Minced beef and mushroom bake with crispy cheese-topped mash

A plate of minced beef and mushroom bake makes a satisfying family supper. Finely chopped mushrooms add richness to the tomato gravy, while larger pieces of mushrooms add texture to the ground beef filling. It's topped with mashed potatoes and baked with a crisp layer of cheese and breadcrumbs

Why I love this beef and mushroom casserole

• It saves time. Make one batch of beef and mushroom filling, use half for the bake and freeze the rest for another meal.
• Not too much hands-on time. It takes about 1 hour and 40 minutes to make this dish, but only 40 minutes is hands-on. The rest of the time it's either simmering on the stove or baking in the oven.
• It makes the most of mushrooms. Finely chopped mushrooms add flavour to the gravy, while diced mushrooms give the filling texture.
• It's a complete family supper. The savoury filling and cheesy mashed potato topping only need a green vegetable alongside, if you fancy one. (Or to make it even easier, simply add a grated carrot to the mixture).
• The topping adds crunch. Crushed potato crisps and grated cheese turn crispy and golden in the oven and make a change from plain mashed potato.
• The second meal is flexible. Use the frozen filling for a lasagne, spoon it over pasta or serve it on jacket potatoes. (Or if you enjoyed my potato-topped version, just make a pan of mashed potatoes and serve it again)!

Ingredients for crispy-topped beef and mushroom bake

**This is just an overview to explain why I used a particular ingredient. The complete list of ingredients and the exact measurements are on the printable recipe card at the end of this post.**

Beef and mushroom filling

• Minced beef (or ground beef for US readers). I used a low percentage fat-content beef mince (5%). You can use a higher percentage fat content, but as the beef browns it will release more fat, and you might have to pour some of the rendered fat away.
• Mushrooms. These are prepared in 2 ways: half are finely minced in a food processor, and the other half are diced into approximately 1-cm or half-inch pieces. I used a mixture of white closed-cap mushrooms and chestnut mushrooms (cremini), but you could use the larger portobello mushrooms too.
• Onions. The onions should be peeled and diced into approximately 1-cm or half-inch dice. They will be softened with the thyme and garlic.
• Tomato passata. I use homemade passata, but you could use store-bought passata instead. Passata is simply finely chopped tomatoes that have been cooked, and either had the pips and bits of skin sieved out, or have been finely blended.
• Dried thyme. I love the combination of thyme and mushrooms. You could use the leaves picked from a spring of fresh thyme instead of using dried thyme. Dried herbs are more concentrated than fresh, so you wll need 3 times the amount of fresh thyme as that of dried. You could substitute with dried oregano.
• Stock pot. The stock pot adds an extra depth of flavour. You could crumble an Oxo cube into the beef instead.
• Worcestershire sauce. I find that for this recipe, the stock pot and the Worcestershire sauce add sufficient salt. I recommend that you combine everything, and let it simmer for a few minutes before tasting. You may not need to add any extra salt.
• Vegetable oil. This is used for softening the mushrooms, browning the beef, and if necessary, an extra splash for softening the onions. You may find sufficient fat has been rendered from the beef to soften the onions.

Crunchy potato topping

• Potatoes. Use any potatoes that you would normally use to make mash. I used Maris Piper. They should be boiled and mashed, and they will be spread on top of the beef and mushroom filling.
• Cheese. Nothing fancy - just good old grated Cheddar cheese.
• Potato crisps. I used plain salted flavour, but cheese and onion would be a good choice if you want extra flavour. The chips will be crushed, combined with the grated cheese, and sprinkled over the mashed potatoes before the dish goes into the oven.

How to make a minced beef and mushroom bake

Make the beef and mushroom filling

Step 1: Place half the mushrooms in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped, roughly the size of grains of rice.

Step 2: Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the finely chopped mushrooms and fry for about 4 minutes, stirring often, until most of the moisture they release has evaporated. Transfer to a dish and set aside.

Step 3: Add another splash of oil to the pan and fry the minced beef for about 5 minutes, breaking up any clumps with a spatula, until it is crumbly and browned. Transfer the beef to a separate dish, leaving the fat in the pan.

