Cheap Budget Meals - Full of Veg Cottage Pie

This is a family favourite of ours!

As well as a good value meal to make it is also a great way to get more vegetables into the children.

Again, I have used meat that was bought from the market.

I have listed the vegetables that I use to make this delicious, healthy meal, but you can add your vegetables according to taste or to what you need to use. This dish is a great way to use up any vegetables that may be getting past their best. So don't throw them away, they go well in a dish like this!

Here is this weeks cheap budget meal recipe...

Full of Veg Cottage Pie

Ingredients

300g lean mince beef (£1.50)
1 red onion, chopped (19p)
100g mushrooms, chopped (40p)
1 broccoli (49p)
2 carrots, halved and sliced (16p)
3 cabbage leaves, shredded (80p - whole cabbage)  
1/2 swede, chopped (50p)
700g white potatoes, chopped (45p)
400g tin of chopped tomatoes (34p)
600mls beef stock
Worcestershire sauce
1tspn sage
2 bay leaves
Gravy granules
Cheese, grated (optional)
Milk
Butter

Method

1 - Dry fry the beef with the onions until starting to brown

2 - Add the mushrooms and fry until the onions and mushrooms are soft

3 - Pour in the chopped tomatoes then add the carrots, broccoli, cabbage, beef stock, sage and bay leaves

4 - Bring to the boil and leave to simmer for 20 minutes or until the meat and vegetables are thoroughly cooked

5 - While the meat sauce is cooking place the potatoes and swede in a pan of water and bring to the boil, leave to simmer until both are soft

6 - Sprinkle into the meat some gravy granules until the sauce thickens

7 - Place the meat and vegetable sauce into a deep oven proof dish

8 - Mash the potatoes and swede and add milk and butter

9 - Spoon on the potato and swede mash on top of the mince and cover with grated cheese if using

10 - Place under a grill until the cheese has melted and browned off. I the dish has been made in advance place the dish in a pre heated oven of 200C of 15 - 20 minutes

This meal is a winner every time and contain plenty of vegetables.

I got 3 large portions and 2 small portions for the twins and still have leftovers. If you do not use all of the meat and vegetable sauce it can be frozen for another time or even used to make a pie the following day. With our leftovers Joseph has asked if I can keep it for his meal today and the twins will also be enjoying this meal again.

That another large portion and 2 more small portions!

That's a total of 6 servings! (counting the twins serving as 1)

This meal cost me £4.83 to make as I used items out of my store cupboard. That is only 81p per serving and you will have a tasty meal using 8 vegetables (including the tomatoes!).

Enjoy x