Curl up with this warming British classic. This vegetarian cottage pie is made using fabulous Meatless farm soy mince and cheesy parsnip/potato mash. In other words, this is the perfect dish for a rainy Sunday afternoon with loved ones.
INGREDIENTS
x1 400g packet of The Meatless Farm soya mince (or quorn mince)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 medium rainbow/normal carrots, finely chopped
x3 whole stems of fresh thyme
100g frozen peas
400ml vegetable stock
1 tbsp vegetarian Worcestershire Sauce
1 tbsp tomato puree
2 tbsp salt reduced soy sauce
700g potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
225g parsnips, peeled and chopped
50g of grated extra mature cheddar
2 tbsp semi-skimmed milk/ single cream
salt and freshly ground pepper
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180C, Gas Mark 4
Boil the potatoes and parsnip until tender. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a saucepan, add the onion and the carrot and fry gently until softened.
Add the soy mince and fry all together for about 5 minutes until the colour changes slightly and the mince is broken down. This process is quite similar to cooking beef mince, but the colour change is minimal.
Add the remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil to the pan. The reasoning behind this is that soy mince unlike its meaty counterpart, contains very little fat. Adding extra oil enhances the flavour. However if you'd prefer to be super healthy miss this step out
Add the frozen veg, vegetable stock, vegetarian Worcestershire sauce, tomato puree, soy sauce and seasoning to the pan. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring all the time, until sauce is slightly thickened. Fish out the thyme stems and discard. Place in an ovenproof dish (like the one pictured)
Mash the potatoes and parsnip with the milk/cream until smooth, season to taste with the salt and pepper. Place the topping over the mince filling. fluff up with a fork and sprinkle all over with as much cheese as you'd like.
Bake for 20 minutes until the topping is crisp and golden.
Serve with a side of veg such as fine green beans or tender-stem broccoli.
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