Cottage Pie/Shepherd's Pie recipe... need for dinner tonight if possible!!

[lilprecious75]

Hi!

If anyone has a quick and easy cottage pie/shepherd's pie recipe I could use tonight for dinner I would be thrilled.
We are broke so I don't have a lot of food options but I have the following ingredients... just no recipe!!

500grams lamb mince
frozen mixed veggies (corn, carrot, peas)
potatoes
tomato sauce and bbq sauce
worchestershir sauce

If anyone can help me I would greatly appreciate it!!

[nothing2lose]

Hiya!

Sounds like you have most of what you need!

Brown off mince with some finely chopped onion, add some frozen veg. Season with pepper and salt to taste. Splash in some worcestershire sauce...finish off with some gravy powder ( mixed into a paste. Stir to thicken...

You can add tomato purée or some chilli if you want. Also grated carrot, zucchini or mushrooms...if it needs a lift of flavor, stock powder can help (teaspoon or two)
Put in casserole dish and top with mashed potato (I like to put some cheese in mine)

Brown in oven.

Hope this helps!!

[Floweryfields]

Basically what you have is what I'd use too. Brown mince and onion (I sometimes put in garlic too). I swig in a bit of soy sauce, tom paste or sauce, a teaspoon or two of chicken stock powder or a packet of chicken noodle soup mix. Then I toss in the frozen vegies and enough water to wet it all nicely and let it simmer till it thickens up nicely.
Obviously put the potatoes on to boil first - I like a cheesy crust on top so sprinkle over grated cheese before putting in oven and letting brown.

[lilprecious75]

Fantastic!

Small problem though...
I don't have gravy powder, or stock powder, or dry soup mix - and I'm also completely out of all my flours and and other forms of thickener because I got weavils recently...

Is this going to pose a major problem... as in do I have to think of an alternative meal for dinner?

[nothing2lose]

You could thicken it up using more veggies. Use salt instead of stock
- or soy. It won't thicken like a gravy but it will still taste nice. You could even opt to boil the potatoes and stir them through in pieces instead of the mash on top.

[lilprecious75]

Okay... while the baby slept and the 5yr old played an online game I scoured my cupboards and I found some gravy powder.
There is MAYBE a tablespoon if I'm lucky but hopefully that will be enough.
I think it will be okay and I can always improve it the next time I cook it when we aren't broke and I can buy some extra ingredients.
I spent our last $70 today and was able to get nappies, aloe vera tissues (a splurge but BOTH the boys are sick with colds and they were on special), toilet paper, milk, butter, and a bit of fruit and veg...
Hubby has a HUGE job coming up and we are just waiting for his client's finance company to pay us!!

I will try to post again tonight to let you all know how it turned out!
Thanks again for all the help...

[lilprecious75]

Hi!

Just an update on how it turned out... my husband loved it and the boys absolutely polished their plates clean! I deem it a success!!
A few things to tweak... it was a tad on the greasy side so I suspect I used too much olive oil to cook the onions and brown the mince as I wasn't sure how much oil I would get naturally from the lamb... and I didn't have enough potatoes but other than that it was perfect! Thanks so much for helping me figure out something new for dinner!!