Gluten-free | Sugar-free | Dairy-free

Makes: 2 portions
Cuisine: English
Course: Dinner
Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 15 - 20 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes

This dish is a classic from Lancashire, which is a county in the northwest of England. A satisfying and hearty baked stew consisting of meat, onions and potatoes ~ My hotpot is a healthier low carb version, ideal for anyone who wants comfort food that is gut healthy and waistline conscious without losing out on flavour and substance. 

Not only do I love the fact that this dish is free from gluten, sugar and dairy, but I also love how flexible it is. You can substitute any veggies or meat with ingredients that are in season or on special without sacrificing taste or quality.    

When I created this recipe, I had decided to use cauliflower but was unimpressed with the cost of buying the fresh kind. So instead, I headed to the supermarket freezers and purchased frozen cauliflower florets. Usually, I would say buy fresh produce, but if you're in a pickle (which a lot of us seem to be in at the moment) and frozen is all you can get your hands-on, then you'll be happy to hear that the frozen kind worked perfectly in this dish! 

Hints, Tips & Tricks

This recipe makes enough for two portions, so if you're feeding a family of four, I suggest doubling the number of ingredients. 

I use cauliflower instead of potato in my hotpot as it's much better for our bodies, but as it was not in season, I opted for frozen cauliflower, and with great success! If you don't like cauliflower, you could use broccoli, sweet potato, swede or turnip.

In this dish, I use lamb, but you can use lean beef, chicken or turkey mince instead. 

This recipe also calls for nutritional yeast. As well as being a vegan-friendly source of complete protein, B vitamins and trace minerals[1], it also gives the dish a nice savoury flavour. 

This recipe requires Bridget's Sticky Sauce, a healthy cooking sauce I use in many of my recipes. It's simple, healthy and packs a lot of flavour without adding unnecessary calories. If you need the recipe, you can get it here.

Another recipe you'll need to preprepare is my Kombu Water, which is my healthy broth alternative, as well as one of my favourite foundation recipes. If you need the recipe, you can find it here.

Play around with the ingredients, create your style of hotpot to suit you and your family's preferences - cooking is also about having fun and experimenting with different delicious flavours. 

RECIPE

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp Bridget's Sticky Sauce
• 1 tbsp finely chopped ginger
• 1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
• 1 tsp fresh or dried thyme + extra for serving 
• 200 g (7 oz) lean lamb mince (ground lamb)
• 250 ml (8.8 fl oz) kombu water 
• 1 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 500 g (1.1 lb) cauliflower florets, cut into even thin slices
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast to serve
• Himalayan or mineral salt and freshly milled black pepper

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 190C (375F) 
2. Heat the sticky sauce in a heavy-bottomed frying pan or wok on medium heat. Add the ginger and garlic and stir fry for a minute. Stir through the thyme and turn the heat up a little.
3. Add the lamb mince to the pan and stir well to break up the meat. Cook the mince, continually stirring for 4-5 minutes or until the meat is cooked through. 
4. Add the kombu water and season well with salt and pepper. Turn the heat down to medium and allow the mixture to simmer away for 5 minutes or until the liquid reduces slightly. Taste for flavour, adding more seasoning or thyme if required. 
5. Using a small ovenproof casserole or small heavy-based pot, begin to layer the ingredients into the casserole, starting with a few slices of onion, then some of the meat mixture followed by a layer of thinly sliced cauliflower. 
6. Season the cauliflower with a bit of salt and pepper, and then begin to relayer the ingredients finishing with a top layer of the cauliflower. Pour any remaining liquid from the meat mixture over the cauliflower and place the casserole into the oven. 
7. Bake the hotpot for 30-35 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. 
8. Sprinkle the tops with some nutritional yeast and a few extra thyme leaves and serve piping hot, eaten ideally, straight from the hotpot.