Step 4: Pour off most of the fat, leaving about 2 tablespoons in the pan. Add the onions, thyme and garlic, and fry for 3 to 4 minutes until the onions are translucent and beginning to soften.

Step 5: .Dice the remaining mushrooms and add them to the onions. Fry for another 2 to 3 minutes until they begin to soften.

Step 6: Return the finely chopped mushrooms and browned beef to the pan. Stir in the passata, Worcestershire sauce, stock pot and one cup of boiling water. Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Step 7: .Stir in the frozen peas. There is no need to defrost them first; they will heat through in the hot filling.

Step 8: Spoon half the beef and mushroom filling into an ovenproof dish. Set the other half aside to cool before freezing it for another meal.

Add the topping and bake

While the beef is simmering, make the mashed potatoes.

• Peel and quarter the potatoes and place them in a pan of cold, lightly salted water.
• Bring the pan to a boil and cook the potatoes until they are soft enough to mash (10 to 12 minutes).
• Drain the potatoes and add the butter and 2 tablespoons of milk and mash them until smooth.

Step 9: .Crush the potato crisps and mix them with the grated cheese.

Step 10: Place spoonfuls of mashed potato over the filling. Gently spread them with a fork until the filling is covered.

Step 11: .Scatter the cheese and crushed crisps evenly over the potatoes.

Step 12: Place the dish on a baking tray to catch any gravy that bubbles over. Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C / 400°F for 25 to 30 minutes, until the filling is piping hot and the topping is crisp and golden.

Foodle Club top tips

Follow these handy tips to ensure your cheesy potato-topped beef and mushroom casserole always turns out perfectly:

• Don't puree the first batch of mushrooms. Pulse just until they resemble grains of rice, so they cook down into the gravy without turning to paste.
• Let the mushrooms lose their moisture. If they still look wet after 4 minutes, give them a little longer before taking them out of the pan.
• Check the filling before assembling. If the gravy looks thin after simmering, remove the lid and let it reduce for a few minutes. A thick filling is easier to cover with mash.
• Drain the potatoes well. Watery mash can sink into the filling. Add the milk a little at a time if the potatoes are already soft.
• Use spoonfuls of mash rather than one big mound. They're much easier to spread without dragging the beef filling up through the potato.
• Taste before adding salt. The stock pot, Worcestershire sauce, cheese and crisps all bring seasoning to the dish.

What to make with the second batch of filling

Having used half of the filling for this recipe, I'm sure you're wondering what you could make with the remaining half. Here are a few ideas:

• Use it as a filling in this easy meat pie
• Spoon it over air-fryer baked potatoes
• Soften a selection of finely diced vegetables in butter or oil and add them to the mince. Pile the mince on top of crispy fried potatoes as described in this recipe for a deconstructed cottage pie.
• Use the mince instead of the meat sauce in this lasagne recipe. You might need to stir an extra cup of beef stock and a teaspoon of Italian herbs into the mince for an Italian flavour and to ensure there is sufficient liquid in the mince for the lasagne sheets to cook.
• Or perhaps you'd like to use the mince instead of bolognese sauce in this macaroni and cheese lasagne.
• And finally - you could simply top it with plain mashed potatoes and make a normal cottage pie.

Equipment Tips

You can find the complete list of equipment you will need for this beef and mushroom bake in the recipe card at the end of the post. However, you may find these tips helpful.

• A large frying pan, sauté pan or wok, is ideal for making this recipe as the large surface allows the liquid from the mushrooms to evaporate quickly. It will also be large enough for you to fry the mince in one batch.
• A mini food processor allows you to chop the mushrooms quickly and is easier to wash than a larger processor. On the other hand, if you don't have a food processor, you can chop the mushrooms finely using a sharp knife and a wooden chopping board. This short video demonstrates an easy way to chop mushrooms.
• Make sure your casserole dish is deep enough to hold half of the filling plus a layer of mashed potatoes. The one I used was 7" x 10" x 2" deep.

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