to say that cottage pie is NOT a “weekday meal”

[RiddleMeThis2018]

Cottage pie is delicious. I know how to make it, but sometimes I like to look at a recipe online, to make sure I don’t put too much tomato in by mistake (disappointing, not to be recommended). Almost ALL the recipes say “delicious week-night supper” or similar. This is NOT a weeknight supper!! I couldn’t do it yesterday because the DCs and I got back from swimming too late. I’m not even working today and I had to psych myself up to it. The mince takes 50 mins to simmer, and that’s after all the chopping. Then there’s 20 mins in the oven assuming you time the potatoes right. And then the washing up!

I don’t blame cottage pie. I blame the website writers who want to make me think I should just whip this up on a Thursday when I get in from work. AIBU?

flowery I do chop fast, it's true. (Years of practise every day.) And my family (all male except me) would happily eat the mince rare if I let them. Well-cooked meat is not something they appreciate, so maybe I've got into lazy habits.

On another note, who on earth has the time to do a mid-week roast

Now that takes me a good few hours.

Don't mind plating up extra on a Sunday to save for Monday's tea though.

The recipes I use say to cook the mince (once all the ingredients are in) for 40 minutes and then a further 20/30 minutes in the oven. Then you have to add in the prep time, which if you are chopping up carrots into small pieces can take time. I put chopped tomatoes in mine (Hairy Bikers recipe) and leeks in the mash

Oh I love Cottage Pie, food for a contented soul

I'm just laughing at myself not having time to prep meals during the day while working for myself, but having time to contribute to a discussion about doing it....

My excuse is I'm ill at the moment and not supposed to be working. Or cooking.

Seriously

I often cook a much more faff veggie version midweek, have done since DCs tiny. I also make big portions & freeze so I won't need to cook it next time.

Frozen mash might help?

Cheat.

Mince, frozen mixed veg, tin of tomatoes, ready mashed potato, grated cheese.

Cook the mince off with some garlic (and onion if you like that sort of thing). Add tin of chopped tomatoes and as much frozen mixed veg as suits. Add worcestershire sauce, put the lid on and leave to simmer.

Warm up the pre mashed potatoes about half way, and add some butter and give them a good mix up.

Put the meat mixture in the serving dish, put the mash on top, put grated cheese over the top of the mash.

Put in the oven until cheese has crisped.

It takes about 15 minutes plus 30 in the oven and you are ready to go. You can also do it the day before and just shove in the oven (but add a bit of extra time)

I don’t put tomato in cottage pie, hate tomato in it 🤢
Takes me about 20 minutes on top of stove and then 20 minutes in the oven. Hardly ever make it though as I’m the only one that will eat it.

I do make it as a weekday dinner but only on the one day during the week that I am not at work! Otherwise, I get home from work at 6.30 and wouldn't dream of starting a cottage pie at that time! So you are not BU!

I do make it as a weekday dinner but only on the one day during the week that I am not at work!
That’s perfect. I shall mentally reclassify it as a “midweek day-off-work dinner”.

We've got cottage pie tonight. I cooked and mashed the potatoes last night, chopped everything and fried the mince whilst I was preparing and cooking our fish (last night's meal).

Then, after dinner I added the veg and stock to the mince and left it to simmer whilst we got tidied up. Put the mashed potatoes in the fridge.

About half an hour in I turned off the hob - I tend to leave the lid on things like that or bolognese and let the remaining heat cook it rather than risk the thing drying up.

Then when the pan was cool enough, bunged it in the fridge.

All I've got to do tonight is assemble it and put it in the oven. I usually cook that sort of meal, like a casserole, whilst I'm waiting on the current evenings meal to cook. I always think they taste nicer heated up!

For a midweek roast, I'd pick a smaller joint that's done in about an hour.

Still not a quick meal as such, but not terrible.

See, weirdly enough, I quite often cook a midweek chicken if i’m home in time. It’s just not as much faff as a cottage pie, and if you put the potatoes in with it, not as much washing up either.

I’ve roasted a chicken on a school night. A small one takes just over an hour. I’ll do baked spuds with it and simple veg.

It’s quite a ‘hands off’ meal so useful if you have the time but have other stuff to be getting on with.

There are two categories that meals fall in to in my house. Bugger to make or bit of a bugger to make. I put Cottage pie in the first category. I make it on Sundays some times.

So..what IS a weekday meal?

I’m with you OP. It is NOT a weekday supper if it takes more than 30 mins to cook.
I don’t get in from work until 630-7pm I’m not fannying about cooking dinner for an hour.

Batch cook the mince bit and some portions of mash. Freeze in separate portions and defrost the night before you need it.

So..what IS a weekday meal?
Omlettes
Fajitas
Burgers
Salads
Stirfrys

Basically anything that can be prepped and cooked in under 30 minutes without having to give up your weekends to bloody batch cook it.

Your cottage pies can't be that nice if they only take 40 minutes from start to finish!

I have had both the cottage and lasagne as a week day meal.. I tend to make them the night before so husband can pop them in the oven just before he picks up ds from school..

Never had cottage pie, but we both work full time, have businesses, and have dc so without a slow cooker wouldn't be eating much apart from takeout. If we get home at 7pm, we need something that takes less than 15 minutes to put together. I tend to batch cook, so agree with op.

I suppose I agree with an previous poster who said that they would rather make a meal like that when they have the time to do it properly. I could make a cottage pie in an hour (though 40 minutes is pushing it). I don't know what 40 minute lasagne tastes like.

Tortellini or gnocchi is a proper weekday meal.
Even quicker than pasta.