First posted: Mar 18, 2013
Quick Chicken Cottage Pie with Sweet Potato Mash
Let’s face it, we all need our easy peasy week-night go-to meals that we can throw together effortlessly when we feel like we’re losing the battle to chaos on the home front. So here are a few made-with-love ideas just for you that are healthy, budget-friendly, and that can be on the table in a jiffy. You’re very welcome.
Sweet potato is lower in GI and GL than regular potato, and adds a delicious but mild sweetness to the overall meal. Using chicken mince is healthier too. Make this ahead of time and freeze or refrigerate and then just pop in a pre-heated 180C oven about 15 minutes before you’d like to eat.
To make your mixture go a little further, add in extra vegetables such as grated courgettes or carrots, or even a can of baked beans.
Ingredients
Cooks in: Serves:4
- 5 large sweet potatoes, peeled and roughly cubed
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary or 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
- 400g chicken mince (or mince 400g chicken breasts in your food processor)
- 1 x 400g tin chopped peeled tomatoes
- 1 Tbsp chutney
- 1-2 tsp worcestershire sauce
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 3/4 cup frozen peas
What to do
1. Add the potatoes to a large pot of salted boiling water and cook for 15 minutes, or until can be easily pierced with a knife. Remove from the heat, drain, season with salt and pepper and mash together with a little olive oil and milk to loosen if necessary. Set aside. 2. Meanwhile, fry the onions over medium heat with 1 Tbsp olive oil. Cook for 2-3 minutes until softened then add the garlic and herbs and fry for another minute. Add in the chicken and cook until just cooked through, about 4 minutes. (Also at this stage, pre-heat your oven to 200C.) 3. Add in the tomatoes, chutney, worcestershire sauce and a pinch of salt and pepper and leave to simmer for a further 10 minutes, then remove from the heat, check the seasoning, add in the frozen peas and pour into a medium-sized ovenproof dish. 4. Top the chicken filling with the potato mash, and a sprinkling of cheese if you like, then bake for 10-15 minutes or until the mash topping is lightly golden. And a few more Speedy Supper Inspirations
- Very obviously, you could substitute the chicken with lamb, beef or even ostrich mince.
- You could also add in butter beans, canellini beans or baked beans to make the dish go further, as well as grated vegetables such as carrots or courgettes.
- Make the same filling and use it to fill pitas, wraps or serve over pasta or in hamburger rolls as American'style Sloppy-Joe's.
Chicken and Duck
Winter
