Healthy Turkey Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

Cozy and delicious Healthy Turkey Shepherd’s Pie Recipe made with lean ground turkey, colorful vegetables, rich homemade gravy and topped with lighter mashed potatoes. A healthier twist on a classic comfort food dish the whole family will love!

Table of Contents

• Why You’ll Love This
• What is the Difference Between Shepherd’s Pie and Cottage Pie?
• Ingredients You’ll Need

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When I say I grew up eating traditional shepherd’s pie, I mean quite literally my mom made it for us every week. I think she loved how it covered all the food groups in one simple casserole dish for dinner and it was absolutely delicious! This healthy shepherd’s pie recipe is a twist on this classic comfort food dish that is loaded with veggies, lean ground turkey, rich homemade gravy and topped with my healthier mashed potatoes. What makes them healthier? Well they are packed with hidden veggies as well! Hope your family loves this on their dinner table.

Why You’ll Love This

• High protein – we are using ground turkey in this instead of ground lamb or ground beef which reduces the saturated fat, but packs in 22 grams of protein per serving.
• Extra veggies – not only are we throwing in extra veggies into the filling for a boost of fiber, vitamins and essential nutrients, but we are adding a whole head of cauliflower into the mashed topping!
• Lighter mash – you are going to love my healthy mashed potato recipe where we are cutting the potatoes in half and adding in a whole head of cauliflower for a creamy yet lower-carb topping. You could also used mashed cauliflower.
• Customizable – this healthy shepherd’s pie recipe is easily customizable with a variety of veggies and lean protein.
• Great for a crowd – this easy recipe makes a ton so not only is it a great option to feed a crowd, but we love this comforting casserole for meal prep!

What is the Difference Between Shepherd’s Pie and Cottage Pie?

Classic shepherd’s pie uses only ground lamb and the name came from shepherds looking after their sheep. A traditional cottage pie is one that uses ground beef instead.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• ground turkey – I used 93% lean ground turkey and you could go even leaner, but the turkey will be drier and not as flavorful. You could also use ground chicken, extra-lean ground beef or ground pork.
• vegetables – we are using chopped onions, celery and carrots along with frozen corn and frozen peas. I also used a whole head of cauliflower in the mashed potatoes.
• olive oil – I like to use a good olive oil to sauté the veggies. Doesn’t have to be expensive, just make sure it’s cold-pressed and organic for the most flavor.
• mashed potatoes – I always use this recipe which uses a mixture of yukon gold potatoes (or russet potatoes) and cauliflower. Feel free to use whatever mashed potato recipe you like best. You could also mix in a little cheddar cheese into the mash for more flavor.
• flour – you just need 2 tablespoons of flour to thicken the mixture. I used gluten-free flour so this would be a gluten-free shepherd’s pie, but you could use all-purpose flour or other flour you prefer.
• chicken broth – you’ll need 1 cup of chicken broth, but you could also use beef broth, vegetable broth or any stocks in your pantry.
• tomato paste – you’ll need a tbsp tomato paste which adds rich tomato flavor along with thickening the gravy mixture up a bit. You could also use tomato sauce.
• worcestershire sauce – boost of flavor!
• garlic – I recommend using fresh chopped garlic cloves or minced garlic from the jar, but garlic powder will work in a pinch.
• fresh herbs – a combination of fresh thyme leaves and fresh rosemary.
• salt and black pepper – needed to season the shepherd’s pie and add flavor.