Turkey Shepards Pie

Turkey Shepards Pie is one of those hearty, ready in a snap, and loved by everyone meals. The best part? It only requires a handful of ingredients, most of which you probably already have in your pantry!

If you love classic comfort food you need to try my chicken and dumplings, or my hamburger soup!

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LET’S MAKE TURKEY SHEPARDS PIE!

First off, you will start with boiling some chopped and peeled potatoes. 

Depending on the size of your chopped potatoes, these will take around 15-20 minutes of boiling to be tender enough to mash. 

In a rush? No problem! Cut the potatoes into smaller pieces. The smaller the “cube” the faster it will cook! 

To test if the potatoes are “fork tender” carefully poke a potato cube with a fork. If the fork inserts easily without resistance, your potatoes are done! If it is difficult to poke the potato, keep them boiling for a few more minutes and check again. 

THE EASIEST WAY TO MAKE CREAMY MASHED POTATOES

The absolute easiest way to mash potatoes is with a hand mixer. 

After the potatoes have boiled, drain off the excess water and return the potatoes to the pot or a large mixing bowl. 

While the potatoes are still hot, add the butter, heavy cream and salt. 

Then, using a hand mixer, start mixing on low speed and begin to break up the potatoes. Gradually increase the speed of the mixer until all of the potato cubes are whipped into a velvety creamy mash. 

Set these aside and we will make the filling next!

ONTO THE SHEPARDS PIE FILLING

The filling is essentially a “one pot meal” as in we will be making the filling and baking the final dish in one pan!

The easiest way to make this shepards pie is in a cast iron pan, or oven safe skillet. 

This way, you will cook the filling on the stove, and transfer an already hot pan, directly into the oven, which accounts for a lesser baking time! Woohoo! 

To prepare the shepards pie filling

First, preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a large cast iron pan (or oven safe skillet) over medium heat, add the vegetable oil and ground turkey. Cooking over medium heat, crumble the turkey and cook until the turkey is fully cooked and browned.

If you do not have an oven safe skillet or cast iron pan. Cook the shepards pie filling in a regular deep skillet, and transfer to an oven safe casserole dish before topping with potatoes.

When the turkey is fully cooked, add the frozen peas, corn, red onion, lentils, and gravy, then stir to combine. Transfer back to the stove and heat the turkey mixture for an additional 5 minutes over medium-low heat.

(there are no red onions in the photos of this recipe, because we have an onion allergy in our house and we ate the food that we prepared for this post. This recipe has been tested in a separate kitchen with red onions.)

Remove the filling mixture from the heat and, using a spatula, smooth out the top of the turkey filling. 

Scoop the prepared creamy mashed potatoes on top of the turkey mixture and evenly spread the potatoes over the entire pan.

Bake the shepards pie for 30 minutes. At the end of the baking time, switch the oven to broil (high), and broil for 5 more minutes.

Let cool slightly before serving. 

FUN FACT!

Using a cast iron pan adds extra minerals into your food! And you guessed it, that mineral is IRON!

LENTILS!

We are lentil obsessed in our kitchen! 

Lentils make a great “filler” in recipes and also helps reduce meat intake. 

Using lentils or other types of beans can not only help your wallet (beans are WAY cheaper than meat) and add in some more bulk, but also provide more nutrition in our meals. 

Some nutrition that Lentils provide;

(source: google)

• FIBER! This is so important to include in your diet. It keeps your digestive system happy and in check! 
• Maintenance for bone strength and they provide a healthy dose of folic acid! 
• They are also low in calories and packed with protein!

The list goes on, but these are my favorite perks of the legume! 

STORAGE

This turkey shepards pie makes the most perfect weekday lunches! 

It reheats in a snap in the microwave and still tastes every bit as good as straight out of the oven!

Store leftover shepards pie in an air tight container and keep in the refrigerator. Enjoy within 3 days. 

To reheat the shepards pie, you can either use the microwave or the oven.

Microwave: place the shepards pie in a microwave safe bowl or container and heat on high for 2-3 minutes until heated through. 

Oven: place the shepards pie into an oven safe container and heat at 350°F for 10 minutes, until heated through.

We put a lot of work into our recipes and if you have made this recipe we would love to see! Tag us anywhere on social media or leave a comment down below!

If you have any questions about this recipe, I would be happy to answer them in the comments down below! To get a hold of us directly, you can shoot us an email. Also, if you would like to see more recipes and get a glimpse into our everyday lives we can be found on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.

This post was updated on January 11th, 2021