- 20MINS
- 55MINS
- Serves 4
- 361KCAL
This Cottage Pie is a slimming friendly version of a weeknight classic. Great for calorie counting, plans like Weight Watchers and the whole family!
Can be found in
Budget :
Pages 48-49
Also in these categories:
Easy Peasy 
- Gluten Free If using GF stock cubes and Worcestershire sauce
- Dairy Free
- Freezable
4
NutritionPer Serving
- Calories361
- Carbs40g
- Protein32g
- Fat6.4g
- Saturates2.9g
- Sugars12g
Your dishes
You’re amazing, look at the Cottage Pie dishes you’ve made…
Loz, Northampton
Marie Holmes, Wimblington, March
Barb59, Dudley West Midlands
Kelly Clark, Kent
Ghislaine, Stockport
ilona, Sandbeds KEIGHLEY
MrsB, Manchester
Andrea Plumstead, Norfolk
Gillbo, Bolton
For the full list of ingredients and comprehensive instructions, please see the recipe card at the end of this post. Before you scroll, there’s important stuff to know in the blurb!
Cottage Pie is a classic for a reason! Fluffy mash, meaty filling and a deliciously rich gravy, and all of it can be enjoyed on a slimming diet! In fact, it’s similar to non-diet versions but we’ve used lean mince and omitted the flour and you really can’t taste the difference. Hearty and comforting, Cottage Pie is a weekly staple in our house.
One of the best bits about this recipe is that it’s great to make up in advance to pop in the fridge and heat up when you’re ready, it’s SO easy. Try it instead of a traditional Sunday roast when you fancy a change!
What diets is this Cottage Pie suitable for?
This Cottage Pie recipe is suitable if you’re gluten free as long as you swap out the following ingredients for gluten free versions;
- Stock cubes
- Worcestershire sauce
You could also enjoy this Cottage Pie if you’re dairy free.
Please make sure to double or triple check all of your ingredients if you’re cooking for people with allergies.
You could also make this dish vegetarian by using a meat free mince substitute, such as Quorn, and switching to veggie versions of stock and Worcestershire Sauce.
Do you need any special ingredients to make Cottage Pie?
No! Everything can be found at your local supermarket!
Hints & Tips
Below we added some of our communities most common hints and tips. We hope you find them useful.
Make it easier to freeze…
I added a layer of baked beans to make it more saucy! Just an extra 97 calories and well worth it. Make it in 4 separate dishes so that you can freeze left over portions easily..
Winter Warmer
Added extra vegetables and mixed cauliflower to the potatoes. Grandkids never noticed. Cleared their plates. Served with PON gravy previously frozen. Was delicious.
Add some grated cheese on top to finish it off.
2
I added peas to the mince and onions and used half sweet, half white potatoes for the mash to reduce the carbs
1
Quick and easy in my Ninja
I added peas and celery as extra vegetables and also used sliced potatoes to reduce the carbs slightly from mash
Very yummy and very filling.
Nice and filling and warming after a busy day out and about. Happy to have seconds of this. Hubby added peas to the mince mix and did half sweet potato and half normal and hint of Swede for extra veggies.
Very easy recipe only using a few ingredients
Comfort warming food which is easy to prepare and you could add any other vegetables to bulk it out.
I cooked the base in the slow cooker, did the potatoes in my instant pot mashed them then finished under the grill with a low fat cheese topping it came out perfect.
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‘The best Cottage pie by far !’
Dawn Hanson
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A nice big ovenproof dish is needed to bake the cottage pie until it’s bubbling.
How many calories are in this Cottage Pie?
There are 361 calories in each portion of our slimming friendly Cottage Pie. This means it falls into our Everyday Lightrecipe category.
This Cottage Pie is perfect if you’re following a calorie controlled diet, and fits well with any one of the major diet plans such as Weight Watchers.
As a guide, an average man needs around 2,500kcal (10,500kJ) a day to maintain a healthy body weight. For an average woman, that figure is around 2,000kcal (8,400kJ) a day. Obviously, if your goal is to lose weight then you might want to adjust these slightly! You can read more about these recommendations on theNHS website.
