Comforting Cottage Pie (Serves 4)

Ingredients:
For the filling:
2 tbsp olive oil
400g extra lean minced beef
100g red lentils, uncooked
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 sticks celery, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
30g plain flour
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tsp Worcester sauce
500ml beef stock

For the topping:
400g potatoes, peeled and cut into 5cm pieces
360g cauliflower, chopped into 5cm pieces (use stalks and florets)
150ml low fat milk, warmed
20g low fat polyunsaturated spread
Ground black pepper to taste

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200’C.
Heat oil in pan, and brown the mince. Remove from pan and set aside.
To the pan, add the onion, garlic and celery and cook over a low heat for a few minutes until translucent – take care not to let the garlic brown or it will give a bitter taste to the dish.

Add the mince back to the pan, along with any meat juices and the lentils, and stir through the flour, cinnamon and tomato puree making sure no lumps of flour are visible and the lentils are well coated with the mixture.

Add the beef stock, tinned tomatoes and bring to the boil, cooking for 25-30mins. Stir occasionally, and add a little water if needed.

Boil the cauliflower separately for 7-10mins until tender. Drain and set aside.
Boil the potatoes for about 15 minutes, until tender. Drain well, and return to the pan. Add the spread and warm milk, then mash well. Add in the reserved cauliflower, and ground black pepper to taste.

To assemble, place the beef/lentil mixture into an ovenproof dish, and spread the potato/cauliflower mash on top. Bake on a baking tray in oven for 20 minutes until golden brown on top.

Nutritional analysis per serving:
Energy (kcal) 444
Protein (g) 36.3
Total Carbohydrate (g) 47.6
Of Which Sugars (g) 10.5
Fat (g) 13.8
Saturates (g) 5.3
Fibre (g) 5.7
Sodium (mg) 485
Salt equivalent (g) 1