It’s still winter here. I’d love to say Spring is on its way, but the snow outside my window says otherwise. What’s my comfort food of choice on a cold, winter day like this? Shephered’s pie. Not just any shepherd’s pie… I’m talking mini turkey shepherd’s pie. Seriously, this recipe is just as mouthwatering as it sounds!
If you aren’t familiar with shepherd’s pie, you need to add it to your dinner menu ASAP. It’s traditionally a minced meat and veggie pie topped with mashed potatoes, and it’s incredibly delicious. I mixed up my recipe a bit to accommodate a family member that doesn’t eat red meat, so I used ground turkey instead. The result: something that resembles an incredibly fragrant and savory turkey stuffing topped with creamy mashed potatoes. Yum.
These mini turkey shepherd’s pies make a fantastic dinner for the whole family! Even for kids! It’s a great way to use the whole potato, too.
My veggies of choice for this recipe: carrots, celery, mushrooms, and leek.
If you’ve never cooked with leeks before, I highly recommend it! They have a nice mild onion taste, and pair really well with turkey. You do need to clean them before cooking with them, since sand and dirt gets trapped between the layers. Here’s how to do it:
- Cut off the dark green tops and discard them, or save them for making stock! You will be left with the white and light green part.
- Cut off the root end, then slice the leek in half lengthwise.
- Dice the leek and place in a bowl of cool water. Swish around so that the sand and dirt sinks to the bottom.
- Strain the pieces and remove excess water.
That’s it! I like to dice most of my veggies so that they are all the same size. I also like a smaller dice so I can stuff even more into the potatoes.
Now when it comes to the potatoes, I prefer to bake them after rubbing them with a little olive oil. This helps crisp up the skin so its a little firmer when you try to stuff them! However, you can always opt for the faster version and microwave them instead.
This recipe is also a good one for prepping the ingredients in advance to cut down on time. You can always dice the veggies, and even cook and scoop out the potatoes ahead of time! Then just cook the meat filling when ready and top with your mashed potatoes before baking.
Here are some other comfort food recipes for you to try:
- Instant Pot Orange Chicken
- Instant Pot White Bean Chicken Chili
- The Best Beef Brisket Recipe
- Sweet Potato, Sausage, and Spinach Gnocchi
Want to see how I put these together?? Check out my Instagram stories! I’ll be saving the whole step-by-step video to my highlights.
Mini Turkey Shepherd’s Pies
Don’t waste any of that potato! Try these individual turkey shepherd’s pies for your next meal. Filled with a savory turkey stuffing and topped with creamy mashed potatoes, these are a great gluten free dinner option for the whole family (with a dairy-free option if needed)!
Ingredients
Filling:
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 cup carrot, peeled and diced (about 2 large carrots)
- 2 celery stalks, diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 large leek, cleaned and diced using only the white and light green parts (or use 1 medium onion)
- 4 oz mushrooms, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup gluten free chicken broth
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 tsp dried sage
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 2 Tbsp oil
- 2 Tbsp gluten free flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill 1:1)
- Fresh parsley to garnish, chopped
Potatoes:
- 4 large russet potatoes, rinsed and scrubbed (about 1lb each)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup milk of choice (use dairy-free milk if needed!)
- 1 Tbsp parsley, chopped
- 1 Tbsp butter, optional (Omit if dairy-free)
- 1-2 Tbsp sour cream or plain yogurt, optional (but highly recommended! Omit if dairy-free)
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
For the Potatoes:
- Preheat oven to 400℉. Lightly rub the outside of each potato with a little olive oil, about 1 Tbsp total for all 4 of the potatoes, then prick each potato with a fork a few times on each side.
- Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 45-60 minutes, depending on the thickness of your potatoes. until they are tender inside when pierced with a fork.
- Remove from the oven, and set aside to cool for about 10 minutes.
- Cut the top 1/4 off of each potato (the long way), scoop out the inside with a spoon, and place the scooped potatoes into a large mixing bowl. There should be a thin 1/4” border left around each potato, or thicker to your liking.
- Add milk, butter and sour cream (if using), salt, and parsley to the large bowl with the scooped potatoes and mash until smooth. Once potatoes are mashed, you can also use hand beaters to whip the potatoes so they are light and airy (optional). Set aside.
For the Filling:
- Meanwhile, heat 2 Tbsp of oil in a medium-large pot over medium heat.
- Add carrot, leek, and celery to the pot and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the mushrooms and ground turkey, breaking up the turkey with a wooden spoon until browned and cooked through. Add the garlic, rosemary, sage, and salt and stir for one minute just until the garlic is lightly sautéed.
- Sprinkle flour over the meat mixture, stirring until everything is coated.
- Mix in tomato paste and chicken broth, and stir for 2-3 minutes until sauce has thickened.
- Remove from heat. If potatoes aren’t ready yet, leave the meat mixture on stove over low heat while stirring occasionally until ready to assemble.
Assemble:
- Evenly fill each of the potatoes with the meat filling. Fill up to the top or slightly heaped.
- Spoon mashed potatoes over the top of each potato, or add to a piping bag and pipe over the top of the potatoes. Save any leftovers for another use or to serve on the side.
- Place potatoes back on the baking sheet and bake at 400℉ for 10-15 minutes until the top of the potatoes are slightly browned or are starting to brown. Serve immediately!
Notes
- This recipe serves 4, depending on the size of your potatoes and how deep you scoop them out. If using slightly smaller potatoes, this recipe could easily serve 5-6 instead!
- To clean the leek, cut off the dark green tops and discard them. Cut off the end on the other side, the cut the remaining stem in half lengthwise. Run the rest of the leek under cool water while rising off the grit from all the layers and before dicing. You can also dice first, then place the diced leek into a bowl of cool water and swish around until all the dirt and sand is removed (it will sink to the bottom). Then strain out the leek and dump out the water.
- If you don’t have tomato paste, try using 1/4 cup of plain tomato sauce instead!
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