Shepherd's Pie with Turkey and Mashed Cauliflower Recipe Card
This easy Shepherd’s Pie with Turkey is light, meaty and layered with healthy mashed cauliflower. Cook ground turkey with a mirepoix of onions, carrots, and celery. It’s filling and a low-carb version of a classic British-Irish comfort food.
Ingredients
- 450 g Ground Turkey 1 lb
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 2 Carrots diced
- ½ Yellow Onion diced
- 2 Celery Sticks diced
- ¼ cup Frozen Peas thawed
- ¾ cup Chicken Broth
- 3 Garlic Cloves
- 2 tbsp Tomato paste
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp Arrowroot starch
- ½ tsp Oregano dried
- ¼ tsp Thyme dried
- ½ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Pepper
- 4 cups Mashed Cauliflower recipe link in the post
Instructions
- Prepare the mashed cauliflower: Prepare the cauliflower mash as directed, or according to your preferred method. Dice the veggies for the mirepoix into equal sizes and keep them aside. Keep the frozen peas out in a strainer inside a bowl to defrost while you make the shepherd’s pie filling.
- Make the Mirepoix: Heat a sauté pan over medium heat, add olive oil, garlic, and the trio of veggies, and sauté for about 5 minutes, until translucent. Add salt, pepper, and herbs to taste.
- Cook the turkey: Add ground turkey to the vegetables and use a spatula to break the turkey into small pieces. While it cooks, use a flat-edged spatula to cut and loosen the meat. Cook for about 8 minutes or until the meat has browned.
- Add broth: Add chicken broth to the pan and bring it to a boil. Simmer for about 5 minutes to allow the flavours to infuse into the meat and vegetables.
- Flavour the shepherd’s pie gravy: Bring up the heat and add two tablespoons of tomato paste and two tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce. Mix all the ingredients together and cook over medium heat.
- Prepare the arrowroot slurry: Mix the arrowroot starch with a small amount of liquid in a bowl until well combined.
- Thicken the sauce: On medium to high heat, while the gravy bubbles slightly, mix in the arrowroot slurry and stir until the liquid has thickened. This should happen quite quickly. Then turn down the heat to low to prevent the turkey and gravy from burning.
- Stir in the peas: Switch off the heat immediately and stir in the drained peas. Add extra spices, salt, and pepper for added taste if desired. The filling is now ready to assemble with mashed cauliflower.
- Assemble the shepherd’s pie: Transfer the meat filling into a 9×13-inch baking dish. Then, spoon the mashed cauliflower over the shepherd’s pie filling. (see images in post)
- Top with mashed cauliflower: Now use the back of a spoon or spatula to spread the mashed cauliflower to cover the turkey filling completely. Then use a fork to create a crisscross pattern for appeal or however you like to decorate it.
- Bake: Bake the pie in the oven at 400°F for 10 minutes to warm up the mash. Turn on the broiler setting and broil the mashed surface until it has browned on top. Amazingly, the cauliflower mash will puff up just like regular mash, so delicious!
Notes
Tips for making Shepherd’s Pie with Turkey and Mashed Cauliflower?
- Boil, steam, or use an Instant Pot to cook the cauliflower; whichever method you choose, ensure it is fork-tender and avoid overcooking it.
- This pie uses ground meat, which can clump up, so break the meat evenly with a spatula to mix it with the sautéed vegetables.
- Arrowroot starch thickens the gravy in this pie, but first, you must make it into a slurry with liquid. Then mix it into the meat filling towards the end before transferring it to the baking dish.
- The pie filling will be hot, and excessive heat could cause the arrowroot starch to break down, resulting in a watery sauce. To prevent this, I recommend baking the pie for a maximum of 10 minutes to heat the cauliflower mash without overcooking the gravy.