This Shepherd’s Pie with Ground Turkey is a healthier alternative to traditional shepherd’s pie, but it is just as delicious and comforting. This balanced and nutritious meal is one of my family’s favorite dinners. It’s a great and healthy option for game day, potlucks, St. Patrick's Day, or even as a make ahead dish for meal prep.
Jump to:
The Best Ground turkey shepherd's pie
My entire family raves about this Turkey Shepherd’s Pie, and it’s one of our favorite dinners. It really is that good. It’s a leaner and healthier alternative to the classic shepherd's pie often made with ground beef or lamb.
And like my other great comfort food recipes, Cauliflower Chicken Casserole and Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls, this healthy and tasty shepherd’s pie doesn't sacrifice on flavor. This great recipe is so flavorful, my kids ask for it again and again! And shockingly, they actually PREFER the cauliflower topping over the more traditional mashed potatoes!
This easy pie is a great make ahead dish for meal prep, and it freezes beautifully. You can make it healthier by swapping the potato topping for a lower carb, creamy cauliflower crust. Whichever you choose, you can’t go wrong with this ultimate comfort food.
Ingredient notes
For the Filling:
- Lean ground turkey - I used 85% lean, 15% fat. Ground chicken or lean beef will also work.
- Mushrooms - white mushrooms or baby bella mushrooms will work best
- Onion - choose a white or yellow onion
- Celery stalk - chopped
- Frozen vegetables - I used a bag of mixed peas, carrots and corn
- Olive oil - for sauteeing
- Butter - for extra flavor
- Worcestershire sauce - use a fish free Worcestershire if you are allergic
- Fresh garlic - minced
- Tomato paste - I like tomato paste that comes in a tube
- Flour - you can also use a gluten free flour for this recipe
- Chicken broth - I like Imagine
- Salt - kosher or sea salt
- Black pepper - freshly ground
- Paprika
- Dried thyme
For the Topping:
- Fresh Cauliflower or Potatoes - if using potatoes, yellow (Yukon gold), white or russets will all work
- Milk - I used 1% milk
- Sour cream - I like Daisy
- Fresh garlic cloves - peeled
- Shredded cheddar cheese - I like to use freshly shredded cheese for the best melt.
- Salt and pepper - to taste
How to make a healthy shepherd's pie with ground turkey
- Step 1: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
- Step 2: Make the topping: place cut up cauliflower florets (or peeled and cut potatoes) in a pot of water with 3 cloves of garlic and 1 teaspoon salt. Boil for 30 minutes (or until fork tender) and drain in a colander.
- Step 3: Transfer cauliflower or potatoes back to the pot, add milk and sour cream and blend until smooth with an immersion blender (Image 1). You can also use a potato masher - see Note below.
Mix with cheddar cheese, taste and season with salt and pepper, to taste (Image 2).
- Step 4: To make the filling: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, then brown the ground turkey with salt, pepper, ½ teaspoon thyme and ½ teaspoon paprika (Image 3).
When the meat is browned, transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Step 5: Add 1 tablespoon butter to the empty skillet and cook onions and celery until softened, about 5 minutes (Image 4). Add the chopped mushrooms and minced garlic. Cook together until mushrooms are softened, about 3-5 minutes more. Then add the flour and mix well (Image 5).
- Step 6: Add tomato paste, frozen veggies, cooked turkey, Worcestershire sauce and chicken broth. Mix and cook on low until thickened, about 10 minutes (Image 6).
- Step 7: In a casserole dish (I used a ceramic 9 x 12 dish but any dish such as Pyrex or a cast iron pan will work) spread the veggie-turkey mixture in one even layer (Image 7).
- Step 8: Place mashed cauliflower or creamy mashed potatoes on top in "blobs", then spread with the back of a wooden spoon so it covers the veg and meat mixture (Image 8).
- Step 9: Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly. If you want, you can turn the broiler on for a few more minutes at the end to crisp up the top a bit.
- Step 10: Let cool for a few minutes and serve sprinkled with chopped parsley, if desired.
How to store leftovers
Allow any remaining shepherds’ pie to cool completely before storing. Store leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
You can also freeze leftover shepherd pie for up to 2-3 months. I like to slice the remainder in the pan, then cover it with foil and stick it in the freezer for a couple hours. When the pieces have set, they can be easily removed and put in freezer bags for individual portions or meals.
Alternatively, you can assemble the whole thing in a freezer safe baking dish and freeze it prior to cooking. Just thaw the whole thing in the refrigerator and cook according to recipe card instructions.
Reheating instructions
Reheat leftover shepherd’s pie in the microwave or oven.
In the microwave - Place the shepherd pie slice in a microwave safe dish and heat on high for 2 minutes. Stir and heat again for another 1 minute or until hot.
In the oven - preheat your oven to 350. Place the shepherd’s pie in a pie plate or oven safe dish and cover with a lid or aluminum foil. Heat in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until hot.
Serving suggestions
This ground turkey shepherd’s pie is a full meal all its own, but if you want to serve a little something on the side with it, these are my best recommendations
- Green Salad: try it with this Chopped Salad or with Beet and Feta Salad
- Roasted or air fried veggies: asparagus, Carrot Fries, Butternut Squash Fries or Air Fried Eggplant
- Serve it with extra veggies like steamed broccoli or sauteed greens
Cooking tips & tricks
- Turkey shepherd's pie recipe will work with either mashed cauliflower (for a low-carb version) or with mashed potatoes.
