Search
Close this search box.
Search
Close this search box.

Beef Barley Cottage Pie

Jenna Hobbs is a homestead mama living on the Alberta Prairies with her husband Travis and their five children ages 3 to 11 where she is busy homeschooling, keeping the farm, and running a successful photography company.

 

Our family loves this recipe. It’s a comfort food that in the summer months uses almost all the ingredients from our garden and farm! My favourite kind of meal! You can substitute the veg for anything you have in your fridge and have a glass of red wine while you cook, because you opened the bottle anyways! I do not recommend putting the pie in the oven and running out to check goats. Because no doubt you’ll get caught up in something and burn dinner. Just a little, BUT I threw some sunflower micro greens on top, and it still tasted great!

Ingredients:
 
  • 1/2 cup pearl barley
  • 2 1/2 cups good beef broth
  • 3 tbsp of sunflower oil
  • 5 oz lean bacon
  • 1 large onion
  • 3 large carrots
  • 2 large celery stalks, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 2 lbs of ground beef or pork
  • 1 tbsp thyme
  • 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 tsp English mustard
  • 1/2 cup red wine
  • salt and pepper
 
 
For the potato topping:
 
  • 5 tbsp butter
  • 5 tbsp of sour cream
  • 5-7 potatoes
  1. Put the pearl barley, broth, and 1/ tsp of salt into a small pan and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large pan, add the bacon, and fry briskly until golden brown. Add the chopped onion, cover, and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add carrots, celery or any veggie you have ( I threw in sunflower micro greens, peas are good too!), garlic, cover, and cook for another 5 or so minutes until the veggies are soft.
  3. Add the ground beef and cook on high, cook for 4 minutes breaking up the meat as it browns. Add thyme, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, mustard, wine, cooked pearl barley and broth and simmer for 25 minutes until the liquid has reduced and mixture has thickened. Preheat the oven to 400°F. 
  4. Meanwhile, put the potatoes in a pot of salted water, bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes or until tender. Drain, then return to the pan to mash until smooth. Stir in the butter, sour cream and salt and pepper.
  5. Spoon the beef mixture into a oven safe dish or cook right in your cast iron pan. Spoon the mash over the top, spread out evenly. Bake for 35 minutes until bubbling hot and golden brown.

COMMUNITY

Please join us by sharing, continuing the conversation below, and connecting with Jenna at the following:

Share

MORE Stories

Quick-Rise Weeknight Pizza Dough

Like many in this homesteading space, this has been a completely unexpected journey for our family.
Even 10 years ago I would have laughed at the thought of getting up to milk a cow each morning and
canning endless amounts of tomatoes…

Read More

Wild Mushroom Risotto by The Hopewell Homestead

I am a Hopesteader. I haven’t always tried to look for the silver lining in most any situation. It’s a skill that has encouraged me to spur on and learn and read and do and gain experience by turning knowledge into wisdom…

Read More

Raw Milk Cheese

The absolute best part of this cheese recipe-there’s no stove work involved, at all! So they’ll be no sweating over the stove, or heating up the homestead during these hot summer months, with this recipe!

Chèvre is my go to cheese! I milk the goats, go inside and filter it right into a jar, and start the cheese from that very point! The doe’s body temperature is just perfect for starting the cheese on your countertop. And it doesn’t get much easier than that!…

Read More

Simple Wheat Bread Recipe

Simple Wheat Bread Recipe

This is a great, simple recipe that can be quickly thrown together multiple times a week for the perfect, from-scratch, whole wheat bread recipe. It’s a half wheat, half white flour recipe with a slightly nutty flavor, a hint of sweetness from the honey, and the perfect texture. I love that this recipe is so versatile that it can be sliced as an addition to a cozy soup dinner or hold perfectly for spread and sandwiches. I make this recipe multiple times a week in our home. If you’re on the hunt for the perfect recipe to jump into making bread at home, you’ve come to the right place.

Read More

Our Homesteading “Why”

Greetings! I’m Mandy Vander Kolk, a joyfully married mother of three, suburban homesteader, and sourdough enthusiast! From very early on, I have had a great love for the natural world.

Read More

Two-Loaf Artisan Sourdough Bread

Soon after I began my sourdough journey a few years ago, it quickly became very clear that one loaf was never enough for our family! Between my husband and I and our three children, we can easily devour an entire loaf in one sitting….

Read More

The Giving Pie

This recipe is nothing exciting, there I’ve said it. But I’ve got a lot on my heart and fruit I’m hoping to share will you; it may fill you in ways no dinner can…

Read More

Join In The Conversation

Subscribe
Notify of

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

A Patchwork of Homestead Mamas

An inspiring & encouraging community of Homestead Mamas. For growers, hunters, foragers, & explorers; with little hands & little hearts alongside.

Join Our Community