Tex-Mex Cottage Pie with Cornbread Crumb
By OcadoLife
Published on 17 February 2023
A family favourite gets a gently spiced twist in food writer Sarah Cook’s Tex-Mex Cottage Pie with Cornbread Crumb. The quick corn topping takes less muscle (and time) than mashed spuds, and this is a great recipe for batch cooking – just double up the ingredients and freeze the extra portions for a speedy dinner another day. Inspired by this recipe? Save the full meal plan now.Time and servings
1 hr 15 minsTotal time
4Servings
10 minsPrep time
1 hr 5 minsCooking time
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp of olive oil
- 2 celery sticks, finely diced
- 1.5 red peppers, diced into 1cm pieces
- 1.5 onions, sliced
- 1 (500g) pack lean 5% fat beef mince
- 75 g of tomato purée
- 1 vegetable stock cube
- 3 thick slices of white bread
- 1 (326g) tin sweetcorn
- 100 g of coarsely grated mature cheddar
- 100 g of kale, sliced and steamed, to serve
- 200 g of cooked peas, to serve
- 1 tbsp of ground cumin
Method
Step 1
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan, preferably non-stick. Add the celery, red peppers and onions and fry over a medium heat for 10-12 mins, stirring occasionally, until the veg is soft and the onion translucent.Step 2
Add the beef mince and cook over a medium heat, stirring to break up the mince, until it’s in small pieces and browned all over. Stir in the cumin and tomato purée; cook for 2 mins. Crumble in the stock cube and add 800ml water. Bring to the boil; simmer vigorously for 15 mins. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4.Step 3
To make the topping, whizz the bread to crumbs in a food processor then tip into a large mixing bowl. Drain the tin of sweetcorn and tip into the processor; pulse to roughly chop. Stir into the breadcrumbs, along with the cheddar.Step 4
Transfer the beef filling to a shallow, medium-large baking dish and sprinkle the cheesy corn crumbs over the top. Bake for 30-35 mins, until the top is pale golden and crisp and the sauce is bubbling. Serve with steamed kale and cooked peas. Keep leftovers in the fridge for 2-3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost for 48 hrs in the fridge, or overnight at room temperature, before baking.