Step 1
Heat a large pan, spray with low calorie cooking spray and add the mince. Fry for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned. Add the onion and carrots and cook for a few more minutes.
Step 2
Add the stock to the pan, then add the Worcestershire sauce and stir. Season with black pepper.
Step 3
Bring up to the boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, removing the lid for the final 5 minutes, and allow to reduce until it thickens.
Step 4
While this is cooking boil the potatoes in a pan of salted water. When they are soft remove from the heat, drain off the water and mash with a little salt and pepper.
Step 5
Pour the mince mixture into a large shallow dish and allow to cool slightly. If you don’t the mash may sink through the mince.
Step 6
Spoon the mashed potato onto the mince, and run a fork over the top to cover the mince and give it some texture. Alternatively you could pipe the potato on to the top.
Step 7
Place in a pre heated oven (200-220°C) and cook for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
Step 8
Serve with a selection of vegetables and some pickled beetroot and red cabbage.
What should you serve with Cottage Pie?
This Cottage Pie is a hearty portion with meat and lots of veg. You really don’t need to serve it with anything, but you could always reduce the portion size and add a side of extra vegetables!
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Whatever accompaniment you choose, don’t forget to account for the extra calories and/or other nutritional values.
How do you know when the Cottage Pie is cooked?
The mince will be thick and rich before assembling the pie. After cooking in the oven the mash on top will be golden and crispy.
Once placed in the pre-heated oven (200 – 220°C) this will take around 25 minutes.
Standard advice here in the UK is to cook food until it has reached 70°C and stayed at that temperature for 2 minutes. This is to keep your family safe.
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.
Can I freeze Cottage Pie?
Yes you can! This recipe can be frozen, but please remember to do the following;
- Freeze it as soon as it is cold enough.
- Use a container or bag that is suitable for freezing.
Don’t forget to add a label with what it is, and on what date you put it in the freezer!
How do I reheat Cottage Pie?
From chilled: Place in a microwave proof container with loosely fitting lid and heat for 4-7 minutes until piping hot.
From frozen: Allow to defrost, and heat covered in the microwave for 3-5 minutes then stir. Cook for a further 5-7 minutes until piping hot.
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Cottage Pie
This Cottage Pie is a slimming friendly version of a weeknight classic. Great for calorie counting, plans like Weight Watchers and the whole family!
- Gluten Free
- Dairy Free
- Freezable
- Prep Time
20 MINS
- Cook Time
55 MINS
- KCals 361
- Carbs 40G
- Serving
4 4
- Up
- Down
- Metric/Cups
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Ingredients
- 500 g lean minced beef
- 1 large onion peeled and chopped
- 3 large carrots peeled and chopped
- 500 ml beef stock made with 2 beef stock cubes
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 600 g potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
- salt and pepper
- low calorie cooking spray
Metric - US Customary
We use a fan assisted oven for all of our recipes. Check outour oven temperature conversion guide.
Please do not screenshot this. Recipes are updated often
Instructions
- Heat a large pan, spray with low calorie cooking spray and add the mince. Fry for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned. Add the onion and carrots and cook for a few more minutes.
- Add the stock to the pan, then add the Worcestershire sauce and stir. Season with black pepper.
- Bring up to the boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, removing the lid for the final 5 minutes, and allow to reduce until it thickens.
- While this is cooking boil the potatoes in a pan of salted water. When they are soft remove from the heat, drain off the water and mash with a little salt and pepper
- Pour the mince mixture into a large shallow dish and allow to cool slightly. If you don't the mash may sink through the mince.
- Spoon the mashed potato onto the mince, and run a fork over the top to cover the mince and give it some texture. Alternatively you could pipe the potato on to the top.
- Place in a pre heated oven (200-220°C) and cook for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
- Serve with a selection of vegetables and some pickled beetroot and red cabbage.
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