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    You are here: Home / Recipes / Turkey

    Ground Turkey Shepherd’s Pie

    Published: Nov 18, 2021 · Modified: Nov 18, 2021 by Susie Weinrich · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    pin image for shepherd's pie

    Ground Turkey Shepherd’s Pie is such a great comfort food dinner. Ground turkey is mixed with carrots, peas, beef broth, red wine and lots of herbs & seasonings then is topped with super flavorful creamy mashed potatoes. It all gets baked up in one skillet. It is a great family dinner that everyone will LOVE!!

    cast iron skillet with turkey shepherd's pie cooked in it

    Some other great family recipes that use turkey are Turkey Pot Pie, Turkey Chili, Tetrazzini, or Turkey Meatloaf Muffins.

    Table of Contents hide
    1 Why It’s SO Good!
    2 Ingredients
    3 Mashed Potatoes
    4 Step by Step Picture Instructions
    5 Serving
    6 Side Dishes
    7 Recipe Tips
    8 More Delicious Comfort Food Dinners
    9 Did you make this recipe?!
    10 Ground Turkey Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

    Why It’s SO Good!

    • The potato topping has it’s own delicious flavors of butter, sour cream and a little garlic.
    • Fresh rosemary lends amazing fresh flavor.
    • Ground sage adds just a hint of “holiday” that goes perfect with the turkey.
    • Red wine makes the filling deep and rich with flavor.
    • Using beef broth instead of chicken broth gives the filling a robust flavor.

    Ingredients

    Pictured are the ingredients that you need to make Turkey Shepherd’s Pie, plus some helpful tips on a few ingredients:

    ingredients for ground turkey Shepherd's Pie

    Ground Turkey – When you cook with ground turkey it is always good practice to use 93/7. It has enough fat to be flavorful and juicy. The 99% lean is to be avoided at all cost!

    You can absolutely use ground beef, ground pork or ground chicken if that is what you have in your fridge/freezer.

    Red Wine – I HIGHLY recommend that you do not skip the red wine! If you do not want to buy an entire bottle just grab a carton or small “airplane” sized bottle. You only need ½ cup, but it makes all the difference.

    Beef Broth – It may seem funny to use a beef broth in a turkey dish, but believe me it works! The beef broth adds a deepness of flavor that a chicken broth won’t. However if you are making this because you don’t eat beef, you can absolutely sub chicken broth.

    Mashed Potatoes

    Mashed Potatoes are the very best topping for Shepherd’s Pie. There is a great recipe included below for the mashed potatoes. However, you could also use one of these options:

    • Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
    • Frozen Mashed Potatoes (Trader Joe’s has a great one!)
    • Leftover Mashed Potatoes
    • In a time pinch you can use potato flakes
    • Savory Mashed Sweet Potatoes could even work!

    Step by Step Picture Instructions

    • Boil the Russets and make the mashed potatoes. Set aside until assembly.
    • In a large oven safe skillet, sauté the onions, carrots, and celery in the oil, about 5 minutes.
    • Add the garlic and ground turkey and crumble while cooking through.
    ground turkey with onions, carrots and celery
    • Now add in the rosemary, sage, salt, pepper, onion powder, flour and tomato paste.
    • Deglaze the pan with the red wine and let it reduce for about 5 minutes.
    • Finish with the beef broth, frozen peas, Worcestershire and bring to a boil. Simmer for 2-3 mins.
    ground turkey, peas, carrots and herbs in a tomato and red wine base
    • Remove from the heat.
    • Dollop the mashed potatoes over the meat filling. Smooth it to the edges. To get nice browned bits on the top make swoops in the mashed potatoes.
    • dollops of mashed potatoes on top of Shepherd's Pie Filling
    • Spatula spreading mashed potatoes on Shepherd's Pie
    • If using a 10 inch skillet place it on a rimmed baking sheet to catch spills.
    • Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

    Serving

    Serve the Turkey Shepherd’s Pie right in the skillet. Scoop out portions making sure to get a good filling to mashed potato topping ratio on each plate.

    a scoop taken out of a Turkey Shepherd's Pie

    Side Dishes

    The nice thing about Shepherd’s Pie is it has everything in one – starch, protein and veggies – so it can really be served by itself.

