Why is This Recipe Awesome
Comfort foods aren’t always nutritious, and nutritious foods aren’t always comforting, but this sweet potato shepherd’s pie is the best of both worlds. It’s hearty, filling, and packed with nourishing ingredients so you can indulge guilt-free. Here are some other reasons to get this easy recipe on the table:
Special diet safe: This recipe accommodates so many special diets, as it’s Whole30 approved, low-carb, low-fat, dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, gluten-free and paleo friendly.Freezer friendly: Shepherd’s pie with sweet potato mash stores and freezes well, making it perfect for meal prep. Ready in a jiffy: This recipe will be your new favorite addition to your list of easy weeknight dinners. It uses simple ingredients and is ready in less than an hour, so you can have it on the table with minimal effort or cleanup.
You’ll need two sets of ingredients for this shepherds pie with sweet potatoes: one set for the healthy mashed sweet potatoes and another for the meat filling.
For the mashed sweet potatoes, you’ll need sweet potatoes, unsalted butter, kosher salt, and allspice. We’re using an adaptation of my Easy Mashed Sweet Potatoes Recipe for the sweet potato topping, which uses the quick and easy stovetop method. You can also cook your potatoes in the oven, but just keep in mind that it will take longer than boiling them on the stove. To make the meat filling, gather olive oil, a small onion, carrots, ground turkey, garlic, fresh herbs (such as rosemary and thyme leaves), paprika, ground cumin, allspice, cinnamon, tomato paste, chicken stock, and blanched frozen peas. I went with lean turkey to make this a low calorie shepherd’s pie, but feel free to substitute with ground beef or lamb.
Meat: Ground lamb is the traditional meat component of shepherd’s pie, but I used lean ground turkey to make this easy healthy shepherd’s pie lower in total fat and total carbohydrate. Feel free to keep it traditional and use ground lamb, or turn this recipe into a sweet potato cottage pie by using ground beef. If you choose to use ground beef, add a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce (a classic ingredient for cottage pie) and use beef broth instead of chicken stock. Seasoning: Since it’s the fall season and we like to be festive here on the blog, we used fall spices like rosemary and thyme in this shepherds pie with sweet potato mash. However, you can switch up the spices to suit your desired flavor profile. In the past, I have made this recipe Italian seasoning or chili powder as well and it turned out very well.Potatoes: For a more classic version of shepherd’s pie, sub white potatoes for the sweet potatoes in this recipe. You can sub the potatoes 1:1, and the cooking instructions stay the same.
Make ahead: You can make this turkey sweet potato shepherd’s pie a day in advance and store it in the fridge. Just make sure to store the meat filling and sweet potatoes in separate containers. When you’re ready to bake, spread the sweet potatoes over the filling and pop it in the oven. Store: Bring the leftovers to room temperature, place them in an airtight container, and store in the fridge for up to 5 days. Freeze: This dish is a great freezer meal, so I recommend doubling the recipe so you have plenty of leftovers to enjoy for weeks to come. Simply prepare the recipe as instructed, but don’t bake it just yet. I also recommend assembling it in a baking dish instead of a cast iron skillet (skillets are a little clunky to store in the freezer). Let the prepared shepherd’s pie cool to room temperature, then wrap the baking dish first with plastic wrap, cover it with aluminum foil and place it in the freezer. Another option is to portion the pie into individual servings before freezing. The recipe will stay good in the freezer for about two months. Thaw: You have two options when it comes to thawing and reheating: reheat from frozen or thaw in the fridge. The easiest way, in my opinion, is to reheat from frozen.To reheat from frozen: Simply remove the baking dish from the freezer, cover it with foil, and bake in a 350 degrees F oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 30 minutes, or until the center is about 165 degrees F. To thaw in the fridge: Remove the dish from the freezer the day before you’re planning to serve, and let it sit in the fridge overnight. Reheat in the oven at 350 degrees F for 20-30 minutes or until the center is hot (about 165 degrees F). You can also reheat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, which would work well if you froze the dish in individual portions.
Serve it with a salad: Get in your daily greens by serving this sweet potato turkey shepherds pie with one of our delicious fall salads. Keep it simple by whipping up a Spring Mix Salad, or amp up the veggies with my Kale Brussel Sprout Salad or my Shredded Brussel Sprout Salad. Add a side of veggies: A healthy veggie truly rounds out a meal, so feel free to browse through my library of Vegetable Side Dishes for inspiration. Some of my favorites to pair with this recipe are my Butter Garlic Green Beans, my Roasted Acorn Squash, or this Baked Delicata Squash.
Use a cast iron skillet: I recommend using a 12-inch cast iron skillet (such as the one I am using – affiliate link) for this recipe, as you can make the filling, assemble, and bake it all in one dish. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, assemble and bake the recipe in a square or round 9-inch baking dish, or even a 9×13 inch casserole dish (just keep in mind that the recipe will be a bit more shallow in a rectangular dish). Double the recipe: Since this healthy shepherd’s pie recipe is so freezer-friendly, go ahead and make a double batch so you can have a ready-made meal when you’re in a pinch.Make sure to cook the carrots: When sautéing your veggies (step 4 of the recipe), make sure your carrots are fully cooked and soft before moving on to the next step. Raw, hard carrots aren’t super fun to eat!
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And if you have leftover ground turkey, feel free to try my Zucchini Turkey Meatballs and Turkey Meatloaf Recipe. If you try this Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie Recipe recipe or any other recipe on Foolproof Living, please take a minute to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. And if you took some pictures, be sure to share them on Instagram using #foolproofeats so I can share them on my stories.
