Meatless Crumbles Cottage Pie

Here’s a long time traditional meal. It’s sometimes called Shepard’s Pie also. My wife has made this for her Dad many times, but as usual, she makes it healthier by using meatless crumbles rather than the standard ground beef. (Which, by the way, I’m grateful for her healthy cooking  mindset!)

But then, just a quick look through this website, and it’s obvious we aren’t against eating meat, but we do try to make substitutions and use the leaner cuts. My wife typically substitutes the meatless crumbles when making sloppy joes, spaghetti sauce, and a few other typical ground beef dishes.

Meatless Crumbles Cottage Pie

Ingredients

1 T. olive oil
1/2 C. diced onions
1/2 C. carrots, finely diced
12 oz. package of meatless crumbles
3/4 C. beef stock or bouillon
2 T. tomato paste
2 plum tomatoes, diced
1 t. salt
1/4 t. black pepper

Topping:

2 C. mashed potatoes, homemade (2 large potatoes) or packaged
1/2 C. grated cheddar cheese

Preparation

1) Heat oil in skillet. Add onion and carrots, sauté for about 2 minutes. Add meatless crumbles to the skillet, cook until thawed.

2) Sprinkle flour over beef mixture and stir. Stir in beef stock, catsup, and tomatoes. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.

3) Season with salt and pepper. Spoon beef mixture into 9 inch pie plate. Top with mashed potatoes and sprinkle with cheese.

4) Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven until filling bubbles and top is golden brown, about 25 minutes.

Hint: I always bake on a cookie sheet so it doesn’t bubble over in the oven.

Makes 4 servings.