Banting Cottage Pie with Pumpkin Mash

Pumpkin is on the Green list for those on the Banting (low carb, high fat) diet. It makes a great substitute for butternut (on the orange list) and even potato. I am looking for more ideas to use pumpkin so watch this space!

Mince
500g Minced beef
1 medium onion chopped into small pieces
1T olive oil
1T vegetable stock mixed with 1/2 cup boiling water
1.5 cups tomato pasta sauce - find one with no sugar or added carbs - I use the recipe in my cookbook

Place the oil in a large saucepan on medium heat. Add the onion and fry for 2 minutes. Add the mince and cook until brown. Add the tomato pasta sauce and stock. Place a lid on and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Remove the lid and simmer for a further 10 minutes until the liquid has evaporated.

Pumpkin

5 generous wedges pumpkin
1T olive oil
2T butter
salt and pepper to taste.

Roast the pumpkin, drizzled with a little olive oil at 180C, until tender and soft. Remove the skin and mash. Add the remaining ingredients and mash a little more until smooth.

Place the mince in a serving dish and top with the pumpkin. I serve this with stir fried vegetables.

Tip: Sprinkle the pumpkin with cumin before roasting for a spicier version of "mash".

Variation: serve the beef mince with courgettes style "noodles" or cauli rice