How to Make a Healthy and Delicious Shepherd's Pie

I'm still on my Weight Watcher's journey which was inspired by my desire to be healthy and keep up with my family during my travels.  Being at a healthy weight can open up a whole realm of possibilities for travel.  

Food is such a passion of mine.  I love cooking and teaching. In my cooking classes, I always try to be innovative with my recipes.  My Cajun background inspires me to add a little "Joie de Vive" or zest of life into each dish.  I'm now also adding a healthy element to all of my dishes.  Cooking healthy recipes doesn't mean sacrificing flavor.  In fact, it adds a whole new dimension of flavor!

In my cooking classes, I had a request to make Shepherd's Pie.  This is usually a quite heavy dish with beef, gravy and mashed potatoes.  My version is lightened up considerably.  I've added a great mix of veggies which add a new depth of flavor while also lightening up the calorie load.  

Healthier Shepherd’s Pie

Weight Watchers Smart Points: 7 per serving

Serves 6

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 45 mins

Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground turkey Italian sausage (or ground turkey)
1/2 cup Onion, diced
1/4 cup of Celery, diced
1 Tbsp of Worcestershire Sauce
2 Cloves of Garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tbsp of All Purpose Flour
1/2 cup of Beef broth
1 cup of defrosted frozen Peas and Carrots
1/2 tsp of fresh Rosemary, finely minced

salt and pepper to taste

For the mashed topping:

1 large russet potato, diced

2 cups cauliflower, chopped

2 cups diced butternut squash
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 Tbsp of Unsalted Butter

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. onion powder
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Method:

In a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat, heat the olive oil. Add the ground turkey and break it up with a wooden spoon.  Cook for about 4 to 5 minutes or until it has a brown crust and is cooked through. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. 

In the same pan, add the chopped onions and celery and season lightly with salt and pepper. Allow the veggies to cook for about 4 minutes or until they have developed some color and started to cook down a bit. Add the garlic and cook an additional 30 seconds until you can smell the garlic.  Add the flour and stir.  Cook for about 2 minutes to eliminate the raw flour taste.

Add the ground turkey back into the skillet.  Add the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce and rosemary and let it come to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and let it simmer for about 10 minutes or until it is thickened.  Add in your peas and carrots and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper.

For the mashed potato topping:

Cook the potatoes, cauliflower and butternut squash along with a little salt, onion powder and garlic powder in some boiling water until cooked through and tender.  Drain (reserve a little cooking water) and mash the vegetables with a potato masher and set aside for a few minutes. 

In a small saucepan (or in a cup in the microwave), heat together the milk and butter until hot but don’t boil it.  This is necessary because cold milk and butter will create a "gluey" texture.

Add some of the warm milk to the mashed vegetables and mix everything well.  Add more milk mixture to get a creamy mashed potato texture (add a little cooking water if too thick) and season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. 

Add the meat mixture to a casserole dish and then top it with the mashed potatoes. Spread it evenly and place it in the oven and let it cook for about 15 minutes or until the top is golden brown. 

*Garnish with a little shredded Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh parsley if desired.

**Sweet potatoes are another alternative or addition to the vegetable mash.  Other alternatives that would be good in the meat mixture is leftover turkey from your Thanksgiving meal, pearl onions, chopped fennel, corn, bell pepper, and mushrooms.

Enjoy!

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