Turkey Shepherd’s Pie Recipe (Thanksgiving Leftovers)
This turkey shepherd’s pie recipe has buttery garlic mashed potatoes on top of a rich and creamy turkey filling filled with tender vegetables. It’s a great way to use up Thanksgiving leftovers and one you’ll want to remake every year!
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase. Please read our disclosure policy.
Why You’ll Love Leftover Turkey Shepherd’s Pie
- Easy – This turkey shepherd’s pie made with leftover turkey means half of the work is already done for you, making this dish easy to throw together for a delicious weeknight meal. Plus, cooking this cozy meal in a braiser or Dutch oven makes the transition from stove to oven seamless.
- Adaptable – Celebrating with turkey is most often during Thanksgiving and Christmas time, but you don’t need to wait until the holidays to make this easy turkey shepherd’s pie. Enjoy roasted turkey anytime of the year or use simple swaps to enjoy all winter long!
- Pure Comfort Food – Turkey shepherd’s pie is classic comfort food that’s made with real ingredients. Boasting with the flavors of Thanksgiving, this meal is one the whole family will enjoy!
Tips for the Best Turkey Shepherd’s Pie
- Save time and make it ahead of time, whether it’s just a part of it or the whole thing. Make the mashed potatoes or meat filling mixture ahead of time and assemble it right before baking. Or assemble the whole pie, cover, and refrigerate. Once ready to bake, place it into the oven as it preheats, and bake until the middle is hot.
- While preparing in a braiser creates a seamless transition, don’t fret if you don’t have one. Instead, saute the vegetables in a large skillet and then transfer to a 9×13 baking dish, top with mashed potatoes, and place it in the oven to bake.
Substitutions
- Have fun with the potato topping. Create a lower-carb turkey shepherd’s pie with cauliflower mash. Alternatively, use mashed sweet potatoes, removing the garlic cloves, for a sweeter potato topping. If you’re using leftover holiday mashed potatoes, you’ll need 6 cups to top the pie.
- Use leftover gravy to thicken the pie instead of flour, milk, and broth. This method won’t have the same creaminess in the filling, but it is a useful way to use up turkey gravy. Reduce the butter to 2 tbsp.
- While this is the perfect way to use leftover Thanksgiving turkey, don’t limit it to the holidays and when you have roast turkey. Easily make a ground turkey shepherd’s pie by frying up lean ground turkey before adding the vegetables.
- Alternatively, you can substitute ground chicken or shredded roasted chicken it in place of the turkey.
- The garlic mashed potatoes add so much delightful flavor; however, if you’re not a fan of garlic, you can leave them out for a classic style mashed potato topping.
- Easily make a gluten-free shepherd’s pie by substituting gluten-free flour to thicken the turkey filling.
FAQs
Can You Freeze Turkey Shepherd’s Pie?
Yes! Classic shepherd’s pie makes a great freezer meal. Bake according to directions and then allow to cool to room temperature. Wrap tightly in foil and freeze up to 2 months. You can also transfer it into an airtight container and freeze.
What’s the difference between Shepherd’s pie and Cottage pie?
When you search for shepherd’s pie recipes, you’re likely to find quite a few renditions. Traditional shepherd’s pie is often made using ground lamb, while a traditional cottage pie calls for ground beef. This recipe for turkey shepherd’s pie is loosely based on those, but uses holiday leftovers instead.
The holidays are a time to slow down from the usual hustle and tightly packed schedules to gather with those you love. It begins with Thanksgiving dinner, rolls into Christmas, and ends with a grand celebration to ring in the new year.
Our Thanksgiving feast is a labor of love, with many hands joining together to prepare. This holiday feast always leaves us with a fridge full of leftovers after everyone has eaten their share. For us, this is a joy. Having spent so many hours and much love preparing this food, I love that we get to enjoy it for more than just one meal. I’m on team leftovers, every time!
What to do with those turkey leftovers? There are so many options, so let me help you narrow it down to some of my favorites. If you’re a soup lover like me, you’ll want to try my creamy leftover turkey wild rice soup.
But if casseroles are your thing, then you must try this one! This is the best turkey shepherd’s pie! It’s true hearty comfort food that is satiating, leaving you feeling cozy and content during the winter nights.
Equipment
- 5 qt Braiser or Dutch oven
- Colander
- Cutting board
- Sharp knife
- Large pot
- Potato masher or hand held mixer
Ingredients
- Turkey – Having leftover turkey meat means half the work is done when making turkey shepherd’s pie. Use whatever combination of light and dark leftover meat you enjoy.
- Butter – Sauteeing the vegetables in butter not only makes them extra special, but it also provides enough fat to make a roux, thickening the sauce with the liquids. Trust me, it’s worth it!
- Potatoes – Use Yukon Gold potatoes for a creamy, smooth mashed potato topping.
- Garlic – Use fresh garlic for the best flavor.
- Seasonings – A combination of thyme, parsley, salt, and black pepper flavors the pie. I love using fresh herbs, but you can easily replace them with dried herbs, reducing the thyme and parsley to 1 tsp of each.
- Vegetables – Start with a classic mirepoix: carrots, celery, and onion. Then add mushrooms and frozen peas to add more flavor dimension. Use button mushrooms, or the more mature version known as baby bella mushrooms, both also known as cremini mushrooms.
- Flour – A bit of all-purpose flour thickens the sauce.
- Broth – A touch of chicken broth creates the flavorful sauce for the pie. Use low-sodium chicken stock or homemade broth to have full control of the salt levels. Be sure to wait until the end of the cooking process to taste if the potatoes or filling need any additional salt.
