Butternut Squash Cottage Pie
This butternut squash cottage pie is a delicious low-carb twist on the traditional, hearty dish. It’s topped with a sweet butternut purée for a cosy, well-balanced pie that might be even better than the original.
Ingredients
For the purée:
- 2 butternut squash
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
For the meat sauce:
- 1 kg ground minced beef
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 carrots chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 tsp thyme
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp salt
- Black pepper to taste
- 500 ml water or stock
- 100 g frozen peas
- 1 small can sweetcorn
Instructions
Prepare the butternut squash:
- Preheat the oven to 220°C (fan).
- Cut the butternut squash in half and remove the seeds. Do not peel. Place on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and salt and roast for 45-60 mins or until the butternut is soft all the way through. Leave to cool.
Make the meat sauce:
- Reduce the oven to 200°C (fan) (or preheat if you roasted the butternut in advance).
- In a skillet, fry the onions gently for 5 mins until softened. Add the carrots and continue to fry for 3 mins.
- Add the meat and fry until browned.
- Add the garlic, herbs and liquid. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 mins.
Make the butternut squash purée:
- While the sauce is simmering, remove the skin and mash the butternut with 1 tbsp olive oil and 1/2 tsp salt using a fork or potato masher.
Assemble the cottage pie:
- Add the peas and corn to the sauce.
- Transfer the sauce to a baking dish (if your skillet is not oven proof) and top with the butternut purée. Spread the purée evenly over the sauce and use the back of a spoon to create some peaks that will caramelise in the oven.
- Bake at 200°C (fan) for 20-30 mins until the butternut is browned and slightly caramelised.
Notes
The butternut squash can be roasted several hours in advance so that it has time to cool enough to remove the skin more easily.
Adding the peas and corn right before assembling the pie helps them to stay tender and not become over-cooked.