Monday Pie

Midweek warmer, or a versatile way to use up leftovers, Monday Pie is one of my favourites; I hope it becomes one of yours.

If you follow the proportions in this version, you'll end up with four decent portions that chill or freeze well.

Supplies

I usually use;

• 500g mince (I use beef, you can use any you have to hand, even plant-based)
• Two onions
• Two tins baked beans
• Roughly half a dozen potatoes
• Carrots
• Cheese (for topping)
• Four teaspoons Worcester sauce
• Two stock cubes (to match the mince)
• Butter for frying

Step 1: Preparation

Put your oven on at 180C.

Before you start cooking, peel and slice your onions, wash and slice your carrots & potatoes and grate your cheese.

Step 2: Onion

Heat your frying pan, add a knob of butter, and fry the onions until they're soft.

Step 3: Mince

Add the mince to the pan, stirring and cooking it until all the pink is gone (or until the veggie mince is heated through).

Crumble the stock cubes into the mince - don't add water, just stir them into the meat juices.

(You may notice I switched pans - the mixture proved too bulky to stir without spilling.)

Step 4: Finish the Mince

Add the beans, carrots and Worcester sauce to the mince, and heat it through.

Step 5: Topping

Grease your baking tin, and add the mince mixture.

Lay your potatoes over the top of the mince, and sprinkle on the cheese.

Step 6: Cooking

Leave the pie in the oven for about 50 minutes.

Take the lid off the tin, turn the temperature down to 160C, and cook for another 10 minutes.

Check the potatoes are soft by poking them with a fork - if they're soft, you're ready to serve.

Step 7: Serve!

I generally eat Monday Pie on its own, but if I'm hungry, or there's only a small portion left, I might serve it with green vegetables - garden peas, Brussels sprouts, whichever my hand lands on first in the freezer.

Portions you don't eat straight away freeze well to eat another day from the microwave.