- Milk – Makes the sauce creamy to hold all of the meat and veggies together. Whole milk will have the best flavor.
How to Make Turkey Shepherd’s Pie
Prep
Preheat the oven to 400°F/205°C with the oven rack set in the middle positon.
Peel and cut the potatoes into 1-inch cubes. Add the potatoes, garlic cloves, and 1 tsp of salt to a pot with enough water to fully cover the potatoes. Boil until fork-tender, roughly 30 minutes.
Turkey Pie Filling
While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the meat pie filling.
Add a stick of butter to the braiser over medium heat on the stove to melt the butter. To the melted butter, add the minced garlic, chopped onion, black pepper, and thyme. Sauté for 5 minutes with a wooden spoon until the onions are soft and the herbs are fragrant.
Next, add the diced carrots, sliced celery, and mushroom slices. Increase to medium-high heat and cook for 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have shrunk and released some of their juices.
Reduce to low heat and sprinkle flour over the meat mixture, stirring to create a thick paste. While stirring, add the milk and chicken broth, and cook for 3-5 minutes. The sauce will thicken as it heats and cooks out the raw flour taste. Finally, stir in frozen peas, leftover turkey meat, and minced fresh parsley.
Assemble and Bake
Drain potatoes and add back to the pot. Using a potato masher or a handheld mixer, mash potatoes. Add the butter slices and combine. Taste if it needs more salt.
Normally, mashed potatoes contain butter for flavor and milk to make them creamy. However, in order for the potato topping to hold its shape, and due to the Yukon Gold’s high water content, we opted to leave the milk out. Add a splash of milk if you prefer extra creamy potatoes, but note that the vegetables will soften and release more moisture as they bake.
Spoon the creamy mashed potatoes over the top of the turkey mixture and spread evenly.
Place the braiser into the oven and bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until the top is a light golden brown.
Storage
First, allow the pie to cool completely. If your braiser comes with a lid, cover it and place it in the refrigerator. Alternatively, you can transfer the pie into an airtight container and refrigerate. Best if eaten within 3 days.
How to Serve Easy Turkey Shepherd’s Pie
- No need for any side dishes since turkey shepherds pie contains protein, carbs, and vegetables, making it an easy complete meal.
- Serve with sourdough oatmeal dinner rolls and butter to help wipe the plate clean.
- Finish the meal with a hot cup of coffee and something sweet like my easy no-bake chocolate chip cookie dough bites or the best chocolate espresso cake.
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love if it you gave it 5 stars! Thank you! Tag me on Instragram @LockremHomestead
Turkey Shepherd’s Pie Recipe (Thanksgiving Leftovers)
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I’ll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Lockrem Homestead
Equipment
- 5 qt braiser or Dutch oven
- colander
- sharp knife
- Cutting Board
- potato masher or handheld mixer
- large pot
Ingredients
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- 3 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes peel and cut into 1-inch cubes
- ½ cup salted butter 1 stick
- 8 cloves garlic
- 1½ tsp salt divided
Turkey Shepherd's Pie Filling
- ½ cup salted butter 1 stick
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 T fresh thyme 1 tsp dried
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 8 oz mushrooms wipe clean with a napkin and slice
- 2 medium carrots diced
- 2 ribs celery slices
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 3 cups cooked turkey diced
- 3 T fresh parsley
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
Prep
- Preheat the oven to 400°F/205°C with the oven rack set in the middle position.
- Peel and cut the potatoes into 1-inch cubes. Add the potatoes, garlic cloves, and 1 tsp of salt to a pot with enough water to fully cover the potatoes. Boil until fork-tender, roughly 30 minutes.
Turkey Shepherd's Pie Filling
- While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the meat filling.
- Add a stick of butter to the braiser over medium heat on the stove to melt the butter. To it, add the minced garlic, chopped onion, black pepper, and thyme. Sauté for 5 minutes until the onions are soft and the herbs are fragrant.
- Next, add the diced carrots, sliced celery, and mushroom slices. Increase to medium-high heat and cook for 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have shrunk and released some of their juices.
- Reduce the heat to low and sprinkle flour over the vegetables, stirring to create a thick paste. While stirring, add the milk and chicken broth, and cook for 5 minutes. The sauce will thicken as it heats. Finally, stir in frozen peas, leftover turkey meat, and minced fresh parsley.
Assemble and Bake
- Drain potatoes and add back to the pot. Using a potato masher or a handheld mixer, mash potatoes. Add the butter slices and combine. Taste if it needs more salt.
- Spoon the creamy mashed potatoes over the top of the turkey mixture and spread evenly.
- Place the braiser into the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until the top is a light golden brown.
Storage
- First, allow the pie to cool completely. If your braiser comes with a lid, cover it and place it in the refrigerator. Alternatively, you can transfer the pie into an airtight container and refrigerate. Best if eaten within 3 days.
Notes
- Normally, mashed potatoes contain butter for flavor and milk to make them creamy. However, in order for the potato topping to hold its shape, and due to the Yukon Gold’s high water content, we opted to leave the milk out. Add a splash of milk if you prefer extra creamy potatoes, but note that the vegetables will soften and release more moisture as they bake.
- Use low-sodium chicken broth or homemade to have full control of the salt levels. Wait until the end of the cooking process to taste if the potatoes or filling need any additional salt.
Come cold weather, this pie is the perfect balance of comfort food and nutrition! I love how hearty it feels…it is easy to imagine a shepherd enjoying it after a long, windy day outside! Feel free to leave your comments and questions below, I look forward to responding to you!