Freezer Meal Cottage Pie

I bought cheap aluminum pans for meal prepping some time last year, and haven't used them yet.  Whatever busy week inspired that has since passed.  But now I do need a meal ready to pop in the oven this month (thank you, meal planning calendar), so here we go.

Cottage pie, farmer's pie, shepherd's pie, they're all basically the same thing with different meats.  Cottage is beef, or sometimes pork.  You brown it up and add veggies, thickened with a bit of flour and broth.  Top with mashed potatoes and cheese, then bake until everything is gloriously bubbly.  Everything up to the baking can be made ahead and frozen.

It did feel odd to be cooking a dinner at nine in the morning, but it was the same half hour of prep no matter when I made it.  I was choosing to shift that prep time a few weeks before I actually needed the meal.  It really isn't any different than when I make waffles or pancakes and freeze the rest, or put leftover hamantaschen in the freezer because the recipe makes a lot.  I'm just not used to doing it with an entire meal.

You can make the load easier with leftover mashed potatoes.  I used potato flakes, which I keep forgetting I have and buy potatoes.  The veggies were pre-cut frozen, I had gotten the ground beef on clearance, and I made the broth.  This almost finished off the two pound block of cheddar.  So, a completely pantry meal, and all food groups represented.

1 Tb oil
1/2 C diced onion
*1 lb 80/20 ground beef
1 Tb flour
1/2 C beef or vegetable broth
1 C assorted frozen veggies (peas, carrots, green beans, etc)
3 C mashed potatoes (boxed or leftover perfectly fine)
*1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

1.  Heat the oil over medium in a large skillet.  Cook the onion until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the ground beef and cook until well browned.  About halfway through, pour off the fat.  You do need some, but not that much.

2.  Sprinkle the flour over the meat and work into the pan juices to make a light roux.  Add the broth and cook until thickened.  Add the vegetables.  They do not need to be cooked at this point.  Set mixture aside.

3.  If necessary, make the mashed potatoes.  Or, heat them back up with a little more liquid so they are easier to spread.

4.  Into an 8x8 oven-safe casserole dish, first put in the meat mixture.  Spread the potatoes over that, making sure to cover all the way to the sides.  Sprinkle the top with cheese, if using.

5.  If not baking immediately, refrigerate for 2 hours, uncovered, to cool.  Cover and freeze flat.  After that, it can be put on its side or stacked with other items if space is an issue.

6.  To bake, defrost in the refrigerator for 24 hours and up to 3 days.  Uncover and place in a 350º oven until the center registers 165º on a food thermometer, which will depend on how frozen it still is, but will probably be around an hour.  Let rest until no longer boiling and serve.

Difficulty rating  :)