Cottage Pie with Potato Mash
Minced beef and finely diced vegetables, baked under a soft potato topping. A hearty, mild dinner toddlers can eat with a spoon.
- prep
- 20 min
- cook
- 45 min
- total
- 1 h 5 min
- serves
- 6
- level
- medium
Cottage pie is a natural fit for a toddler table: everything, meat, vegetables and mash, is already combined into one soft, spoonable dish by the time it comes out of the oven.
Dice the vegetables small and give them their full cooking time in the simmering meat mixture before the mash goes on top and it heads into the oven, so nothing firm is hiding underneath.
If your little one is still earlier in the journey, start with our Baby's First Foods guide.
Part of our 20 toddler meal ideas list.
method
Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F).
Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat and brown the ground beef, breaking it up well, for 5 minutes.
Add the onion and carrot and cook for 5 minutes, until softened.
Stir in the stock and tomato paste, bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Stir in the peas for the last 3 minutes.
Meanwhile, boil the potatoes until completely tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and mash with the milk and butter until smooth and soft.
Spread the meat mixture in a baking dish and top evenly with the mashed potato, smoothing it to the edges.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the top is set and lightly golden at the edges.
Cool to a safe warm temperature before serving in small spoonfuls.
chef's tips
- Dice the carrot and onion small and cook them until genuinely soft; the long simmer in the meat mixture should take care of this before the dish even goes in the oven.
- This is naturally a one-spoon meal, mash and filling together, which makes it a good option while your toddler is still building spoon skills.
- No added salt needed here either; the tomato paste and stock carry enough savory flavor.
- This freezes well as a whole dish or in individual portions, and reheats evenly from frozen with a longer, covered bake.