English Cottage Pie

Ingredients

• 0.3 teaspoon pepper black freshly ground
• 1 tablespoon butter softened
• 8 ounce button mushrooms thinly sliced
• 0.5 cup carrots chopped
• 1 pound extra-lean ground beef 
• 1 tablespoon flour all-purpose
• 0.3 cup parsley fresh chopped
• 1 tablespoon thyme leaves fresh
• 1 cup lower-sodium beef broth fat-free
• 1.5 cups onion chopped
• 3 cups potatoes leftover mashed
• 0.5 teaspoon salt 
• 3 ounces sharp cheddar cheese shredded white divided reduced-fat
• 2 tablespoons no-salt-added tomato paste 

Equipment

• frying pan
• oven
• baking pan

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 35
2. Combine flour and butter; stir well.
3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray.
4. Add onion and carrot; saut 5 minutes.
5. Add mushrooms; saut for 5 minutes or until lightly browned.
6. Remove vegetables from skillet.
7. Add beef to pan; cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Stir in tomato paste, and cook 3 minutes. Stir in broth and pepper. Return vegetables to pan, and bring to a simmer. Stir in parsley, thyme, and salt.
8. Add flour mixture, and cook for 1 minute or until thick, stirring constantly.
9. Spoon meat mixture into an 8-inch square glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray, spreading evenly.
10. Combine the potatoes and half of cheese; spread the potato mixture evenly over meat mixture. Top with remaining cheese.
11. Sprinkle with paprika, if desired.
12. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until bubbly.