#2,787: Shepard's Pie

Do you know how hard it is to take a picture of Shepard's pie?!  Okay, maybe I just am that bad at taking pictures but nothing I took did this recipe justice!  So...there's just no photo.  I loved this recipe, but the boys in this house were not as big of fans because it had peas in it (gasp!).  Which is funny because peas were not in the original recipe, but I thought it needed it.  

Although you could totally make any homemade or store bought mashed potatoes with this recipe, I used steam and mash potatoes from Ore Ida which was super easy to make and you just add milk, butter, and seasoning to it.  So simple.  I also used gluten free flour to keep this a gluten free recipe, but you could obviously use all-purpose flour in place as well.  

1 lb. ground lean turkey (I used ground beef)

3 carrots, washed and chopped

3 celery stalks, washed and sliced
I also added about 1/3 c of frozen peas

1/2 sweet onion, chopped

1 Tbsp. gluten-free all purpose flour

2 Tbsp. tomato paste

1 tsp fresh thyme

1 tsp fresh sage

1 cup chicken broth

Steam n’ Mash Russet Potatoes by Ore Ida

salt and pepper to taste

rice milk (I used skim)

Cook the ground turkey and onion in a large pan over medium heat with 1 Tbsp oil for approx 5 minutes.  Add the carrots and celery and continue cooking until the meat is no longer pink and cooked through.  

Meanwhile, microwave the Steam n’ Mash potatoes for 10 minutes, following direction on the bag and adding butter, milk, salt and pepper after potatoes are cooked.  

When the meat and veggie mixture if done cooking, add the tomato paste, flour, and spices mixing well.  Slowly add the broth while constantly stirring.  Simmer 3-5 minute to thicken.

Empty the turkey and veggie mixture into a casserole dish and top with the prepared mashed potatoes.

Broil for 10-15 minutes, watching carefully so that it doesn’t burn.

If you are making this ahead of time and cooking later, bake COVERED at 375 degrees for 20 minutes, then uncover and continue cooking until heated through (5-10 minutes more if it's not already done).  Broil the last minute or so to brown the potatoes if desired.