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Easy Cheesy Cheat’s Cottage Pie

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In association with Iceland

Easy Cheesy Cheat’s Cottage Pie is a delicious and hassle-free version of this traditional British staple. Using frozen ingredients removes the need for any chopping or peeling so it’s much quicker and easier!!

Easy Cheesy Cheat's Cottage Pie #PowerofFrozen

I love Cottage Pie but I’ll admit that it’s a dish I never make.

After a day’s work, the last thing I want to do is spend ages chopping up vegetables and mashing potatoes!

So when Iceland and their #PowerofFrozen campaign challenged me to come up with a dish to “Cut the Hassle” I came up with this Easy Cheesy Cheat’s Cottage Pie.

I love finding quicker ways of making dishes that don’t compromise on quality. This dish is a total winner as it’s just as delicious as the more long-winded version.!

Easy Cheesy Cheat's Cottage Pie #PowerofFrozen - Fab Food 4 All

My family loved my Cottage Pie and hubby said it was much better than a shop-bought one (he has a long memory as I haven’t bought one for many years).

We were all amazed at the quality and taste of the frozen beef and I have to say that I was a little worried when I bought it.

I was going to buy the Minced Steak but as my local branch of Iceland is quite small this wasn’t something they stocked so I picked up the Beef Mince with Onions instead.

I hadn’t cooked with frozen mince in 25 years and after that brief encounter, I never ventured there again.

I’d just met my now hubby and remember having to cook a meal for my dad and him as my mum was away.

The supermarket had run out of fresh mince and I was forced to buy frozen to my Chilli con Carne.

Well, it was the worst meal I’d ever cooked due to the poor taste and quality of the mince; not a great way to impress your new boyfriend!

Easy Cheesy Cheat's Cottage Pie #PowerofFrozen - Fab Food 4 All

So I was very impressed with this mince as it tasted great and I also didn’t have to go to the bother of peeling any onions.

I thought that my pan would be swimming in fat after frying the mince but I have to say there wasn’t that much fat to drain off.

For £2.50 I think the Iceland Mince and Onions is a steal and I didn’t even use the whole pack!

I shall certainly be buying this again as it’s perfect to have in the freezer as a standby to knock up a quick meal!

The Iceland Mashed Potato is a great time saver in this Cottage Pie as are the Mixed Vegetables which I also served alongside.

Hubby is usually a bit sniffy about frozen mixed vegetables as am I, but even these got the thumbs up from hubby (as well as the rest of us)!

So I’d like to say a big “thank you” to Iceland for opening up my horizons to foods I would never have thought to buy before! They’re great quality, good value for money, and time-saving too! And boy do I need lots of the latter!

Easy Cheesy Cheat's Cottage Pie #PowerofFrozen - Fab Food 4 All

More Recipes Using Frozen Ingredients

For more recipes using frozen ingredients, you should also try these dishes:

Easy Cheesy Cheat's Cottage Pie #PowerofFrozen - Fab Food 4 All

Do try my Easy Cheesy Cheat’s Cottage Pie as I’m sure you’ll be impressed!

Pin for later!

Easy Cheesy Cheat's Cottage Pie #PowerofFrozen - Fab Food 4 All

NB: This is a commissioned post for Iceland, all views are those of myself and my family.

Leave a comment and rating below when you’ve made this recipe; I love getting your feedback! You can also share your pictures by tagging @FabFood4All over on Instagram.

Easy Cheesy Cheat's Cottage Pie in a serving dish with spoon.
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4.89 from 17 votes
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Easy Cheesy Cheat’s Cottage Pie

Easy Cheesy Cheat’s Cottage Pie has all the taste without the hassle of having to do any of the usual chopping and mashing you’d usually have to do by using ready prepared frozen ingredients.
Course Main
Cuisine British
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 4
Author Camilla Hawkins

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp Olive oil
  • 650 g Frozen minced beef with onion
  • 2 tbsp Plain flour
  • 2 Cups Frozen mixed vegetables
  • 500 ml Beef stock
  • 1 tbsp Creamed horseradish sauce
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
  • Ground pepper

Topping

  • 600 g Frozen mashed potato
  • 15 g Unsalted butter (a knob)
  • 75 ml Milk
  • 75 g Grated mature Cheddar cheese

Instructions

  • Heat the oil over a medium to high heat in a large non-stick pan/wok and fry the beef and onions until beef starts to brown (10 – 15 minutes).
  • Drain the fat (a colander is the easiest way to do this).
  • Stir in the flour and cook for a minute.
  • Add the stock, horseradish sauce, Worcestershire Sauce, mixed vegetables and ground pepper (no need for salt as stock and cheese have plenty).
  • Bring the pan to the boil and then reduce to a simmer for about 15 minutes with a lid on removing it for the last 5 minutes until you have a meaty sauce.
  • Preheat the oven to 200°C.
  • Meanwhile microwave the mashed potato according to the instructions (about 9 minutes in total) and then beat in the butter, milk and half the grated Cheddar.
  • Put the meat sauce into a dish, spoon over the potato and then fluff up with a fork whilst filling in the gaps.
  • Sprinkle on the rest of the grated Cheddar and place in the oven for about 25 minutes until top golden and meat bubbling.
  • Serve with more mixed vegetables.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Linda Taylor

    Can it be made without microwaving the mash? I am thinking about camp cooking for 50 people. We will have an oven but no microwave.

