Cottage Pie is a classic. This Syn Free Cottage Pie is easy to make with just a few ingredients and it can be made up the day before ready to pop in the oven when you’re ready for dinner, just make sure you heat it thoroughly before you serve it.
For the full list of ingredients and comprehensive instructions, please see the recipe card at the end of this post. Before you scroll, there’s important stuff in the blurb 👍
To be honest this recipe is pretty much the same as the one I have always used, even before my Slimming World days, in fact the only difference is the omission of flour to thicken the mince and butter in the potatoes.
Nowadays I tend to just allow the sauce to reduce until it thickens slightly or I use Xanthan Gum to thicken the mince, and if you want to try this you will find the instructions in the method below.
Xanthan Gum is a syn free, gluten free stabiliser. It’s natural, thickens hot and cold liquids, doesn’t clump and stops sauces from splitting.
It’s a great ingredient to have in your store cupboard! 1/4 tsp of Xantham Gum does the same job as 1 tbsp of flour, so you only need a tiny bit.
You can buy Xanthan Gum here on Amazon, or down the gluten free aisle of your local supermarket. It’s not cheap, but a little goes a long, long way.
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Whenever we need to replace oil in cooking we use Frylight. Perfect for everyday frying and cooking, it delivers exactly one calorie per spray, which makes it Syn free! The Sunflower or Coconut Oil flavours are ideal for this Syn Free Cottage Pie recipe.
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Syn Free Cottage Pie
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Servings |
Prep Time |
Cooking Time |
| people | 20 minutes | 40 minutes |
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Calories |
WW |
Slimming World |
| 465kcal |
7 Smart Points (Flex/Freestyle) |
Zero Syns |
| Per people | Per people | Per people |
 |
INGREDIENTS
Please don't take a screenshot. These recipes are updated often!
- 500 g Lean Minced Beef
- 1 large Onion peeled and chopped
- 3 large Carrots peeled and chopped
- 500 ml Beef Stock made with 2 beef stock cubes
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
- Salt and Pepper
- 600 g Potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
- Frylight Cooking Spray
- 1/8 - 1/4 tsp Xanthan Gum Optional
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat a large pan, spray with low calorie cooking spray and add the mince. Fry for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned. Add the onion and carrots and cook for a few more minutes.
- Add the stock to the pan, then add the Worcestershire sauce and stir. Season with black pepper.
- Bring up to the boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, removing the lid for the final 5 minutes, and allow to reduce until it thickens. Alternatively you could add a very small amount of Xanthan Gum at this point and stir it in well. By adding a tiny amount at a time you will be able to thicken it as much or as little as you want
- While this is cooking boil the potatoes in a pan of salted water. When they are soft remove from the heat, drain off the water and mash with a little salt and pepper (you can add some butter buds if you like, but don't forget to syn them at 0.5 per sachet)
- Pour the mince mixture into a large shallow dish and allow to cool slightly. If you don't the mash may sink through the mince.
- Spoon the mashed potato onto the mince, and run a fork over the top to cover the mince and give it some texture. Alternatively you could pipe the potato on to the top
- Place in a pre heated oven (200-220°C) and cook for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown
- Serve with a selection of vegetables and some pickled beetroot and red cabbage
RECIPE NOTES
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We use a fan assisted oven for all of our recipes. Need help converting the temperature for your oven? |
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This recipe can be frozen, but please remember to do the following; - Freeze it as soon as it is cold enough. |
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Syn values given are correct at time of writing but may not always be accurate.
This website is UNOFFICIAL and in NO WAY part of or representative of Slimming World.
We aren’t trained by Slimming World nor authorised to give Slimming World advice. Any advice given here should not replace the advice of your Slimming World consultant.
Ideally, you should check with Slimming world for the most up to date Syn values using official resources such as; the Syns calculator, Syns Online on LifelineOnline or by calling the Syns Hotline on (0906) 851 8518.
Although pinchofnom.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Under no circumstances will pinchofnom.com be responsible for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information.
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As our recipes change often in accordance with syn value changes, we want to ensure that they're as accurate as possible at all times.
If you use or re-create our recipes we kindly ask:
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These meals look o lovely can’t wait to try them
this site is amazing. just want to say how much I appreciate ye all and honestly the difference it has made to my life is brilliant. keep up the good work xoxo
Ditto the above many thanks .
Hi Shirley,
So glad you enjoyed it!
What do you use to make the mash Please? Obviously potatos but don’t you use butter or milk ot anything xx
Hi Faye
No, we don’t use butter or milk. The blurb in the recipe mentions that you can use Butterbuds, but you’d need to syn accordingly. (They’re available from Amazon or Lakeland.)
Can you replace potatoes with aubergines for example or any other vegetable?
Hi Chanta,
You could replace the potato mash with mashed carrot and suede, or even mashed butter beans works well 😊
Try adding 200g of natural lfat free fromage frais to the mash, it’s syn free and just adds a bit of creaminess.
Thanks for sharing your tip, Mark. 🙂
I have never used normal flour to thicken, always cornflour. Is chickpea flour an alternative? I want to try a different topping of celeriac / potato mash. using fromage fraise instead of milk or butter. I would use a chopped up leek too. Serve up with steamed kale
Hi Stephen
You’d still need to syn chickpea flour. You could use any topping you like, but if you used milk/butter you’d need to syn that too!
I use Aduki beans instead of mince sometimes. Like dry kidney beans, Dried Aduki beans have to be soaked overnight. Drain and hard boil in fresh water for an hour. Drain again and mash. Add carrot onion, oxo stock and some Worcester sauce. And cook as mince. My husband couldn’t tell the difference, you can now get Aduki beans in cans which cuts out all the steeping and hard boiling.
Thanks, Mary!
I’m goung to try this tomorrow. Would this keep in the fridge for a few days? And if so would this be with our without mash? Thanks for all your gorgeous and easy recipes never thought I would love cooking. X
Hi Finola
Once you’ve cooked this, cool it completely, then you can keep in the fridge for up to 48hrs. It will be fine with the mash on top in the fridge. 🙂
Hi,
First of all, thank you for all your lovely recipes! A quick question (just looking for advice, I know you’re not a slimming world consultant!), I normally buy beef mince that is 20% fat (I have 5 children and go through a lot of mince – can’t afford the 5% fat stuff!), but I always drain the fat off once I have browned the mince. Any ideas of how many sins I should count??
Thank you
Hi Louise
It’s pretty high, I’m afraid. 7 Syns per 100g.
This looks so good, I’ve got steak mince is that still ok to use or does it have to be beef mince. Thanks Elaine
Hi Elaine
As long as mince is 5% fat it’s free on Slimming World! I often use 5% steak mince in my recipes. 🙂
Hi
Sorry to ask if being silly
So if make the cottage pie then cool and freeze then just follow the cooking instructions (once defrosted)
I normally batch cook just meat dishes (No mash) so wanted to double check
Hi Mish
Yes, that would be fine. Alternatively you could freeze the pie filling once cool, then defrost and add the mash topping on the day you’re cooking it. Just check it’s piping hot throughout whichever way you choose. 🙂
Hi, sorry if this is a silly question but I want to start batch cooking and freezing meals for the first time. Just wondered if I make the cottage pie to freeze do I have to bake it to get the crispy top before freezing or do I do that bit once it’s defrosted and cooked when I want it? Thanks, Lisa
Hi Lisa
We have given freezer instructions on the recipe card to freeze once completely cool. If you’d rather, you could just freeze the meat filling, then add fresh mash once defrosted and heat in the oven until piping hot throughout. 🙂