Shepherd's Pie – Easy Recipe with Instant Potatoes and Gravy
Shepherd's pie with instant potatoes and gravy is the ULTIMATE lazy recipe! I absolutely love this one. And while it's not exactly health food, it's got a few nutrition upgrades that make it better than the original.
Let's see how easy it really is…..
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Shepherd's Pie Recipe Easy Ingredients
You only need a few fresh ingredients for this ridiculously easy Shepherd's pie recipe.
Simple Shepherd's Pie Ingredients
- Ground Turkey
- Sweet Onion {you can even substitute dehydrated diced onion in a pinch}
- Greek Yogurt – 0% Fage
- Shredded cheddar cheese
The rest can be found in your pantry:
- Traditional Irish herbs and spices:
- Garlic
- Ground Thyme
- Rosemary
- Ground Cloves
- Caraway seed
- Then add a few of your own – oregano, seasoning salt, etc. to taste
- Canned, fresh, or frozen vegetables like corn, diced carrots, green beans, peas, etc.
- Turkey gravy packets or pre-made
- Instant mashed potatoes
Shepherd's Pie Ground Turkey
Sautee onion and brown turkey with all the spices. Use the spices your family likes best and adjust to your taste. I'm not a fan of caraway and intolerant to garlic, so I don't use them, but I do love thyme, rosemary, and oregano. And the cloves give it a little sweetness that I love.
Whisk the dry gravy mix with 2TB of water and add to the turkey and mix thoroughly. Add 1/2 cup of water, broth, or reserve liquid from your canned veggies and bring up the heat to create the gravy sauce.
Shepherd's Pie Vegetables
Add the vegetables of your choosing. Canned is laziest, fresh is most nutritious but takes much longer to cook. Frozen is a pretty good middle point and easy to have stocked up in your freezer.
Give it a mix and spread onto the bottom of your baking dish.
Shepherd's Pie Instant Potatoes
Mix up your instant potatoes according to directions but reduce the amount of water by 1/2 cup. Then stir in 1/2 cup of Greek Yogurt. This adds creamy flavor and more protein without adding the fat of sour cream or butter.
Then spread over the top of the turkey vegetable mixture in the baking dish. Piping the potatoes on the top look prettiest but takes time you probably don't have. So don't feel bad about spreading it on with the back of a spoon.
Shepherd's Pie Instant Potatoes and Cheese
Using a good Irish cheddar is ideal but sometimes you just have to go with what you've got. Any cheddar will work. Sprinkle on top and bake until the whole thing is gooey, bubbly, and delicious.
The gravy mix helps ensure a nice saucy base and serves almost like a mashed potatoes and gravy type meal. If you find you'd like it more saucy, just add additional liquid.
Shepherd's Pie with Instant Potatoes are Served
Serve your shepherd's pie with a side salad and soda bread for a balanced and filling meal!
As the shepherd's pie with instant potatoes is filled with vegetables and lean ground turkey, you can feel good about serving it to your family.
If you're trying to cut down on your carbohydrate intake, you can easily replace the instant potatoes with mashed cauliflower instead. It really does taste a lot like potatoes when you add in the butter and greek yogurt.
Happy St. Patrick's Day
Whether you are enjoying your Shepherd's Pie with Instant potatoes for a St. Patrick's Day dinner or just having some comfort food during a hectic week, your family will love this yummy dish that's as easy to make as it is fun to eat.
If you make this easy shepherd's pie recipe, I'd love to hear about it in the comments below. And if you share photos, I want to see it too! Please tag us @partieswithacause on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram. We love celebrating all your hard work!
Then join me, your Healthy Hostess for better-for-you holiday and party foods. Grab your free food substitution guide as the first step in your next healthy holiday gathering.
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More St. Patrick's Day Ideas
Green Avocado Hummus Healthy Recipe
Rainbow Salad – Southwest Salad with Grilled Chicken
Healthy Shamrock Shake Recipe – Dairy Free
St. Patrick's Day Irish Flag Veggie Tray
Easy Shepherd's Pie Recipe
Equipment
- Large frying pan
- 9×13 Baking dish
- Mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Ground Turkey lean
- 1 Sweet Onion diced
- 1 tsp Ground Oregano
- 1/4 tsp Thyme
- 1/2 tsp Rosemary
- 1/2 tsp Ground Cloves
- 1 tsp Seasoning Salt
- 2 Turkey Gravy Packets
- 1 12oz Can Corn, reserve 1/2 liquid
- 1 12oz Can Green Beans
- 1 12oz Can Diced Carrots
- Instant Mashed Potatoes
- Greek Yogurt (0% Fage)
- 1 cup Sharp Cheddar or Irish Cheddar Cheese shredded
Instructions
- Cook the diced onion until softening then add the raw ground turkey
- Sprinkle all the spices: Oregano, thyme, rosemary, cloves, and seasoning salt, and proceed to brown turkey.
- Mix gravy packet dry mix with 2 TB water and add to ground turkey.
- Open canned corn and reserve 1/2 cup liquid to add to the meat. Bring up heat to create the gravy.
- Add desired vegetables, corn, carrots, green beans, etc. to the meat and mix thoroughly.
- Line baking dish with turkey vegetable mixture.
- Mix up instant potatoes with water, following the instructions but replacing the final 1/2 cup of water with 1/2 cup of 0% Greek yogurt. This gives you a creamy texture and more protein without adding fats from sour cream or additional butter.
- Gently spread your potatoes over the top of the turkey vegetable layer. Some find it easiest to pipe it on. Which looks beautiful. But if you're in a hurry just spread with the back of a spoon.
- Sprinkle the top of your shepherd's pie with shredded cheddar and bake at 350 for 25 minutes.
- Serve with Soda Bread and an Irish Flag themed veggie tray for St. Patrick's Day.
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