    Reply

  3. A S,Edinburgh

    Add me to the list of people who’d never considered frozen mash before. I’m impressed and will probably give it a go for anything like this in future. I love the look of your recipe; the sauces and seasoning sound delicious!

    Reply

  8. joanne casey

    Frozen food is so handy to have in, its such an easy way of still getting your 5 a day but saves so much time

    Reply

  9. Maya Russell

    I didn’t know you could get frozen mashed potato. I must get it. If you can’t find beef with onion you can still get frozen diced onion.

    Reply

  14. christine

    looks delicious. I love taking shortcuts with meals like this. I often use premade mashed potatoes but hadn’t seen that beef in the stores. Sounds like a comforting meal with little effort!

    Reply

  15. KC the Kitchen Chopper

    I’ll have to be on the look out for these products. Looks like a hearty and delicious easy meal to prepare.

    Reply

  17. Mayuri Patel

    Sending the link to this easy recipe to my niece who loves to cook but hardly has the time. I’m sure she will be able to replace the beef with lentils or white meat. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

    Reply

  18. Laura Hartley

    It’s amazing how something so simple could produce something so tasty! This is exactly the sort of recipe a lazy person like me needs as I love this dish on a cold winter’s day!

    Reply

  19. Helen at Casa Costello

    Now this is interesting! I will admit I tend to walk past any frozen packs of mince due to my own encounter many moons ago at uni – Might be worth giving it another try a couple *cough* of years later.

    Reply

  20. lisa prince

    You’ve made me want to make this for tea now and I’m off to start lol , we all love easy foods like this!

    Reply

  21. Leanne

    Great staples to have in the freezer just for those moments when you’re stuck on what to cook but some haven’t much time to prep!

    Reply

  22. Natasha Mairs

    this looks gorgeous!! I often cheat with mixed veg and my quorn mince but never thought of using frozen mash.

    Reply

  23. kellie@foodtoglow

    Through the #PowerofFrozen campaign I’ve really been made aware of how much Iceland has changed for the better recently. They are constantly upping their culinary game, and I have genuinely been stopping in to help with my shopping. Your recipe shows how quality meals can be made from frozen ingredients. Lovely job, Camilla. 🙂

    Reply

  25. Jessica

    Instant mashed potato. I have to try it. I love this recipe. Every ingredient is worth craving for.

    Reply

  27. Anca

    I like the convenience of frozen veggies, I use them a lot too. I didn’t try the mash potatoes, but it looks great, I think I’m going to add it to my shopping list.

    Reply

  28. Candace

    Oh this is a great cheat! I cook our meals from scratch, we don’t eat ready meals but making home cooking easier is a big plus to me

    Reply

    • Camilla

      Thanks, yes I cook most of our meals from scratch too but avoid dishes like this due to the time they take but now there’s no excuse:-)

      Reply

  29. Kira C

    Seems simple enough even my boyfriend could do it! I think he needs this recipe for uni! Maybe he’ll make himself some good food for a change!! haha 😀

    Reply

  31. Lucy

    What a great recipe, I will have to look for the frozen mince and onions and mash as I think they would really help save time on a busy night for the family after work and school.

    Reply

  32. Stuart Vettese

    I’m all for using frozen items when I can – they are just as good as fresh, locking in all the nutrients especially with the veg. Must try the mince out though – looks delicious!

    Reply

  33. Valentina

    Great recipe Camilla! I will try to cook it for my boyfriend, who loves these kind of pies 🙂

    Reply

  37. Emma @ Supper in the Suburbs

    This recipe is pure genius! I had no idea frozen mash was even a thing! You’ve taken all of the long prep and hard work out of this classic dish. Looks like we’ll all be eating cottage pie mid-week now 😀 thanks a bunch!

    Reply

    • Camilla

      Thanks Emma, yes frozen mash has only recently come onto my radar and I need to use it more often, especially as a pie topping, so very quick and easy!

      Reply

  41. WhatLauraLoves

    I can’t believe how nice that mashed potato looks. I’ve always stayed away from frozen mash but I’ll give it a try now xxx

    Reply

  42. Heather Haigh

    I’ve only recently started shopping at Iceland and I was looking at the frozen mash and wondering if it was good. Your cottage pie certianly looks delicious.

    Reply

  45. StressedMum

    I made a cottage pie the other day, and while it is a favourite in our house, I hate preparing it, I am all for a bit of cheating and might have to try this cheat next time I make one x

    Reply

  47. Charli Bruce

    Just like Lisa said I would have never have thought about making this with frozen food, I would have been slaving away for ages peeling potatoes boiling them, chopping carrots etc… This just means you can have something as delicious and hearty as cottage pie when you aren’t really feeling like putting in the effort! x

    Reply

    • Camilla

      Exactly Charli, it makes so much difference making this dish with pre-prepared frozen ingredients, like having your own sous chef:-)

      Reply

  49. lisa

    This is so cool! I would never have thought to create such a hearty meal with Icelands frozen food! Seriously changing my idea of them x

    Reply

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