Cooking with Pre-Schoolers - Shepherd’s Pie

For me there is nothing better than creating an experience, that develops social and emotional skills as well as the everyday skill of cooking. Developing and role modelling by encouraging healthy eating behaviours by teaching children about growing, harvesting vegetables and fruit. This is a family favourite when l was growing up in cold old Victoria, a winter dish that is super packed full of vegetables for your little peeps and big kids as well!

Ingredients

For the pie filling:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
500g beef or turkey mince
3 rashers short cut bacon, chopped
8 small (button) mushrooms, wiped and chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
400g can peeled tomatoes
1 cup beef stock
1 teaspoon mixed herbs
1 cup frozen peas

For the potato mash:

1 kg potatoes, peeled and chopped
50g butter
¼ cup milk
½ cup finely grated parmesan cheese

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and cook the onion and carrot for five minutes or until soft. Add in the mince, bacon and mushrooms and cook for three minutes or until mince is browned. Then stir through the tomato paste, tomatoes, stock and mixed herbs. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, then uncover, and simmer for a further 15 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. Add in the cup of peas and cook for another couple of minutes.
To make the potato topping, boil the potatoes in water until soft. Drain well and then mash with butter, milk and parmesan.
Pour the pie filling mixture into a 1L capacity ovenproof dish and top with the mash, sprinkle with more parmesan. Bake for 35 minutes or until the potato topping is golden brown.

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