Cozy Shepherd’s Pie made with lean ground turkey, veggies, and topped with a creamy cheesy cauliflower mash. This comforting casserole is easy to make and so delicious!
Veggie Packed Healthy Shepherd’s Pie
There’s nothing quite as cozy and delicious as a delicious shepherd’s pie. The flavor filling and creamy mash on top is always a winning combination.
Watch How to Make This Recipe
This veggie packed ground turkey shepherd’s pie is a delicious twist on the classic. The filling uses ground turkey instead of ground lamb and the mash on top is made with cauliflower instead of potatoes.
Don’t worry though, while this dish may be a slightly lighter version of the classic it is just as filling and flavorful!
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Get all of our reader favorite ground turkey recipes!
Ground Turkey Shepherd’s Pie Ingredients
Ground Turkey: traditionally shepherd’s pie is made with ground lamb but this recipe switches things up a bit and uses lean ground turkey. If you are always looking for more ways to use ground turkey in recipes this is a great option!
Veggies: a combination of onion, celery, carrots, and garlic all help to build a delicious base of flavor in this recipe.
Arrowroot Starch: this is used to thicken the gravy a bit.
Diced Tomatoes: you’ll need one can of diced tomatoes for this recipe. I like to use a brand that has no salt added.
Chicken Broth: to best control the salt level, look for low-sodium chicken broth.
Herbs: a combination of fresh parsley and thyme help to add some extra flavor.
Worcestershire Sauce: another key ingredient to help boost the flavor of the filling.
Cauliflower: instead of the traditional potatoes, this Shepherd’s pie uses cauliflower to create a thick and creamy mashed topping.
Cheddar Cheese: a little sharp cheddar cheese is folded into the mashed cauliflower for ultimate cheesy goodness.
Greek Yogurt: a bit of full fat Greek yogurt helps to make the cauliflower mash nice and creamy.
Ingredient Substitutions and Frequently Asked Questions
- Ground Turkey – you can easily swap the ground turkey for ground beef or ground lamb if you prefer.
- Arrowroot Starch – if you don’t have arrowroot starch, feel free to use cornstarch or flour instead.
- Chicken Broth – beef or vegetable broth will also work well in this dish.
- Worcestershire sauce – you can easily sub the Worcestershire sauce for coconut aminos if needed.
- Cheddar – I love the flavor of sharp cheddar cheese in this dish but feel free to use your favorite cheese instead. Mozzarella, mild cheddar, or Colby cheese would all work.
- Greek Yogurt – you can swap the greek yogurt for sour cream if you prefer.
Helpful Kitchen Tools
How to Make Easy Shepherd’s Pie
Step One: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and then add the ground turkey. Brown the meat, breaking it up as it cooks.
Step Two: Add the carrots, celery, garlic, and onion. Cook for another 6-8 minutes until the onion is translucent and the carrots start to become tender. Sprinkle in the arrowroot starch and stir until well combined.
Step Three: Stir in the the diced tomatoes, chicken broth, thyme, worcestshire sauce, salt, and pepper. Turn the heat to medium low and let the filling simmer for 10 minutes, stirring for occasionally, and then remove from heat and set aside.
Step Four: While the filling is simmering, add the cauliflower florets and 1 teaspoon of salt to a large pot and cover with water. Bring the cauliflower to a boil and let cook for 10-12 minutes until the cauliflower is fork tender. Drain the cauliflower well, being sure to remove as much water as possible, and then return to the pot. Use a potato masher to mash the cauliflower until smooth. No need to make it as smooth as a puree, it should still look like a hearty mash just make sure there are no large chunks. Stir in the cheddar cheese, Greek yogurt, and salt and pepper to taste.
Step Five: Carefully spoon the cauliflower mash over the hot beef filling and smooth into an even layer, being sure not to mix the two layers together. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the top of the cauliflower mash.
Step Six: Bake the shepherd’s pie for 20-25 minutes until it is golden brown and bubbly. Garnish with chopped parsley before serving.
Tips and Tricks
- Thoroughly drain the cauliflower. To prevent a watery cauliflower topping, be sure to thoroughly drain the cauliflower florets before mashing. I like to let the cauliflower sit and strain in the colander for a few minutes before mashing.
- Hand shred the cheese. If you can, I highly recommend hand shredding the cheese. Pre-shredded cheese is often coated with stabilizers that prevent it from melting as well.
- Let the filling cool slightly. Allowing the filling to cool a bit before topping with the mashed cauliflower ensures that you get two distinct layers.
How to Freeze and Reheat
You can easily freeze and reheat this dish if needed! To freeze, bake the shepherd’s pie and then let cool. Once cool, wrap the casserole dish tightly in foil and freeze for up to two months.
When ready to eat, you can remove the shepherd’s pie from the freezer and place in a 350 degree oven for 45-60 minutes until heated through.
More Delicious Casseroles You’ll Love
- Easy Homemade Lasagna
- Turkey Enchilada Skillet
- Skillet Cornbread Chili Pie
- Homemade Chicken Pot Pie
- Green Chicken Enchilada Casserole
I hope you give this Ground Turkey Shepherd’s Pie a try! It’s so cozy and comforting!
If you do give this recipe a try, I want to know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo & tag @allthehealthythings on INSTAGRAM. Your reviews help support All the Healthy Things and make it possible for me to continue to create the recipes you know and love.
PrintGround Turkey Shepherd’s Pie
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: English
- Diet: Gluten Free
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: English
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound dark ground turkey
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons arrowroot starch
- 1 – 15 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon worcestshire sauce
- salt and pepper, to taste
Mashed Cauliflower Topping
- 12 oz cauliflower florets (around 8 cups)
- 6 oz sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded
- 4 oz Greek yogurt
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- chopped parsley, for garnish
Method
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and then add the ground turkey. Brown the meat, breaking it up as it cooks.
- Add the carrots, celery, garlic, and onion. Cook for another 6-8 minutes until the onion is translucent and the carrots start to become tender. Sprinkle in the arrowroot starch and stir until well combined.
- Stir in the the diced tomatoes, chicken broth, thyme, worcestshire sauce, salt, and pepper. Turn the heat to medium low and let the filling simmer for 10 minutes, stirring for occasionally, and then remove from heat and set aside.
- Make the cauliflower topping: While the filling is simmering, add the cauliflower florets and 1 teaspoon of salt to a large pot and cover with water. Bring the cauliflower to a boil and let cook for 10-12 minutes until the cauliflower is fork tender. Drain the cauliflower well, being sure to remove as much water as possible, and then return to the pot. Use a potato masher to mash the cauliflower until smooth. No need to make it as smooth as a puree, it should still look like a hearty mash just make sure there are no large chunks. Stir in the cheddar cheese, Greek yogurt, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Carefully spoon the cauliflower mash over the hot beef filling and smooth into an even layer, being sure not to mix the two layers together. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the top of the cauliflower mash.
- Bake the shepherd’s pie for 20-25 minutes until it is golden brown and bubbly. Garnish with chopped parsley before serving.
Recipe by:Â Ashlea Carver / All the Healthy Things |Â Photography by:Â THE MINDFUL HAPA
