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in the pan over a low heat. Add 1 finely chopped onion, 1 finely chopped carrot and 1 finely chopped celery stick; stir.

    How to make a veggie cottage pie (2)Tip:A soffrito is a flavourful mix of diced onion, carrot and celery gently fried in oil. It forms the basis of many dishes, including soups, stews and sauces. Add chopped garlic or herbs for even more flavour, if you like.

  2. Seal in the flavour

    Lay the paper circle over the veg, cover and cook for10 mins or until softened. Remove the lid and paper, increase the heat to medium and stir in 1 tsp tomato purée. Cook for 1 min, stirring, then add 2 tsp plain flour. Mix to combine, then cook for 1 min.

    How to make a veggie cottage pie (3)Tip:The circle of baking paper helps to keep the vegetables moist and retain their flavour as they cook. It’s also useful when cooking the base of curries, soups and stews, but you can do without if you don’t have baking paper.

  3. Add the stock and beans

    Take ½ a vegetable stock pot and make up to 200ml with hot water. Slowly pour in the stock, stirring all the time. If lumps form, stir until smooth.

    Tip in a 400g tin kidney beans (drained and rinsed) and 400g tin adzuki beans or black beans, along with the adzuki or black bean liquid, 1 thyme sprig and 1 tsp yeast extract. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 mins.

    Transfer the mixture to a 1.5ltr pie dish, remove the thyme sprig and set aside to cool. Preheat the oven to gas 5, 190°C, fan 170°C.

    How to make a veggie cottage pie (4)Tip:Make sure you heat the flour through before adding the stock, to ensure your sauce doesn’t have a raw flour flavour and help prevent lumps forming.

  4. Make the rarebit mash

    Boil 1kg peeled and halved potatoes for 15 mins or until tender; drain and mash. Stir in 75ml milk and 25g butter. To make the rarebit topping, put 75g grated cheese and 1 tbsp mustard in a bowl and mash into a paste with a wooden spoon. Mix the mustard in well to give an even flavour. Slowly stir in 75ml of ale or milk. Don’t worry if it’s not smooth as the cheese will melt later. Loosely stir half the rarebit mix into the mash so it is not entirely combined.

    How to make a veggie cottage pie (5)Tip:Swap for mild Dijon if making for kids (and replace the ale with extra milk) or use wholegrain mustard for a different texture.

  5. Top with mash

    Spoon the mash over the beans in the dish to cover.

    How to make a veggie cottage pie (6)Tip:The bean mixture should have formed a thin skin while cooling. Don’t stir it before adding the mash because this helps keep the layers separate while the pie bakes.

  6. Finish the topping

    Press the potato into the sides of the dish with the back of a spoon to completely cover. Spoon over the remaining rarebit mix, then use the back of the spoon again to swirl in through the mash. Sprinkle with the thyme leaves.

    How to make a veggie cottage pie (7)

  7. Bake until golden

    Bake for 30-40 mins until the topping is golden.

    How to make a veggie cottage pie (8)

  8. Ingredients

    We've made a handy shopping list so you can get everything you need to make this comforting dinner. Don't forget to screenshot before you go shopping!

    1 tbsp vegetable oil
    1 onion, finely chopped
    1 carrot, finely chopped
    1 celery stick, finely chopped
    1 tsp tomato purée
    2 tsp plain flour
    ½ vegetable stock pot, made up to 200ml
    400g tin kidney beans, drained and rinsed
    400g tin adzuki or black beans
    1 thyme sprig, plus 1 tsp leaves
    1 tsp yeast extract or Marmite
    1kg King Edward or Désirée potatoes, peeled and halved
    75ml milk
    25g butter
    75g mature Cheddar, grated
    1 tbsp English mustard
    75ml ale or milk

    Serves 4

    Each serving contains

    • Energy

      2225kj
      529kcal
      26%
    • Fat

      17g24%
    • Saturates

      8g40%
    • Sugars

      10g12%
    • Salt

      1.2g20%

    of the reference intake
    Carbohydrate 70.9gProtein 20.8g Fibre 13.6g

How to make a veggie cottage pie (9)
How to make a veggie cottage pie (2024)

FAQs

Does cottage pie contain vegetables? ›

The main difference between Cottage Pie and Shepherd's pie is cottage pie uses ground beef, and Shepherd's pie uses ground lamb. Both pies are cooked with vegetables and gravy and baked under a layer of mashed potatoes.

