I Heart Comfort Food! :)

Hi everyone!

How nice and 'home comfort foody' does this look? :)

Shepherdess Pie :)

I made this for tea the last night (appropriately enough on National Womens Day!) and it has become a definate comfort food favorite :) I think It is the perfect antidote to the cold, miserable, rainy and generally dark and gloomy weather we have been having recently, and as the recipe makes loads, its perfect for portioning off and reheating in the microwave for a quick, comforting tea when you have finished work.

Although I adore the 'original' sheperds pie recipe, this version is cheaper, just as yummy, and is also very healthy, bonus!

I found its perfect for using up bits and bobs in the fridge, and its also very low in syns on the slimming world diet plan. (I actually just chucked in whatever I had lurking around, and it tastes devine!)

I thought I would do this as a tutorial, so here's how to make a vegetarian, healthy twist on an old favourite...

Ingredients (to feed 4):

• 1/2 chopped onion
• 1 grated carrot
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes or 1 carton of passata
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1/2 tsp dried herbs or 1 tsp fresh herbs (mixed herbs, basil or oregano)
• 1 small tin sweetcorn, drained
• I small tin/frozen garden peas
• 1 chopped red or yellow pepper
• 4-6 mushrooms, sliced or chopped
• 1 tin of beans or lentils, drained...haricot, black eyed, mixed beans, red kidney, whatever! (baked beans would be fine too)
• mashed potato (or mashed: sweet potato, carrot & swede, cauliflower - let your imagination run wild!)
• grated cheese (optional)

Method:

Fry onion and pepper in a little oil or fry light, for a couple of minutes, add carrot and mushrooms, then add tomato puree and cook for a couple more minutes.

Add tomatoes/passata and herbs and bring to the boil, then add sweetcorn, peas and beans (simmer mixture for around 10 mins if using as a pasta sauce).

Put in a casserole dish, top with mashed potato and top with grated cheese, if using.

Bung in the oven at about 180 C/Gas 4 for 30 mins, until cheese is lightly browned and bubbling.

DONE!

(You could also use the filling as a pasta sauce or to fill tortilla wraps. Vary the ingredients and chop finely or in big bits, depending on what you (or your kids!) like)

What is YOUR favorite comfort food?