    But if you want to make it more of a dinner experience you can serve it with dinner rolls, a roasted veggie or side salad.

    Recipe Tips

    • If you have leftover mashed potatoes this makes a great recipe to use them up!
    • Make Swoops in the mashed potatoes topping, the peaks brown beautifully in the oven.
    • Don’t skip the red wine! It lends amazing depth of flavor to the Turkey Shepherd’s Pie.
    • If rosemary isn’t your jam, sub in fresh thyme.
    • If you like a soupier filling, add ¼-1/2 cup of beef broth.
    • Pick a red wine you will like to drink. You only need ½ cup so you can enjoy the rest of the bottle.
    • Do not use 99% lean ground turkey. Go for the 93/7!
    • If you use a 10 inch skillet, place a rimmed baking sheet underneath to catch spills in the oven.
    • If ground turkey isn’t your thing you can absolutely use ground beef, ground pork, or ground chicken in this recipe.

    More Delicious Comfort Food Dinners

    • Homemade Turkey Pot Pie
    • Deluxe Chicken Tetrazzini
    • The Best Chicken and Dumplings
    • Beef Pot Roast with Gravy

    Susie Weinrich washing produce

    Did you make this recipe?!

    If you make this recipe I would love to hear your review. Pop down to the comment section and connect with me.

    Then sign up for our Weekly Newsletter so you never miss a new recipe!

    Rate This Recipe
    Ground Turkey Shepherd's Pie in a cast iron skillet

    Ground Turkey Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

    A delicious family dinner that has layers of ground turkey mixed with seasonings and herbs, carrots, and peas, all topped with creamy mashed potatoes and baked in the oven.
    5 from 6 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes
    Resting Time: 5 minutes
    Total Time: 55 minutes
    Servings: 6 people
    Calories: 443kcal
    Author: Susie Weinrich

    Equipment

    • 10-12 inch oven safe skillet (cast iron works great)

    Ingredients

    Mashed Potato Topping

    • 2 – 2 ½ lbs. Russet potatoes – peeled and cut into 1-2 inch chunks
    • ¼ cup sour cream
    • 5 Tbsp. butter
    • 2 Tbsp. whole milk or half and half
    • 1 tsp. Kosher salt
    • 1 fresh garlic clove minced

    Ground Turkey Shepherd's Pie Filling

    • 1 Tbsp. Olive oil
    • 1 small onion (yellow or white) diced
    • ½ cup celery diced
    • ½ cup carrot peeled and diced
    • 3 garlic cloves – minced
    • 1 pound ground turkey – 93% lean (93/7)
    • 1 tsp. (heaping) fresh rosemary chopped (could sub fresh thyme)
    • ¼ tsp. ground sage
    • 1 ½ tsp. Kosher salt
    • ½ tsp. pepper
    • 1 tsp. onion powder
    • 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
    • 2 tablespoon all purpose flour
    • 1 ½ cup beef broth
    • ½ cup red wine (Cabernet, Merlot, Malbec would all work!)
    • 1 cup frozen peas
    • 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
    Prevent your screen from going dark while you are cooking!

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

    Mashed Potatoes

    • Place the potato chunks into a large pot and add cold water to cover them. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium low and simmer uncovered until the potatoes are fork tender (about 15 minutes).
    • Drain the potatoes and return to the pan. Smash the potatoes using a hand held mixer or a potato masher. Add the sour cream, butter, milk and salt.
    • Taste and adjust seasoning. Set the mashed potatoes aside until assembly.

