Easy Shepherd's Pie With Ground Turkey

5 from 10 votes

Easy Shepherd's Pie With Ground Turkey

This Shepherd’s Pie with Ground Turkey is a healthier alternative to traditional shepherd’s pie, but it is just as delicious and comforting.

Prep Time30

Cook Time1

Course: dinner, lunch

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 292kcal

Author: Agnieszka

Equipment

1 casserole dish I used a 9 x 12 ceramic dish
1 Immersion blender

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

This recipe will work with either mashed cauliflower (for a low-carb version) or with 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 that version).

If using potatoes, I recommend potato a masher rather or a potato ricer 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 get watery.

If you want to, you can create shapes with a fork on top for ridges - this works better on potatoes than cauliflower.

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.

If making ahead and freezing, thaw completely in the fridge before baking. Baking time will be longer if the pie is cold from the refrigerator.

Nutritional value is approximate and it's for shepherd's pie with cauliflower topping.

Nutrition