As an, er, “alcohol enthusiast” of Irish decent I pretty much subscribe to the philosophy that St. Patrick’s is amateur night. However, as I’ve gotten older I’ve realized that observance of the holiday doesn’t have to be just green beer and pinching.
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with this simple, lightened up Shepherd’s Pie is made with turkey rather than the traditional lamb and topped with my favorite skinny mashed potatoes. It’s a great way to add a little Irish to your day while still doing good things for your body.
Of course, you don’t need a special holiday to enjoy this simple, healthy meal. I recently started a new job that has me working crazy hours and loved being able to prepare this on a weekend and heat it up after work later in the week. This comforting casserole is so filling, you’ll never believe a serving has fewer than 200 calories.
Ingredients
- Potatoes:
- 1 lb Yukon Gold potatoes
- 1/2 medium head cauliflower, broken into florets (about 1/2-3/4 lbs)
- 1/4 c fat-free sour cream
- 2 tbs chicken stock
- 1 tbs skim milk
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- paprika
- Filling:
- 1 lb lean ground turkey
- 1 tsp oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, diced
- 8 oz mushrooms, diced
- 10 oz frozen mixed vegetables (carrots, corn, peas, green beans, baby lima beans)
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 cup chicken broth broth
- 1 tbs tomato paste
- 1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp freshly chopped rosemary leaves
- 1 tsp freshly chopped thyme leaves
- salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400°.
Prepare Potatoes
Cut potatoes into large chunks, place in a large pot, and cover with cold, salted water. Bring to a boil over high heat and simmer until soft, about 25-30 minutes. Drain in a colander and set aside.
Meanwhile, bring another large pot of salted water to a boil and add cauliflower. Boil until very soft, about 20 minutes. Drain in a colander (same colander is fine) and set aside.
When potatoes are cool enough to handle, remove the peels.
Using a potato ricer, press potato and cauliflower back into one of the large pots over low heat. When working on the cauliflower, do a first, gentle press over a bowl or sink to remove the excess water first.
Add chicken stock, sour cream, and milk. Whip with a handmixer or stir to combine. Season to taste.
Prepare Filling
Brown the ground turkey in oil in a large pan over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper. When cooked, transfer turkey to a bowl and set aside.
Add onion to the pan and saute until soft, about 2-4 minutes. Add garlic, mushrooms and celery and saute until onions are translucent and mushrooms have released their juices, about 5 minutes more. Stir in flour and cook another minute. Add frozen vegetables, broth, tomato paste, Wocestershire sauce, herbs and cook turkey. Season assertively with salt and pepper and simmer 5-10 minutes.
Assemble the Pie
Spread the mixture on the bottom of a casserole dish. Top with the mashed potato mixture being sure not to make it too smooth. Sprinkle with paprika.
Bake until potatoes are golden, about 20 minutes.
Let cool 10-15 minutes before serving.
Nutritional Information
Calories 197
Total Fat 5.1g
Saturated Fat 1.4g
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 41mg
Sodium 213mg
Potassium 779mg
Total Carbohydrates 22.2g
Dietary Fiber 4.8g
Sugars 5.2g
Protein 16.3g
Weight Watchers Points: 4
PointsPlus: 5
Gonna try this one, for sure.
I am sooooo making this! congrats on the new job… don’t work too hard!
Thanks 🙂 It’s been crazy but really fun. I can’t wait to hear about life in ABQ. Let’s talk this weekend!
I absolutely adore dishes that can be made ahead (preferably in bulk) and then re-heated for meals during a busy week. This looks super hearty and satisfying.
Nice recipe but called me a stickler: it’s not shepherds pie unless it’s made with lamb. Call it a cottage pie.
Ah! I love this kind of food trivia. You have my word that henceforth I’ll use the terms correctly. You saved me – I’m working on what I now know will be a vegan cottage pie.
Thanks, Sally!
Just wondering. When i put this in WW app, it says 14 pnts. The only things with points are potato and turkey. I got the less lean turkey by accident. Could it be that much of a difference?
I did not include sour cream or milk, but added a pat of butter.
Hi! I set up a spreadsheet with the ingredients and links to the nutritional information for the products I used. You can see that the Points Plus is 4.5 per serving but rounds up to 5.
Less lean turkey would definitely increase the points. You could also be experiencing rounding error in the calculator you’re using. I hope this spreadsheet helps:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Aal9XXqZlRRpCPkCqe4LqFg8ptoB_qwP4eZgShC8Ab8/edit#gid=0