- You can use any potatoes you like: Yukon golds, Russets or white. Sweet potatoes will also work (though I don't add cheese in the sweet potato version).
- If using potatoes, I recommend a potato masher or a potato ricer rather than an immersion blender. You may add more milk or chicken broth if you want the potatoes to be fluffier.
- Don't add too much liquid to mashed cauliflower - you don't want it to become watery.
- If you want, you can create shapes with a fork or back of a spoon on top for ridges - this works better on potatoes than it does on cauliflower.
- This shepherd's pie is also a great way to use up leftover mashed potatoes. Just reheat them with a little milk before using.
- For the frozen veggies, any mix will work. Peas and carrots, corn, corn and peas, green beans - whatever combo you like.
- If you don't like mushrooms, use an additional ½ lb of ground turkey.
Recipe FAQs
Cauliflower has high water content, so drain it well before mashing. Also: easy on the milk!
Yes. The ground turkey can easily be swapped out for ground chicken in equal amounts.
In British cuisine, the basic difference between cottage pie and shepherd’s pie is the meat used. The traditional recipe for Shepherd’s Pie would be made with ground lamb. Anything made with a different ground meat (beef or turkey) would technically be considered a cottage pie.
Can I make this a dairy free recipe?
Yes. Swap butter for olive oil or vegan butter, milk for plant milk (almond, oat, soy) and cheese for nutritional yeast.
Yes, just omit the mushrooms from the recipe and use an extra ½ lb ground turkey instead.
More Healthy Family-Friendly Dinner Recipes
As an Amazon Affiliate I earn a small commission from purchases made from affiliate links.
Recipe
Easy Shepherd's Pie With Ground Turkey
Equipment
- 1 casserole dish I used a 9 x 12 ceramic dish
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 1 lb ground turkey I used 85% lean, 15% fat
- 8 oz white mushrooms or baby bella mushrooms
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 celery stalk chopped
- 2 cups frozen vegetables I used peas, carrots and corn
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato puree
- 2 tablespoon flour
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
For the topping
- 2 lbs cauliflower or potatoes
- ⅓ cup milk I used 1% milk
- 2 tablespoon sour cream
- 3 garlic cloves peeled
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Make the topping: place cut up cauliflower florets (or peeled and cut potatoes) in a pot of water with 3 cloves of garlic and 1 teaspoon salt. Boil for 30 minutes (or until fork tender) and drain on a colander.
- Transfer cauliflower or potatoes back to the pot, add milk and sour cream and blend until smooth with an immersion blender. You can also use a potato masher - see Note below.
- Mix with cheddar cheese, taste and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- To make the topping: in a large skillet heat the olive oil, then brown the ground turkey with ¾ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, ½ teaspoon thyme and ½ teaspoon paprika.
- When browned, transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Add 1 tablespoon butter to the empty skillet and cook onions and celery until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add chopped mushrooms and minced garlic. Cook together until mushrooms are softened, 3-5 minutes more. Then add flour and mix well.
- Add tomato paste, frozen veggies, cooked turkey, Worcestershire sauce and chicken broth. Mix and cook on low until thickened, about 10 minutes.
- In a casserole dish (I used a ceramic 9 x 12 dish but any dish such as Pyrex or a cast iron pan will work) spread the turke-veggie mixture in one even layer.
- Place mashed cauliflower or potatoes on top in "blobs", then spread with the back of a spoon so it covered the meat and veg.
- Bake in 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly. If you want, you can turn the broiler on for a few more minutes to crisp up the top.
- Let cool for a few minutes and serve sprinkled with chopped parsley, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
You may also like
Meet the Author
Hi, I'm Agnieszka. I'm a mom of three and recipe developer, writer and photographer behind Wholly Tasteful. I love creating comforting, delicious, family-friendly recipes that you can feel good about.
Nicole Kendrick says
I absolutely loved this. It's so full of flavor, and I love that it's healthier than ground beef. SO GOOD!
Oscar says
I love this nutritious Shepherd’s Pie as a go-to meal for game day or potlucks! The ground turkey makes it lighter while still delivering all the comforting flavors we crave.
Carmy says
This was so easy to make! Love the ground turkey!
Ashley says
I love shepherd's pie and cottage pie--my favorite kind of comfort food. I may try mashed sweet potatoes next time--I feel like that would go great with the turkey.
JC says
Perfect for fall... so comforting! We loved it!
Agnieszka says
So glad to hear that!
Nicole Kendrick says
This is the best shepherd's pie I've ever made. I love that it's lower in fat when you make it with the turkey, and it still has all the hearty flavor.
Liz says
You'd never guess that this is a lightened up version of sheperd's pie. It's delicious!!
Nora says
Amazing sheperd's pie! We are going to make this again soon!
Criss says
Made this shepherd’s pie, and it was a comforting, hearty meal. Loved the simplicity and the switch to ground turkey!
Audrey says
I prefer to cook with ground turkey instead of beef so this was a great recipe for me! I didn't miss the beef in this shepherd's pie at all.