Freezer-friendly Sweet Potato Turkey Shepherd’s Pie

Powered by real dairy milk, collagen-rich bone broth, high fiber vegetables, and other nutrient-rich ingredients, this Sweet Potato Turkey Shepherd’s pie is the perfect meal to add to the rotation for family dinners, or to freeze ahead for postpartum.

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PREP TIME: 30 minutes

SERVINGS: 35 minutes

SERVINGS: 6

TOTAL TIME: 1 hour and 5 minutes

Ingredients

Filling:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 cup chopped yellow onion

1 lb. 93% lean ground turkey

1 tablespoon poultry seasoning

1/2 teaspoon iodized salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1.5 tablespoons or 3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour or 1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 cup chicken bone broth

12 oz package or 1.5 cups frozen mixed peas & carrots

Sweet Potato Topping:

2 lbs (about 4 medium) sweet potatoes, peeled and quartered

1 teaspoon iodized salt, divided

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter

½ cup dairy milk

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 cup shredded white cheddar cheese, divided

Notes

Recipe courtesy of McKenzie Caldwell, MPH, RDN.

Related Recipes

One-Pot Creamy Orzo with Mushrooms

One-Pot Creamy Chicken and Broccoli

Glover Pot Pie

Instructions

Filling:

Heat a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil and saute the onion until slightly browned.

Add ground turkey, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper to the pan. Cook the turkey until browned and no pink remains.

Add Worcestershire sauce, garlic, flour or cornstarch, and tomato paste to the pan. Mix thoroughly and let cook for 1-2 minutes.

Add bone broth and frozen vegetables, stir to combine. Increase the heat to high to bring the mixture to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat and set aside.

If baking, preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. If freezing, skip this step for now.

Sweet potato topping:

Add quartered sweet potatoes to a large stock pot and cover with water. Add ½ teaspoon salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, until they pierce easily with a fork but are not mushy.

Turn off the heat and carefully drain the liquid from the pot, using a colander if necessary. Return to the stove over a still-warm, but shut off, burner and add butter, milk, remaining salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Mash with a potato masher or electric hand mixer until mostly smooth.

Fold in half the cheese; reserve the other half for after the casserole is assembled.

Assemble and bake or freeze the casserole:

Spread the meat mixture evenly in the bottom of an 11 x 7 or medium-sized oval/round casserole dish.

Carefully spread the mashed sweet potato mixture evenly over the meat mixture.

Top with the remaining cheese.

If baking: bake in a preheated oven for 35-45 minutes until top and edges are golden brown.

If freezing: Don’t pre-bake the casserole. Let the prepped casserole cool for 20-30 minutes at room temperature. Then cover with foil or plastic wrap, pressing down lightly so the wrap is touching the top of the mashed sweet potatoes - the less air, the better. If the casserole dish has a tightly sealing lid, still cover the surface of the casserole with a wrap or foil to help prevent freezer burn. Freeze for up to 3 months in a regular freezer or up to 6 months in a deep freezer.

To bake from frozen: Thaw casserole in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and follow the instructions in step 4.