Turkey Cottage Pie, a dish that sums up what comfort food is all about. Hearty, easy to make, and a great choice for a healthy family dinner, this recipe is the perfect example that homemade food is the very best. Made with turkey thigh mince, veggies and a creamy cheesy mashed potato topping, this cottage pie is as delicious as it looks.
Two recipes are almost identical, both as popular, so what's the difference then? Shepherd's pie is traditionally made with ground (minced) lamb, and cottage pie is usually made with beef. Now, nothing stops us from making this recipe our own and tweaking it the way we want. Hence the addition of ground turkey instead of beef.
It's a lot lighter, but equally delicious, and it tastes as beautifully as one expects. It's the kind of comfort food that brings back childhood memories, and makes us appreciate homemade food better.
You might be put off by the long list of ingredients, but it's actually so easy to make it, you won't go back to ready-meals again. It might take a bit longer, but the result is so worth it. Creamy mash potato topping, delicious ground turkey filling, it can't get any better than that!
And with the cold season upon us, this sheer goodness is all we need to warm up, and keep us happy. What a treat! The filling is as closed as it could be to my Healthy Turkey Bolognese Recipe.
How to make turkey cottage pie
This recipe is simplicity itself. So easy to make, with simple ingredients - nothing fancy here, I promise. Just good food that makes you appreciate homemade dishes.
The filling
- start by peeling and chopping the onion, garlic carrot, and chopping the celery stalks
- heat up the oil, add the chopped onion, and sautee until golden
- add the turkey mince, and use a wooden spoon to break it into small pieces
- stir gently until the meat is no longer pink and the liquid released is absorbed
- add the chopped garlic, carrot and celery, then pour over the chicken stock, cover the pan with a lid and leave to cook until the liquid is absorbed
- add the chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, season with herbs, salt and pepper, and leave to cook until the sauce is reduced
The mash and how to assemble
- to make the mash, peel and chop the potatoes roughly
- boil into salted water until tender
- drain, add the butter, milk, salt and a quarter of a cup of grated cheddar
- use a masher to get a smooth, creamy mash
- when the turkey mince is ready, transfer either to a large pie dish, or 2 smaller dishes, top with the mash, and sprinkle more cheese on top
- bake in the preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius (390 Fahrenheit) for 15-20 minutes until golden and bubbling hot
Easy swaps
Another way of totally transforming this dish is to use sweet potato mash instead of the regular one, or even cauliflower mash. Some people prefer these over the white potato mash, I just like it way too much, so there is no swapping here for me.
If you don't have turkey mince, this can be replaced with chicken mince. Or, of course, make it the traditional way with mince beef, or the shepherd's pie way with lamb mince.
As for the veggies used, anything goes - fresh or frozen, anything goes: peas, sweetcorn, beans, whatever you have around. It really is that simple, and the result is the most delicious homemade family dinner. Do give it a try!
Other turkey mince recipes
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Turkey Cottage Pie
Ingredients
- 500 g ground (minced) turkey (2.2 cups)
- 1 onion
- 1 large carrot
- 2 celery stalks
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 3 large potatoes
- 1 tin chopped tomatoes (400 g, 13 oz)
- 1 tablespoon tomato puree
- 2 tablespoon milk
- a knob of butter
- 1 teaspoon mixed dried herbs
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- fresh parsley to garnish
- 1 ½ cup chicken stock (broth)
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Peel and chop the onion, garlic and carrot, and chop the celery stalks.
- Fry the onion until golden, then add the minced turkey and use a wooden spoon to break it into small pieces.
- Cook the turkey stirring until the meat is no longer pink and the liquid released is absorbed.
- Add the chopped garlic, carrot and celery.
- Pour the stock over, cover with a lid, and leave to cook on a medium heat until the liquid is absorbed.
- Meantime,get on with the mashed potatoes. In a large pan, add the potatoes and boil in salted water until tender.
- Drain the water, peel and mash. Add the milk, quarter of a cup of grated cheese and butter and mash well until creamy.
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C (390 Fahrenheit).
- Once the stock is absorbed, add the tomato purée and chopped tomatoes to the pan, season with salt, ground black pepper, and herbs, and mix well.
- Leave to simmer until the sauce is reduced.
- Transfer the filling either to a large pie dish, or 2 smaller ones.
- Top the ground turkey with the mashed potatoes and scatter the remaining grated cheese over.
- Bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes or until golden and bubbling hot.
Crystal says
I LOVE shepherd's pie! I've actually never thought to make it with ground turkey before so I am really going yo have to give this a try. Looks delicious!
Daniela Anderson says
Thank you! I hope you'll like it!