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Cheesy Cauliflower Topped Pie

September 12, 2019 19 Comments

5.7Kshares

Cheesy Cauliflower Topped Pie – all the goodness of a traditional cottage pie but topped with delicious tender cheesy cauliflower florets

Cheesy Cauliflower Topped Pie in a glass oven dish on board with wooden spoon to the right

Low Carb Cottage Pie

I had a cauliflower sitting in my kitchen that was just begging to be made into something delicious. Some of you may now be thinking, cauliflower and delicious do not go in the same category. 

Well, you may be persuaded otherwise after trying this Cheesy Cauliflower Topped Pie, even my fussy kids are persuaded to eat some vegetables with this delicious topping.

After all, who can resist yummy golden melted cheese that covers almost every morsel of cauliflower florets? Even better is that the cheesy cauliflower covers a meat filling similar to that of a cottage pie, making it a delicious meal for the whole family packed full of healthy vegetables.

wooden spoon scooping Cheesy Cauliflower Topped Pie from a glass oven dish

Cottage Pie with a Twist

There is something versatile about cottage pie. I mean yes okay traditionally it’s topped with mashed potatoes.

But it really can be varied by all kinds of different toppings from the regular white potato, like sweet potato, butternut squash, swede, carrot or mashed Cauliflower like this delicious Healthy Cottage Pie with Cauliflower Spring Onion Mash.

Usually when I make a cottage pie for the whole family –  I like to use a white and sweet potato mix as in this Syn Free Cottage Pie, it the perfect combination for a delicious mash without having to use huge amounts of milk, cream or butter. 

Cottage Pie versus Shepherd’s Pie

Many people call Cottage Pie Shepherd’s Pie and vice versa, but traditionally there is a difference. Cottage Pie is made with a ground beef (beef mince) and Shepherds’ Pie with a ground lamb (lamb mince), hence the shepherd part. Then to confuse matters even further, there is Cumberland pie which is usually a choice of meat, topped with mashed potatoes (or sometimes potato slices) and then breadcrumbs and cheese.

What you call it if you use vegetarian meat replacement is anyone’s guess. I’ll leave that one to you. However, you’ll be pleased to know this can be adapted into a vegetarian version by using a meat replacement. 

close up of wooden spoon in Cheesy Cauliflower Topped Pie

Making the Cheesy Cauliflower Topped Pie

First up is the oven proof dish, I just use a simple pyrex style rectangle dish from Ikea. But any shape is fine, use round if that’s what you have. So long as it fits all the filling and topping that all that matters.

Next up is making the yummy filling. Beef mince, vegetables and keeping it healthier and gluten free. I like to make my own gravy using fat free beef stock (from a carton) as it’s so much fresher tasting, along with some herbs, seasoning, and a little cornstarch (cornflour to thicken).

Of course, if you are not gluten free, you can use any beef stock of your choice, including stock cubes.  

Next is the topping, fresh cauliflower lightly steamed and then mixed with some cheese (a combination of cheddar and parmesan is just the best for flavour).

Can I use frozen Cauliflower?

Sure!! If that is all you have, go ahead, it will work fine. Only thing I recommend, is letting it thaw and then draining off the excess liquid, otherwise, it’s going to dilute all that lovely gravy. You won’t need to steam the cauliflower either, as it’s already partly cooked. 

cheesy cauliflower topped pie dishes up in white bowl with fresh parsley.

More delicious Pie Recipes

Can’t get enough of yummy pie recipes like this Cheesy Cauliflower Topped Pie? Check out these:

  • CHICKEN AND ASPARAGUS NO PASTRY PIE
  • CREAMY CHICKEN AND SPINACH PIE
  • DAIRY FREE FISH PIE
  • SHEPHERD’S PIE
  • SPIRALIZED BUTTERNUT SQUASH TOPPED MEAT PIE
  • LASAGNE PIE (INSTANT POT)
  • CHICKEN AND LEEK PIE
  • CRISPY POTATO TOPPED MEAT PIE
  • MINI COTTAGE PIES

or head on over to my Full Recipe Index with over 850 delicious Slimming World and Weight Watchers recipes all fully searchable by meal type, ingredients, syn value and smart points etc

close up of cheesy cauliflower topped pie dishes up in white bowl with fresh parsley.

This recipe was originally created on 4 March 2010 and updated on the 12 September 2019


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Cheesy Cauliflower Topped Pie

Cheesy Cauliflower Topped Pie

Yield: SERVES 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes

Cheesy Cauliflower Topped Pie - all the goodness of a traditional cottage pie but topped with delicous tender cheesy cauliflower florets

Ingredients

  • 1 head of cauliflower
  • 455g (16oz) of extra lean minced beef
  • 1 large sweet onion, finely chopped
  • 1 medium carrot, diced
  • 1 stick of celery, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • fresh thyme
  • 1/2 cup (120ml) of frozen peas
  • 600ml (2.5 cups) of beef broth (stock)
  • 1 tbs of balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder
  • 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, tapioca or arrowroot flour (1.5 syns)
  • 2 tablespoons of tomato puree
  • 60g (2oz) of parmesan (2 HEas), grated
  • 60g (2oz) of cheddar (2 HEas), grated
  • salt and black pepper
  • olive oil cooking spray
  • Fresh Italian Parsley

Instructions

  1. Separate cauliflower into florets and steam over a large saucepan of water for approx 10-15mins until slightly softened. Drain fully and add to a bowl along with the parmesan, cheddar and a pinch of salt and black pepper and roughly fold until the cheese melts and coats the cauliflower, slightly mashing as you do (don't over mash, you want big chunks of florets to remain). Set aside.
  2. Spray a frying pan over a medium high heat with some cooking oil spray and add the onion, celery, garlic, and carrot and fry until softened.
  3. Add the mince and thyme and cook until browned.
  4. Add the broth, onion powder, garlic salt, tomato puree and balsamic vinegar. In a small bowl mix the starch with a couple of tablespoon of cold water and then add to the meat mixture and stir. Bring to the boil and then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 15-20 mins until sauce is rich and thickened. Taste and season as needed.
  5. Preheat oven to 180c or 350f (gas mark 4)
  6. Add the meat mixture to an oven proof dish. Stir in the frozen peas
  7. Top with the cheesy cauliflower mixture.
  8. Bake in the oven for approx 40-45 mins or until cheese is melted and golden.
  9. Top with some fresh chopped Italian parsley
  10. Enjoy!!

