Shepherd's Pie with Buttery Cauliflower Mash is delicious comfort food. This recipe is lightened up with ground turkey and a mashed cauliflower topping. Frozen mixed vegetables speed up the recipe prep. This is a great meal prep recipe.
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why I love ground turkey shepherd's pie
Shepherd’s pie is comfort food that is always welcome at our dinner table. It's a hearty casserole with layers of seasoned ground meat and vegetables and topped with mashed potatoes. I tinkered with the classic recipe to lighten up the dish.
Ground turkey stands in for the typical ground beef or lamb. And a buttery and cheesy Parmesan cauliflower mash tops the single serving shepherd's pies instead of mashed potatoes. Serve for dinner tonight or store in the refrigerator or freezer for a meal at the ready any night of the week.
the ingredients
- cauliflower
- garlic
- salted butter
- Parmesan cheese
- kosher salt
- pepper
- extra virgin olive oil
- yellow onion
- mushrooms
- ground turkey
- Worcestershire sauce
- tomato paste
- all purpose flour
- red wine
- frozen mixed vegetables
- fresh parsley
- paprika
Scroll down to the recipe for the full quantities of the ingredients.
ingredient substitutions
- I love the lightened up version of this shepherd's pie using ground turkey. Feel free to substitute ground beef, pork, chicken or veal in the recipe.
- Mashed cauliflower is a fave around our dinner table. Mashed potatoes are an excellent alternative.
- Skip the red wine and add reduced sodium beef, chicken or vegetable stock instead.
- The frozen vegetables are so easy and convenient to use in this recipe. 1 ½ cups of cooked and diced vegetables can be substituted.
how to make ground turkey shepherd's pie
The origin of shepherd’s pie is from Irish kitchens of the late 1700s. It was a hearty meat pie casserole with a rich lamb or beef and vegetable filling hidden under a generous portion of creamy mashed potatoes. Taking culinary liberties, I altered the original recipe with a few time saving steps on the stove top and lightened up the ingredients.
- Make the cauliflower mash ~ Mash cooked cauliflower with salted butter, Parmesan cheese and season with kosher salt and pepper.
- Sauté the filling ~ Sauté onion, mushrooms, garlic. Add and sauté ground turkey and season with kosher salt pepper.
- Add seasonings ~ Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, red wine add rich flavor to the ground turkey filling.
- Make individual servings ~ Divide filling between single serve dishes and top with mashed cheesy cauliflower.
- Bake ~ Heat to piping hot goodness!
suggestions and recipe tips
Traditionally made with leftovers including roasted lamb or beef, steamed vegetables and mashed potatoes, I streamlined the recipe with some shortcuts.
- Sub in frozen cauliflower ~ My first choice is to use fresh cauliflower for the mash. In a pinch, use frozen cauliflower florets instead.
- Add different frozen veggies ~ Feel free to add your favorite frozen vegetable combinations.
- Make single servings ~ Instead of serving the casserole family style, portion the savory filling and creamy topping into individual servings. Some options for serving the shepherd's pies are 2 cup glass containers, small metal pie pans or small foil pie pans. Not only do the single size meals fit into today’s busy lifestyle but, they are fun to eat.
how to store and reheat homemade shepherd's pie
Shepherds pie with cauliflower mash can be stored either baked or unbaked. Refrigerate up to 4 days or freeze up to 2 months. Heat refrigerated shepherd's pie covered with foil in a 375 degree F oven for 20 to 30 minutes. Heat frozen shepherd's pie covered with foil in a 375 degree F oven for 35 to 45 minutes.
more Irish recipes to try
- Crazy Good Reuben Casserole
- Irish Stew with Lamb and Guinness
- Rustic Irish Soda Bread with Cranberries and Currants
- Easy Drop Blueberry Scone Recipe
- Mint Chocolate Fudge Brownies
just one more thing
Did you make this tasty Ground Turkey Shepherd's Pie recipe? I’d love hearing from you if you did! Be sure to leave a comment. Or give this recipe a rating. I do my best to reply to all your comments. And snap a photo to post to Instagram. I’ll add the photos to my Insta stories. I love seeing all your creations.
Also check out my Facebook and Pinterest pages for lots of fabulous foodie stories, videos, cooking tips, and recipes.
Recipe
Ground Turkey Shepherd's Pie with Buttery Cauliflower Mash
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Ground Turkey Shepherd's Pie with Buttery Cauliflower Mash is delicious comfort food. This recipe is lightened up with ground turkey and a mashed cauliflower topping. Frozen mixed vegetables speed up the recipe prep.
Ingredients
- For the cauliflower mash ~
- 1 medium cauliflower, cut in florets, about 4 to 5 cups
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
- kosher salt
- pepper
- For the meat and vegetable filling ~
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 cups sliced mushrooms
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon flour
- ¼ cup red wine
- 1 10-ounce bag frozen mixed vegetables
- 1 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- Paprika
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Make the cauliflower mash ~ Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add the cauliflower and garlic and cook for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender. Drain the cauliflower in a colander and return to the pot. Add the salted butter and Parmesan cheese and mash the cauliflower. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside
- Make the meat and vegetable filling ~ In a large sauté pan over medium heat, add the extra virgin olive oil. When the oil is heated, add the onion, mushrooms and garlic. Sauté for 3 to 4 minutes or until the onions are translucent and the mushrooms begin to lose their moisture and soften.
- Add the ground turkey, kosher salt and pepper and cook until the turkey is browned and crumbled, about 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste.
- Sprinkle the ground turkey with the flour and stir to incorporate.
- Add the red wine and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until slightly reduced. Stir in the mixed vegetables and parsley.
- Divide the meat and vegetable filling between 4 ~ 2 cup glass containers or other oven safe dishes. Top with the mashed cauliflower and sprinkle with paprika.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until piping hot. Remove from the oven and serve.
Notes
- Sub in frozen cauliflower ~ My first choice is to use fresh cauliflower for the mash. In a pinch, use frozen cauliflower florets instead.
- Use your favorite ground meat ~ Ground turkey is used for the meat filling. Ground beef, veal, lamb, pork or a combination of meats are also good filling substitutes.
- Substitute for the red wine ~ Instead of red wine (Merlot and Pinot Noir are delicious options) use chicken or beef stock.
- Add different frozen veggies ~ Feel free to add your favorite frozen vegetable combinations.
- Make single servings ~ Instead of serving the casserole family style, portion the savory filling and creamy topping into individual servings. Some options for serving the shepherd's pies are 2 cup glass containers, small metal pie pans or small foil pie pans. Not only do the single size meals fit into today’s busy lifestyle but, they are fun to eat.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: entree
- Method: cook on stovetop and bake
- Cuisine: Irish
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 single serving
- Calories: 391
- Sugar: 5.9 g
- Sodium: 629 mg
- Fat: 18.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 5.3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18.4 g
- Fiber: 5.8 g
- Protein: 40.3 g
- Cholesterol: 130 mg
Carolyn
Awesome meal! Perfect for meal prep! I have made this at least five times now and it is always great. If you are looking for new healthy meals give this a try!!!
Amy Casey
Thanks so great to hear Carolyn! I'm so glad you enjoy my recipe. This is a great meal prep recipe that I've made for personal chef clients and at home.