Turkey Shepherd’s Pie Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
on Mar 04, 2016, Updated Aug 25, 2024
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These non-traditional Turkey Shepherd’s Pie Stuffed Sweet Potatoes are a fun, healthy and delicious twist one of the classic St. Patrick’s Day meals!
With St. Patrick’s Day being less than two weeks away I figured I better get with the program and at least share one Irish inspired recipe. Even though I don’t have an ounce of Irish blood in me, although my currently super pale white skin might suggest otherwise, I still enjoy some of the festive food that this holiday brings to the table.
One of my favorite St. Patrick’s Day recipes is shepherd’s pie. It’s hard not to love a dish full of meat and mashed potatoes, can we say maximum comfort food. The recipe I’m sharing today is far from the traditional recipes you’ll find for shepherd’s pie, but you know me, I like to put a little twist on traditional recipes! Today it’s all about these Turkey Shepherd’s Pie Stuffed Sweet Potatoes that should definitely make an appearance on your table this St. Patrick’s Day or any day!
I had to look up a little history on shepherd’s pie before I made this recipe. First to make sure it was actually Irish and second to see what it’s traditionally made with. It is in fact an Irish as well as an English dish and sometimes referred to as a cottage pie. Traditionally it’s made with either beef or lamb and topped with mashed potatoes, not sweet potatoes. So basically I threw all traditions aside except for the fact that this is a meat and potatoes meal and did my own thing…this is pretty typical when it comes to the things I cook.
I wanted to boost the nutrition of this shepherd’s pie so the first thing to do was swap out regular potatoes for sweet potatoes. Then because we don’t eat much beef or lamb in our house the next swap was subbing in lean ground turkey. I did stick to using most of the traditional vegetables and seasonings such as carrots, onion, peas, garlic and fresh thyme. Assembling the potatoes is done similarly to how you would with twice baked potatoes. Scoop out the flesh of the sweet potatoes, mash is with some milk, salt, pepper and a little cheese then stuff it along with the turkey filling back into the skin. I topped it with the remaining mashed sweet potatoes and sharp white cheddar cheese, then baked it again until the cheese was melted. The result, completely non-traditional, but super delicious Turkey Shepherd’s Pie Stuffed Sweet Potatoes!
Turkey Shepherd’s Pie Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
Turkey Shepherd's Pie Filling
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground turkey
- 1/2 of a yellow onion diced
- 1 carrot diced
- 1 clove of garlic minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 1/2 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 teaspoons worcestershire
- 1/2 cup frozen peas defrosted
- 2 teaspoons flour use cornstarch to make gluten-free
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
- Shredded sharp white cheddar cheese for topping
Sweet Potato Filling
- 2 large sweet potatoes scrubbed clean
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 2 tablespoons shredded cheddar cheese
- Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil.
- Lay the sweet potatoes on the baking sheet, use a fork to pierce them with holes, then place them on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 40-50 minutes or until a knife can be inserted easily.
- Remove the potatoes from the oven to cool slightly before cutting them in half lengthwise and scooping out the filling (leave a 1/4 inch border all around the inside of the potato).
- Leave the potato skins on the lined baking sheet for assembling later.
- In a medium sized bowl add the milk, salt, pepper and shredded cheese to the sweet potatoes and mash them to your desired consistency.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat with 2 teaspoons of olive oil.
- Add the onion, carrot and garlic to the skillet and sautè until they start to soften, about 4 minutes.
- Add in the ground turkey and crumble with a wooden spoon.
- Season with salt, pepper, poultry seasoning and fresh thyme and cook the mixture until the turkey is no longer pink.
- Stir in the ketchup, worcestershire and peas.
- In a glass measuring cup whisk together the flour and chicken broth until smooth then pour it into the turkey mixture.
- Stir the turkey mixture until the sauce has thickened, about 2 minutes.
Assembling
- Preheat oven to broil.
- Scoop just enough of the mashed sweet potatoes back into the skins to cover the bottom.
- Fill the sweet potatoes the rest of the way with the turkey filling, you will probably have leftover filling.
- Divide the remaining mashed sweet potatoes evenly over the top of each stuffed potato.
- Top with shredded white cheddar cheese then place the potatoes back in the oven and broil until the cheese has melted.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
More St. Patrick’s Day Recipes
Corned Beef, Sweet Potato and Kale Hash
Chocolate Bailey’s Yogurt Panna Cotta
Pistachio Green Tea Cupcakes with Matcha Cream Cheese Frosting
Such bright, healthy colors! love the healthy twist on shepherds pie!
Thanks Heather!
I’m really liking the idea of this recipe over other traditional St. Pats day ones. This one look super delish and filling. And what a fun way to celebrate that day!
Thanks Taylor! I love a good stuffed sweet potato! Have a great weekend!