Is there anything more comforting than coming home to the fragrant smells of a cooked dinner on a cold winters night?
Being a busy, working mum of three, I have to be uber organised in the mornings to ensure that not only are the kids up, fed, watered and looking ever so slightly presentable before school drop off, but I also need to start thinking about what to cook for dinner that night. With three kids doing numerous activities it is not always an option to cook when I get in, in fact, if I did that, we'd be eating at 10pm most nights!
I am all about home made, nutritious food and quite often I batch cook a huge pot of bolognese to use throughout the week. Obviously this can be used for pasta bolognese but one of the kids favourites, is a bolognese pie using smooth mash on top. This is therefore my recipe for this and you'll see I use quite a few "cheats" to save on time and washing up!
Firstly, make your bolognese in the usual way, there is no right or wrong way to do this, I use a bit of milk and good beef stock for flavour as well as carrots, bay leaf, celery and garlic. My first "cheat" is to use supermarket passanta rather than making my own, it is cheap, tasty and you can't tell the difference. I tend to throw lots of finely chopped veggies in to make sure the kids are getting their 5 a day, and despite Beansey "hating" mushrooms, he never notices that they are finely chopped into my bolognese! I do all of this in one pot for ease of washing up!
My next "cheat" is to use chilled, pre mashed, mashed potato. Making your own mash is a real chore, not only is it a nightmare to clean our the pan afterwards, you can never really get a silky smooth mash unless using a professional machine (again more washing up!). If you are strapped for time, there is no quicker cheat, it costs approx £1 and is as smooth as the proverbial babies bottom!
Next, grab a willing assistant and spoon the mash over the bologniase. You can then fork it for an authentic look and sprinkle cheese on the top. By grating the cheese you save on calories but still get all the taste.
My next "cheat" is to use chilled, pre mashed, mashed potato. Making your own mash is a real chore, not only is it a nightmare to clean our the pan afterwards, you can never really get a silky smooth mash unless using a professional machine (again more washing up!). If you are strapped for time, there is no quicker cheat, it costs approx £1 and is as smooth as the proverbial babies bottom!
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| Easy cheat - pre prepared, chilled mash! |
Next, grab a willing assistant and spoon the mash over the bologniase. You can then fork it for an authentic look and sprinkle cheese on the top. By grating the cheese you save on calories but still get all the taste.
You then pop the pie into the oven until the cheese has melted and the potato has crisped up which is about 20 minutes. Serve with a green vegetable for an extra veggie hit!
This recipe shows that with a bit of planning, you can serve a healthy, home cooked supper with plenty of veggies for the kids, using a few cheats along the way!
Head on over to my Google Plus Page for some more pictures and tips and to see the end result!
Do you have a favourite cheat in the kitchen?
Peace and Love
S.A.M xoxo
Disclaimer: I am a member of the collective Bias Social Fabric Community. This content has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias #cbias #SocialFabric and although I have been paid to write this post, all thoughts and opinions are my own as is the recipe!!!
This recipe shows that with a bit of planning, you can serve a healthy, home cooked supper with plenty of veggies for the kids, using a few cheats along the way!
Head on over to my Google Plus Page for some more pictures and tips and to see the end result!
Do you have a favourite cheat in the kitchen?
Peace and Love
S.A.M xoxo
Disclaimer: I am a member of the collective Bias Social Fabric Community. This content has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias #cbias #SocialFabric and although I have been paid to write this post, all thoughts and opinions are my own as is the recipe!!!
I have to say I've never thought to use pre-cooked mash, might have to give this cheat a go! Mich x
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