Healthy Turkey Shepherd’s Pie With Cauliflower Mash

When I started to change my lifestyle and improve my eating habits, I knew I had to find a way to incorporate some of my favourite, comfort-food dishes into my diet. I loved experimenting with some childhood favourites like chicken fingers and pizza to find ways to make them healthy and nutrient-dense.

My husband, who is Irish by heritage, is a meat and potatoes kind of guy, which also meant that the new and improved healthy dishes I was experimenting with had to taste just like the real thing in order to pass the taste test. One of my FAVOURITES to date that I’ve created is version of the Irish staple, Shepherd’s Pie.

Shepherd’s pie actually originated out of England, and even though it’s traditionally thought of as an Irish dish, it has gained popularity throughout the rest of the world, particularly Europe and North America. Traditionally, any type of pie that incorporated beef and mashed potato was known as a “cottage pie” and anything that incorporated lamb and potato was known as “shepherd’s pie”. While my version of this tasty dish is made without lamb and potato, I can assure you it’s just as good if not better.

By substituting cauliflower for mashed potato, and ground turkey for ground beef, I’ve created a more lean, nutrient-dense version that is both satisfying and nutritious. I guarantee this will become a staple in your home for those cold, winter months. The best part is, you can make this dish ahead of time and freeze it for a quick, week-night meal.

Turkey Shepherd’s Pie with Cauliflower Mash

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

Turkey filling

• 1 can of lentils (drained and rinsed)
• 1 TBSP of Olive Oil
• 1 small onion (white or yellow) diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 lb ground turkey or ground chicken
• 2 cups carrots, grated
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1 can of low-sodium, organic diced tomatoes
• 1 cup low-sodium, organic vegetable juice
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp thyme
• 1/8 tsp cloves, ground
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Cauliflower mash

• 1 package cauliflower, riced or 1 head cauliflower
• 3-4 TBSP milk
• 1 TBSP organic butter
• 2 TBSP non-fat greek yogurt
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 TBSP chives
• 1/2 tsp paprika

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Celsius (180 degrees Celsius).
• Rinse canned lentils under cold water to remove any salt and starch.
• Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Dice onion and garlic and saute in pain until onions become translucent.
• Stir in ground turkey and break up turkey until it is lightly browned.
• Add lentils, grated carrots, chopped pepper and diced tomatoes. Stir in vegetable juice, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, cloves, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer on low while you prepare the cauliflower mash.
• Chop up cauliflower and discard the core. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil, add the chopped cauliflower, cover and turn the heat down. Cook cauliflower for 10-15 minutes.
• Drain the water from the cauliflower and add the rest of the ingredients. Mash with a masher until it looks resembles potato.
• Spread turkey filling into a large 9 x 13 glass baking dish. Mound scoops of cauliflower mash on top of the filling and use a spatula to smooth over pie. Sprinkle with chives and paprika and place in the oven for 30 minutes or until dish is bubbling and lightly browned.
• Let cool for 5-10 minutes and enjoy with a side salad!