How to make cottage pie less salty? ›

Add an Acidic Ingredient

It won't reduce the sodium level of your dish, but adding an acidic ingredient, such as lemon juice, vinegar, or even a tomato product, can neutralize the saltiness of a dish. Start with a dash or a squeeze, stir well to combine, and give it a taste before adding any more.

How do you stop a cottage pie from leaking? ›

To stop the mash leaking into the cottage pie filling below (and if you have time), let the meat cool before adding the potato topping. This recipe can be made up to 2 days in advance and stored in the fridge well wrapped in cling film or kitchen foil.

What can I use instead of tomato paste in cottage pie? ›

How to Substitute Tomato Sauce or Puree for Tomato Paste. You don't have to dash out to the store if you're out of tomato paste; tomato sauce and tomato puree are both an excellent substitute. For every 1 tablespoon of tomato paste needed, use 3 tablespoons of tomato puree or sauce.

How long does homemade cottage pie last? ›

How long can you keep Cottage Pie in the fridge? Once you've put it out, ideally you should eat it within 4 hours. If you allow any left overs to cool, make sure to refrigerate in a container with a lid and chill. You can keep leftovers of Cottage Pie in the fridge for approximately 3 days or so.

What is vegetable pie made of? ›

Ingredients
  • 2 cups chopped fresh broccoli or sliced fresh cauliflowerets.
  • 1/3 cup chopped onion.
  • 1/3 cup chopped green bell pepper.
  • 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
  • 1/2 cup Original Bisquick™ mix.
  • 1 cup milk.
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
  • 2 eggs.

Does cottage pie contain tomato? ›

Classic cottage pie recipe

Meanwhile, peel, halve and boil the potatoes for 20 minutes or until soft. Drain and allow to steam for 10 minutes. Preheat the oven to gas 4, 180°C, 160°C. Add the tomato puree, tinned tomatoes, stock cube, bay leaf and salt and pepper to the mince mixture.

What vegetables go well with cottage cheese? ›

Veggies. Tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and avocado: pretty much whatever suits your fancy. And a drizzle of olive oil. Seeds and nuts.

How do you get rid of too salty? ›

Adding an acid, like lemon juice, can balance an abundance of salty flavor in food, but be careful of adding too much and destroying flavors. “You can add something acidic, such as lemon juice, lime juice, apple cider vinegar, or processed tomato products to foods to reduce the salty flavor,” says Edwards.

Does adding a raw potato absorb salt? ›

Well, potatoes don't pull salt out of anything. They do absorb water, though—and if that water happens to be salty, they'll absorb salty water. But they're not absorbing salt in particular. Potatoes are amazing, but they're not capable of reverse osmosis.

What to do if you add too much seasoning? ›

Adding fat such as oils, milk, or cream products can significantly take away the spice of a dish. The fat in the proteins will coat the tongue to protect it from spiciness.

What ingredients for cottage pie? ›

Ingredients
  • 8 medium baking potatoes.
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus extra for rubbing.
  • rock salt.
  • 600g minced beef.
  • 2 onions, finely chopped.
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped.
  • 4 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked and finely chopped.
  • 1 celery stick, finely diced.

Why is my cottage pie sloppy? ›

If your casserole is too runny, chances are you either didn't add enough flour to thicken the gravy or you didn't simmer it long enough to reduce the liquid. Also, make sure your potatoes are thoroughly drained before making the mashed potatoes, so the topping is not too sloppy.

What is traditional cottage pie made of? ›

Cottage Pie – comfort food central! This English classic has a deeply savoury beef mince filling smothered in gravy topped with creamy mashed potato, baked until golden. One of the best cosy foods to make with ground beef!

What is original shepherd's pie made of? ›

Shepherd's pie comes to us from England, and is traditionally made with lamb or mutton. Here in the states we are more of a beef eating culture than a lamb eating one, and when one is served "shepherd's pie" here, it is most often made with ground beef.

What is the main ingredient in cottage cheese? ›

Cottage cheese is made from the curds of various levels of pasteurized cow's milk, including nonfat, reduced-fat, or regular milk. It's also offered in different curd sizes, including small, medium, or large, and is available in creamed, whipped, lactose-free, reduced sodium, or sodium-free varieties.

What are the four basic ingredients in baking pies? ›

There are four ingredients in a standard pie crust: flour, fat, liquid, and salt.

What are the three basic ingredients of pies and pastries? ›

Pastry is a type of dough made with flour, water and shortening. Baked pastry dough can be sweet or savory, and consumed alone or with fillings.

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