Turkey Shepherd’s Pie

Hi, I’m Jasma, and I’m making a turkey shepherd’s pie

Shepherd’s pie is traditionally made with lamb, however, I’m switching up pretty much every aspect of the traditional shepherd’s pie. For a classic version, you might enjoy our healthy superfood shepherd’s pie with lean lamb and veggies. Except for the structure this recipe is really great if you want to use up any leftover stuff

Why You’ll Love This

this recipe is really great if you want to use up any leftover stuff

Forage particularly after Thanksgiving because this shepherd’s pie is very forgiving to

Adjusting the quantity of ingredients and also what type of ingredients you use to make this yourself

Ingredients

For the Topping

sweet potato
buttercup squash
water
salted butter
minced garlic
a whole egg

For the Filling

olive oil
minced garlic cloves
dried oregano
ground turkey
carrot
red onion
frozen green peas
quinoa
all-purpose flour
salt
soy sauce
unsalted chicken broth

Optional Topping

Parmesan cheese

Instructions

To prepare my mashed sweet potato and squash topping
I’m peeling my sweet potato and buttercup squash
Also removing the seeds
This will be boiled so I’m cutting it up into chunks
Then transfer into a pot and fill with water until everything is fully submerged
Get this on the stove turn the heat to high and allow this to boil for around 10 minutes until everything is fork tender
In the meantime prep the rest of the ingredients by dicing up a carrot
Mins in the garlic cloves
Also dicing a red onion
And finally rinse your quinoa then we can move over to the stove
On the stove I have a Dutch oven which I’m just heating up on high So that it’s nice and hot
Drizzle in some olive oil and follow with the minced garlic and dried oregano Once that is fragrant we’re gonna add in the ground turkey. If you love ground turkey, you’ll also enjoy making an easy homemade hamburger helper recipe.
I’m gonna start by breaking it up ever so slightly and let the bottom get nice and brown before you start mixing it around and Breaking into smaller pieces
Then using a potato masher We’re gonna mash this into smaller and even pieces of ground meat
Then it goes the veggies we have the carrots red onion and some frozen green peas. For another comforting dish with similar ingredients, try this easy traditional Irish vegetable soup.
Give that a stir around and also add in the rinsed quinoa from earlier
Follow with all-purpose flour and season with salt and soy sauce
For the liquid you can just use water if you don’t have any broth or stock on hand But I’m using some unsalted chicken broth just to add some extra flavor. This broth also works well in an easy one-pan ground beef and rice dish.
Give that a mix around to make sure everything is well distributed
The lid goes on and we’re gonna let this come to a boil
Then turn down to medium heat and allow it to simmer for around 10 minutes until the liquid has become condensed
Now we’re gonna go make the sweet potato and squash mash
This sweet potato and squash should be cooked at this point and just test it by poking it with a fork And if it’s soft that means it is
Take that off the heat and we’re gonna strain away the excess liquid and transfer everything into a clean bowl
But I like it a little bit chunky for this, so I’ll be mashing it by hand with a potato masher
While it’s still warm out in the salted butter minced garlic and a whole egg and makes that until combined
And at this point the turkey situation should be ready as well. So just take that off the heat too
All right to assemble the shepherd’s pie. I have these little oven safe dishes here
So evenly distribute the meat mixture into all of the small dishes
Pack that all down with the back of your spoon
And finally top it off with the mashed sweet potato and squash
I like to distribute things with a ice cream scoop just for the sake of convenience
And then just spread it out using a spoon
And optionally you can grate on some Parmesan cheese on to the top. This is also delicious on our homemade garlic bread with butter and Parmesan.
Then just send this off into your preheated oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit or 190 Celsius For around 20 minutes or until the top is nice and golden brown

Cooking Tips

If you want to be precise This is where you would measure out by weight how much of these squash and sweet potato you’re using
You can also use any type of herbs and seasonings you’d like here
You can just use water if you don’t have any broth or stock on hand
You can give this a stir every once in a while just to make sure nothing is burning on the bottom
You can rice this with a potato riser if you like it to be really smooth and fine in texture
The temperature of these sweet potato and squash should be at a point where it can melt the butter but not cook the egg immediately so try and find that sweet spot
Otherwise you can just wait until everything’s cool and mix in melted butter instead

Serving Suggestions

I’m making individual serving shepherd’s pies

But if you’d like you can just put it in one large casserole dish and bake it all full together

There you have your turkey shepherd’s pie

Where the meat filling is balanced out with this slight hint of sweetness from the sweet potato and squash on top

And I hope you too will take this opportunity to put squash in every single thing you cook this fall. You can also explore an easy veggie noodle stir fry recipe for another delicious meal with fresh produce.

Easy Turkey Shepherd’s Pie with Sweet Potato and Squash Topping

This recipe offers a delightful twist on traditional Shepherd’s Pie, featuring savory ground turkey filling and a unique topping of mashed sweet potato and buttercup squash. It’s perfect for using up leftovers, especially after Thanksgiving, and is forgiving, allowing you to easily adjust ingredient quantities and types to your liking.

For the Topping Array
For the Filling Array
Optional Topping Array

Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
To prepare the topping: Peel the sweet potato and buttercup squash, remove seeds, and cut into chunks. Transfer to a pot and fill with water until fully submerged.
Place the pot on the stove, turn heat to high, and boil for about 10 minutes, or until the sweet potato and squash are fork-tender.
While the topping cooks, prep the filling ingredients: dice the carrot, mince the garlic cloves, dice the red onion, and rinse the quinoa.
For the filling: Heat a Dutch oven or large pot over high heat. Drizzle in olive oil.
Add minced garlic and dried oregano to the pot. Sauté until fragrant.
Add the ground turkey, breaking it up slightly. Allow the bottom to brown before mixing and breaking into smaller pieces.
Use a potato masher to further break the ground turkey into smaller, even pieces.
Stir in the diced carrots, red onion, frozen green peas, and rinsed quinoa.
Add the all-purpose flour, then season with salt and soy sauce.
Pour in the unsalted chicken broth (or water if broth is unavailable). Stir well to ensure everything is distributed.
Cover the pot and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the liquid has condensed and the quinoa is cooked.
Once the sweet potato and squash are cooked (fork-tender), remove them from the heat. Strain away excess liquid and transfer to a clean bowl.
Mash the sweet potato and squash by hand with a potato masher, leaving it slightly chunky if desired. While still warm, add salted butter, minced garlic, and the whole egg. Mix until combined.
Remove the turkey filling from the heat.
To assemble: Evenly distribute the meat mixture into individual oven-safe dishes or one large casserole dish. Pack it down with the back of a spoon.
Top with the mashed sweet potato and squash. An ice cream scoop can be used for convenience, then spread with a spoon.
Optionally, grate Parmesan cheese over the top of the mashed topping.
Bake in the preheated oven at 375°F (190°C) for around 20 minutes, or until the topping is nice and golden brown.

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