    Ground Turkey Filling

    • For the filling, heat oil in a 10-12 inch cast iron skillet (or oven safe pan) over medium heat. Add onion, celery, carrot and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
    • Add the ground turkey and garlic, and crumble/cook until browned, about 5 minutes.
    • Stir in the rosemary, ground sage, salt, pepper, onion powder, flour and tomato paste and cook 1 minute.
    • Deglaze the skillet with the red wine and reduce, about 4-5 minutes .
    • Stir in the beef broth, frozen peas and Worcestershire and bring to a boil. Simmer filling for 2-3 minutes.
      ** If you like your filling a little soupier you can add ¼-1/2 cup beef broth at this point and simmer for another 2-3 minutes.

    Assembly & Baking

    • Dollop the mashed potatoes evenly over the filling in the cast iron skillet. Using a spoon or spatula, spread the potatoes evenly over the filling and all the way to the edges of the skillet.
      Pro Tip: Make some swoops in the potatoes, the peaks will brown nicely in the oven!
    • Transfer the skillet to the oven. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
      Pro Tip: If using a 10 inch skillet you may want to put a baking sheet or foil under the skillet to catch any drips as it is very full
    • You can place under the broiler for 5 minutes at the end if you want the top to be golden brown.
    • Let the Shepherd’s Pie rest for 5 minutes before serving.

    Notes:

    Instant Pot Mashed: you can also make your Mashed Potatoes in the Instant Pot!
    Recipe Tip To Remember:
    • If you have leftover mashed potatoes this makes a great recipe to use them up!
    • Make Swoops in the mashed potatoes topping, the peaks brown beautifully in the oven.
    • Don’t skip the red wine! It lends amazing depth of flavor to the Turkey Shepherd’s Pie.
    • If rosemary isn’t your jam, sub in fresh thyme.
    • If you like a soupier filling, add ¼-1/2 cup of beef broth.
    • Pick a red wine you will like to drink. You only need ½ cup so you can enjoy the rest of the bottle.
    • Do not use 99% lean ground turkey. Go for the 93/7!
    • If you use a 10 inch skillet, place a rimmed baking sheet underneath to catch spills in the oven.
    • If ground turkey isn’t your thing you can absolutely use ground beef, ground pork, or ground chicken in this recipe.
    Ground Turkey: You can absolutely use ground beef, ground pork or ground chicken if that is what you have in your fridge/freezer.
    Did you try this recipe? Connect with me & let me know how it turned out by commenting below!
    Jump to Comments
    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 443kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 74mg | Sodium: 1246mg | Potassium: 1335mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 2517IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 88mg | Iron: 3mg

    If nutrition facts are provided they are calculated as an estimate to the best of our knowledge.

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    About Susie Weinrich

    Susie Weinrich is the recipe developer, food photographer, and content creator behind Mom's Dinner. She has over 20 years experience in the food industry. Currently, Susie shares all her recipes and food knowledge on Mom's Dinner. You will find her recipes are easy to follow and full of tips and tricks to make sure the recipe you are making turns out perfect!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Martha

      April 26, 2022 at 12:53 pm

      Hello, this recipe looks awesome. We don’t keep wine in the house, what can I use as a substitute?

      Reply
      • Susie Weinrich

        April 26, 2022 at 1:01 pm

        Just use beef broth instead of wine!

        Reply
    2. Debra Jerovsek

      March 08, 2022 at 8:06 am

      5 stars
      Made this for my 100% Irishman husband for the first time. Spices, taste and cooking process turned out perfect! Absolutely best Shepard Pie I’ve ever made and eaten.

      Reply
      • Susie Weinrich

        March 08, 2022 at 9:43 am

        WOW!!! High praise for sure. Thank you for commenting and rating.

        Reply
    3. karen

      January 06, 2022 at 4:18 pm

      5 stars
      My family asked that his recipe be put in the weekly rotation! They LOVED IT!

      Reply

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