With St. Patrick’s Day right around the corner, I felt another festive recipe was in order! This healthy Shepherd’s Pie is the perfect way to enjoy a traditional Irish meal that is a bit less heavy and absolutely full of nutrients!

This Shepherd’s Pie has a base of fresh vegetables and lean ground turkey that keeps the fat content down. It’s topped with mashed sweet potatoes for a little twist and to give it that nutritional boost!

Sweet potatoes are naturally sweeter than regular potatoes (obviously! 😉 ) BUT they have less calories than regular spuds AND they have over 400% of the daily recommended needs for vitamin A. Vitamin A is important for healthy vision as well as for healthy skin and your beautiful pearly whites! 🙂 Sweet potatoes are also low on the glycemic index, helping prevent sugar spikes that can cause belly bloating.

This meal is a perfect thing to prepare on the weekend and enjoy all week long! Its perfect to take with you for a healthy lunch at work, or to warm up after a long day. The kids will even love it! Especially with the bright orange sweet potato topping!

Feel free to modify this recipe however you wish! There are really no rules when it comes to shepherd’s pie! I used zucchini and squash because one of my favorite English Pubs in Brooklyn made their vegetable Shepherd’s Pie with it and I loved the idea! Get creative or use whatever you have on hand!

Healthy Shepherd’s Pie

Prep Time: 10
Cook Time: 40
Total Time: 50 minutes

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Ingredients

Scale

1–2 large sweet potatoes, diced into 1 inch cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion,diced
2 carrots, diced
1 zucchini, diced
1 summer squash, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground turkey
1 cup vegetable broth, divided
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Fill a stockpot with the set potatoes and water and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower to a simmer for 15-20 minutes or until fork tender.
As the potatoes are cooking, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté onion and carrots for 3-5 minutes, then add zucchini, squash, and garlic and cook 2-4 more minutes until tender.
Add turkey, 1/2 cup vegetable broth, salt & pepper to taste. Allow to cook 10-12 minutes until turkey is no longer pink.
Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot. Add remaining vegetable broth and salt & pepper to taste. Using a hand mixer, blend until smooth.
Scoop the turkey and vegetable mixture into a 9×9 baking dish. Top with mashed sweet potatoes and bake for 20 minutes, or until lightly browned. Allow to cool 10 minutes before serving.