Cottage pie, low-cal

Adapted from The Fast Diet Recipe Book by Mimi Spencer

The low energy content in this dish is achieved by replacing the mashed potato topping with celeriac purée and leek. Using lean mince is essential. The result is still deceivingly delicious.

This recipe is great as a dinner for those on the fast diet as a single serving is less than 300 calories yet it is extremely satisfying.

We’ve cooked this recipe many times now and the result is always extremely tasty. It has become our go-to meal for a low-calorie dinner. Follow this recipe as closely as possible and you can be assured of a great result.

Time

1 hour 30 minutes total: 40 minutes attended, 50 minutes unattended

Storage notes

Keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days

Difficulty

very easy

Yield

2000 g (servings 4 )

Ingredients

Weight

Volume

Procedure

Cooking spray

as needed

Preheat oven to 200°C / 392°F.

Spray the base of a large, deep sauté pan or saucier. (Choose one with a lid, about [W4L] capacity.)

Set the pan over high heat.

Beef, extra-lean, minced

250 g

⅗ lb

Add to pan and fry until lightly browned, about 3 minutes.

Onion, chopped to ⅕" / 4 mm

150 g

1 large

Carrot, chopped to ⅕" / 5 mm

200 g

2 medium

Celery, chopped to 0.1" / 3 mm

150 g

2 stalks

Mushrooms, chopped (optional)

40 g

4 small

Star anise (optional)

1 regular

Add to pan and stir fry until softened, about 10 minutes

Reduce heat to medium.

Water, boiling

300 g

300 ml

Beef stock cubes, such as oxo

12 g

1 piece

Combine and whisk to dissolve thoroughly.

Add to pan.

Canned tomatoes, chopped

400 g

1 can

Tomato paste, purée or passata

36 g

2 tbsp

Worcestershire sauce

17 g

1 tbsp

Bay leaf

0.6 g

2 leaves

Thyme, fresh, leaves only

1 g

1 tsp

Salt

2 g

½ tsp

Pepper, cayenne or black

0.3 g

1 smidgen

Add to pan and stir to combine.

Bring to boil and reduce to simmer.

Cover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Proceed with subsequent steps.

Celeriac, peeled and cut into 0.5" / 1.3 cm cubes

500 g

1 small

Boil until very tender, about 20–25 minutes. (Optionally, cook the sous vide version.)

Drain thoroughly. Spread on a wire rack and allow the steam to subside.

Mash or blend to a smooth purée. (Optionally, return purée to saucepan and stir over a low heat to drive off additional water.)

Crème fraïche, half-fat

100 g

⅖ cup

Add to purée F and stir to combine.

Salt

2.5 g

1¼ tsp

White pepper

0.3 g

⅛ tsp

Nutmeg (optional)

0.15 g

1 pinch

Add to purée F and stir to combine.

Oil, groundnut

5 g

1 tsp

Heat in a frypan over medium heat.

Leeks, quartered lengthways and cut into 0.1" / 3 mm slices

150 g

1 regular

Salt

1.25 g

⅛ tsp

Add to pan I and sauté gently until very soft, about 8 minutes.

Add to purée G and stir to combine.

Remove the star anise and bay leaves from the meat mixture E then transfer into a shallow ovenproof dish. Allow to cool slightly, about 5 minutes.

Spread the celeriac purée across the top of the mixture, to cover..

Bake until top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Original: 2013. Adapted: 2014.

Notes

Be careful to cut the carrots as closely as possible to the specified size, as this will directly effect the texture of the final dish.

There is now a sous vide version of the celeriac purée.

Making ahead

Prepare the mirepoix and store in an air-tight container.

Nutrition

Serving size 500 g; calories 257.5 kcal, kilojoules 1075.9 kJ, protein 18.6 g, carbohydrates 21.4 g, sugar 9.2 g, fat 8.5 g, saturated fat 3.6 g, unsaturated fat 6.8 g, trans fat 0.2 g, fiber 7 g, cholesterol 49.2 mg,

Type pie

Author bhsimon

Yield

Servings

Serving size 500 g

Serve	Per serve
Energy (kcal)	257.5
Energy (kJ)	1075.9
Protein (g)	18.6
Fat (g)	8.5
Carbs (g)	21.4
Sugars (g)	9.2
Fiber (g)	7
Sodium (mg)	864.3
Cholesterol (mg)	49.2

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