Shepherd’s pie is a dish where ground beef and/or lamb is used to make a sauce/stew which is topped with a layer of mashed potatoes and baked until the meat sauce is bubbling and the tops of the mashed potatoes are lightly golden brown. This is a slightly different take on it where the meat is turkey and the potatoes are sweet potatoes! A lighter and healthier version! The mashed potatoes are easy and you could roast them or boil them before mashing. The meat sauce is a simple combination of ground turkey, onions, celery, carrots and peas that’s seasoned with garlic, rosemary, thyme, sage, and a splash of Worcestershire sauce. Once that mashed potatoes and meat sauce are made you simply layer them and bake before enjoying!
Sweet Potato Turkey Shepherd’s Pie
A shepherd’s pie with sweet potatoes and turkey, and plenty of vegetables!
ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons oil (or butter)
- 1 pound ground turkey (or beef or chicken)
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 1 cup celery, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 teaspoon rosemary, chopped (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
- 1 teaspoon thyme, chopped (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
- 1 teaspoon sage, chopped (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste (optional)
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour (gluten-free for gluten-free)
- 1 cup chicken broth (link) (or beef broth)
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (gluten-free for gluten-free)
- 2 cups frozen peas and carrots (or frozen peas, or frozen vegetable mix)
- salt and pepper to taste
directions
- Place the diced sweet potatoes and whole cloves of garlic in a pot, cover with water, bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 15-20 minutes.
- Drain the water and mash the sweet potatoes and garlic before seasoning with salt and pepper to taste and setting aside.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat, add the turkey, onion, and celery, and cook, breaking the turkey apart as it cooks, about 10-15 minutes
- Mix in the garlic, rosemary, thyme, sage, and tomato paste, sprinkle on the flour, mix and cook for a minute.
- Add the broth and Worcestershire sauce, mix, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the frozen vegetables, mix and let them warm, about 5 minutes, before seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
- Spread the meat mixture over the bottom of an 8×13 inch baking pan, top with the mashed potatoes./
- Bake in a preheated 350F/180C oven until the sides are bubbling, about 20-30 minutes.
Option: Add 1/4 cup heavy/whipping cream to the mashed sweet potatoes.
Option: Add 1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano (parmesan cheese), grated, to the mashed sweet potatoes.
Note: I had a package of frozen peas and carrots and I could save time by not having to dice carrots. If you use just frozen peas, add 1 cup of diced carrots along with the onions and celery in step 3.
Option: Add 8 ounces mushrooms, chopped, along with the onions and celery.
Option: Add 1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano (parmesan cheese), grated, to the meat mixture.
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