Notes

This recipe is gluten free, vegetarian, Slimming World and Weight Watcher friendly

  • Slimming World - 1 HEa and 0.5 syns per serving
  • Vegetarian - use a meat replacement
  • WW Flex/Freestyle Smart Points - 8 per serving
  • Gluten Free - use gluten free stock and starch

*suitable for freezing

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Nutritional information is an estimate and is to be used for informational purposes only. Ingredients can vary greatly from brand to brand and therefore it would be impossible to give accurate information.

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Nutrition Information
Serving Size 1 SERVING
Amount Per Serving Calories 374Total Fat 15.1gSaturated Fat 8.1gCholesterol 94.9mgSodium 861.8mgCarbohydrates 20.7gFiber 5.9gSugar 6.5gProtein 40.6g

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© Siobhan (Slimming Eats)
Cuisine: American, British / Category: Main

Cheesy Cauliflower Topped Pie Feature Pin Image

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Nutritional information is an estimate and is to be used for informational purposes only

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Filed Under: below 2 syns, by course, by ingredient, by type, cauliflower, Extra Easy, gluten free, Green, Ground Beef / Beef Mince, Lunch, main course, meat, Original, Recipes, SP friendly, vegetables, Vegetarian Tagged With: cheesy cauliflower, Extra Easy, low carb cottage pie, low carb shepherds pie, low syn, meat pie, original, points plus, pro points, slimming world recipes, slimming world USA, weight watchers recipes

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lisa Evrae

    March 4, 2010 at 8:37 pm

    Ooh brilliant! I never thought of using cauli as a topping instead of spuds. Well done, will be making this.

  2. admin

    March 4, 2010 at 8:38 pm

    I have been doing some red days for a change, so have been thinking of things to substitute the usual carbs ;). It was really tasty, I actually preferred it to potato topped shepherds pie.

  3. Lynne

    March 5, 2010 at 10:25 am

    Have you tried a mixture of mashed carrots and swede (rutabaga) as a sub for potatoes as well?

    Just really delish.

  4. admin

    March 5, 2010 at 10:38 am

    yeah I love carrot and suede mash, is yummy baked in the oven as a dish on it’s own with grated cheese on top.

  5. Jess

    March 5, 2010 at 8:13 pm

    That’s a great idea – cauliflower on top! Yum!

    Now, if only I could get hubby to eat cauliflower 😉

  6. admin

    March 5, 2010 at 9:01 pm

    haha don’t tell him. Mash it all up and pretend it is potatoes 😛

  7. Lisa Evrae

    March 6, 2010 at 5:21 pm

    I have got my cauli in and will be making this in a few days. Ooh a topping for a fish pie too!!!

  8. shulden

    March 8, 2010 at 1:46 pm

    My bf loves shepards pie with potato but I think that maybe I can get away with this cheesy cauliflower dish!! I’ve been trying to impliment more veggies in our dinners and I think this is a great idea and recipe! Thanks

  9. Lisa Evrae

    March 8, 2010 at 4:24 pm

    Thats what I think too, my hubby has only recently began eating veg, he does like cottage pie but never eats cauliflower. Oh well, its on the menu for tomorrow so I will let you know if its a hit with him x

  10. Angela

    May 3, 2010 at 10:29 am

    Hi what is onion salt? where do you get it from? please

  11. admin

    May 3, 2010 at 12:10 pm

    It is onion powder (not salt) you get it where all the jars of herbs are. 🙂

  12. Julia Robinson

    April 16, 2013 at 9:33 am

    Hi there, this may be a reeeeally stupid question but what is a ‘sweet’ onion, i only know red or white onions – please can you tell me what sort im meant to be getting – many thanks x

  13. slimadmin

    April 16, 2013 at 2:41 pm

    they are just a larger onion and have a sweeter taste to them – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_onion. If you cant buy these, you can just use regular onions.

  14. Ann

    January 10, 2017 at 8:25 am

    Sound fab, what’s the reason for the starch please?

  15. Shevy (Slimming Eats)

    January 11, 2017 at 2:36 pm

    It thickens the gravy of the sauce 🙂

  16. Sarah

    September 13, 2019 at 3:22 pm

    Never thought of trying cauliflower as topping going try this next week

  17. Diane Towlard

    September 20, 2019 at 12:29 pm

    Could you use xanthan gum for thickening to save syns?
    Thanks

  18. Shevy (Slimming Eats)

    September 20, 2019 at 12:47 pm

    you are only saving yourself 0.5 syns per serving by not using the cornstarch (cornflour). I wouldn’t ruin a recipe for the sake of that many syns by using xanthan gum, it makes gravies/sauces really gloopy and is not very pleasant in my opinion.

  19. Kelley Culley

    January 2, 2021 at 1:20 pm

    An absolute favourite in our home. We love it!

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Hey! I am Siobhan, a full-time mum and food blogger. I was born in London but now live in Ontario Canada ...

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