Turkey Shepherd's Pie

I had some leftover frozen mashed potatoes and ground turkey in the freezer looking for a new home.  I ran across this recipe on AllRecipes and it was a perfect combination.

The recipe called for canned mushrooms which I never have, but sliced some fresh mushrooms and sautéed them with the ground turkey.  You could add some more vegetables (corn, green beans) for a bit more color.  Surprisingly, the tiny 1/4 tsp of dried thyme really added some flavor (I'll probably increase it a tad more next just because I like that added punch of flavor).

Easy and quick to assemble (especially if you have any leftover mashed potatoes).  Serve it with a steamed asparagus (or other green vegetable) or a green salad and maybe a good baguette or artisan bread for a perfect meal.  This could easily be made ahead and refrigerated until ready to bake.

TURKEY SHEPHERD'S PIE (4 servings)

3 large potatoes, peeled

2 Tbsp butter, room temp

1/4 cup warm milk

S&P

or

ready-made mashed potatoes

1 Tbsp EVOO

1 onion, chopped

1 pound ground turkey

1 large carrot, shredded

1 (4.5 oz) can sliced mushrooms (or 8 oz package fresh mushroom, sliced)

1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1/4 tsp dried thyme, or more, to taste

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp chicken bouillon powder

1 Tbsp AP flour

S&P to taste

If making freshly-made mashed potatoes, boil potatoes until tender, 15-20 minutes.  While potatoes are cooking, gather other ingredients.

Mash potatoes with butter and milk.  Season with S&P to taste.  Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375F (190C).

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; stir in onion.  Saute onion (and fresh mushrooms, if using....otherwise, add canned mushroom later on) until it has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes.  Stir in ground turkey, carrot, mushrooms, parsley, thyme, garlic, and chicken bouillon.  Cook and stir until meat is broken up and cooked through.  Add S&P to taste.  Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute more.

Transfer meat mixture to a deep dish pie pan or casserole dish.  Spread mashed potatoes over meat and swirl with a fork.

Bake in a preheated oven until tops of mashed potatoes are lightly browned, about 30 minutes.

Recipe Source: AllRecipes.com