Shepherd’s Pie featuring Sweet Potato and Turkey

Turkey Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie

Preparation Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 45 minutes Total Duration: 1 hour Servings: 6

A delightful shepherd’s pie featuring sweet potatoes, turkey, and a variety of vegetables!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 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, chopped
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon rosemary, minced (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
• 1 teaspoon thyme, minced (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
• 1 teaspoon sage, minced (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

Instructions

1. Combine the chopped sweet potatoes and whole garlic cloves in a pot, cover with water, bring to a boil, and cook until the sweet potatoes are soft, approximately 15-20 minutes.
2. Drain the water and mash the sweet potatoes and garlic, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste, and set aside.
3. In the meantime, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the turkey, onion, and celery, and cook, breaking the turkey apart while it browns, for about 10-15 minutes.
4. Incorporate the garlic, rosemary, thyme, sage, and tomato paste, sprinkle in the flour, stir, and cook for an additional minute.
5. Pour in the broth and Worcestershire sauce, stir, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let simmer for 5 minutes.
6. Stir in the frozen vegetables, allow them to heat through for about 5 minutes, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Transfer the meat mixture to the bottom of an 8×13 inch baking dish, and top with the mashed potatoes.
8. Bake in a preheated 350F/180C oven until the edges are bubbling, roughly 20-30 minutes.

Optional: Stir melted butter into the mashed sweet potatoes.
Optional: Incorporate 1/4 cup heavy/whipping cream into the mashed sweet potatoes.
Optional: Mix in 1/4 cup grated parmigiano reggiano (parmesan cheese) to the mashed sweet potatoes.
Note: I used a package of frozen peas and carrots, which saved me time on dicing carrots. If you opt for just frozen peas, add 1 cup of diced carrots along with the onions.