This Mediterranean ‘Cortijo’ Pie is my lighter take on a traditional cottage pie, made with chicken or turkey mince and packed with Mediterranean flavours. The filling is made with paprika, garlic, fresh herbs, tomatoes and a splash of white wine, along with plenty of vegetables.

Topped with creamy Parmesan mash and finished with a sprinkling of breadcrumbs, it bakes until golden, bubbling and crisp on top. It’s a comforting family dinner that’s a little lighter than a traditional cottage pie, but still full of flavour.

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 celery stick, finely diced
• 1 large carrot, peeled, grated then chopped up
• 500g chicken/turkey mince
• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed/grated
• 1 tbsp red pesto
• 1 tbsp paprika
• fresh herbs, I used thyme and sage, chopped
• 1 stock cube, I used chicken
• 125ml white wine
• 1 x 400ml tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 courgette, diced
• 1 pepper, diced
• sea salt and cracked black pepper
• 2 large potatoes, diced
• 50g parmesan, grated
• 30g butter
• 1 tbsp milk
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs, I made my own using stale bread in a smoothie maker.

• Heat the oil and sauté the onions, celery and carrot until soft. Add the mince and brown.
• Add the garlic and stir through, then add the pesto, paprika, herbs and crumble in the stock cube. Cook for a few more minutes, coating the mince in all the flavours. Pour in the wine and let it bubble away for a few minutes. Then add the tomatoes and Worcestershire sauce.
• Add the courgette and pepper. Season well with salt and pepper, then pop a lid on and simmer for 20 minutes.
• Heat the oven to 200°C.
• Meanwhile, boil the potatoes in salted water. Once soft, drain and put through a potato ricer. If you don’t have one, don’t worry, just move on to the next step.
• Add the butter, milk and most of the Parmesan to the potatoes, reserving a little for the topping. Add a pinch of salt and lots of pepper, then use a whisk to mix until smooth and creamy. If you don’t have a whisk, simply mash everything together.
• Remove the lid from the mince pan. If there is still a lot of liquid, cook for a few minutes more on high and uncovered. Scoop the mash onto the top. You don’t need to be neat — using an ice cream scoop gives nice, even lumps.
• Sprinkle over the breadcrumbs and reserved Parmesan, then grind some black pepper over the top.
• Bake in the oven for around 25 minutes, or until the top is bubbly and crisp.
• Once out of the oven, let it sit for at least 10 minutes before diving in!!