Cottage pie with Quorn mince

Another simple weekday dinner. I love cottage pie - it is so comforting!

I have become a fan of frozen Quorn mince lately and always have it stored in my freezer. There are so many vegetarian dishes you can make using it as a substitute to meat - chilli con carne, spaghetti bolognese, lasagne, to name a few. 

I already had the rest of the ingredients, so this did not require any previous planning at all. I also used a food processor to chop the onion and carrots...much simpler and way quicker.

Some of my friends have been asking me to post a vegetarian recipe. This one's for you guys! :)

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

750 gms of potatoes, peeled and chopped

25 gms butter

3 tbsp of milk

1 tbsp dried parsley

400 gms Quorn mince

1 medium onion finely chopped

1 bay leaf

2 carrots finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, crushed

2 green chillies finely chopped

2 tsp cumin powder

1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped

400 gms can of chopped tomatoes  

200 ml water

1 veg stock cube (You can use chicken or beef if you wish)

1 egg, beaten 

Salt and pepper to taste

Oil

Method

Add the stock cube to 200 ml of boiling water and keep aside to dissolve.

Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook until tender - around  15 to 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes and mash till smooth. Add the butter, parsley and milk, mixing thoroughly. (Add more milk if required)

Preheat the oven to 200 C. In a large frying pan, heat a tablespoon of oil. Add the onion, carrots, garlic, green chillies and the bay leaf and fry for 4-5 minutes on medium heat. Add the frozen Quorn mince  and the cumin powder and cook for further 5 minutes. Then add in the tomatoes, chopped rosemary and stock. Bring to a boil and turn off the heat.

Remove the bay leaf and transfer the Quorn mince to an oven proof dish in a single layer. Add the mashed potatoes on the top, covering the quorn mince and fluff the mash layer with a fork. Lightly brush the surface with a beaten egg. Cook in the oven for 20-25 minutes.  

* You can also add a layer of grated cheese on top of the potatoes. Skip the egg if using cheese.