Savory Shepherd’s Pie

Hey hungry people! I recently shared on my instagram page that my cooking strategy is totally disorganized. I tend to start with whatever products I need to use up before they spoil (or leftovers that need to be used!) and build my meal around that with foods I have in the house. Some of the beauty in cooking is that there are NO rules!, and you can get creative! Today I wanted to share my version of a Savory Shepherd’s Pie – perfect for using up leftovers or a hearty winter meal.

shepherds pie shepards pie ingredients
I love buying these little tubes of tomato paste because they’re so convenient if you don’t need to use a whole can!

I happened to have some leftover hamburger patties we had grilled earlier in the week that I knew we weren’t going to eat as hamburgers. Well, this one’s easy…. ground meat is ground meat and really easy to repurpose. I don’t normally keep potatoes in the house, but did have a few yellow potatoes around (during the time of COVID-19 quarantine where we’re cooking and eating almost every meal at home!)

From this was born my idea of Savory Shepherd’s Pie!…. which I had never actually cooked before – ha! Most of my recipes are developed this way. So here it goes:

Preheat your oven! – 400 degrees oughta do it!

If you’re using leftovers, chop up your cooked hamburgers and set aside. Begin browning your ground meat. I used ground turkey that I had available, but beef or even pork would work for this recipe too.

While the meat is browning, start boiling your potatoes for the topping. I used about 3-4 medium sized potatoes which, when chopped were all the same size, about 1″ cubes. It’s important to chop them the same size so they cook evenly. Boil until fork tender (about 15 minutes), and drain the water. Set aside.

Once the meat has browned, add 1 large onion and cook until translucent. (If you’re using any pre-cooked meat I would add to the mixture at this point as well).

Add garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and stir well. After these are distributed evenly, add the spices (thyme, sage, parsley, salt, pepper). Cook until fragrant.

Add the 2 Tbsp Tomato Paste, 2 tbsp of flour and 1 cup of Beef Broth to deglaze the pan. Continue to stir until all the clumps of flour and tomato paste have been dissolved, and add your vegetables.

I used a bag of frozen mixed vegetables because that’s what I had on hand. It was the perfect amount for 1 pound of meat. Once vegetables are thawed and integrated into the meat mixture, TASTE it! I found that I did add some more salt and pepper to amp up the flavor a little bit.

Once you’re happy with the flavors, transfer the meat mixture to a 7 x 11″ pyrex dish.

To finish the potato topping, I added 1/2 stick of butter, approx 1/3 cup milk, garlic powder, and salt and pepper to taste. For fun, I threw in a little parmesan cheese, but this is definitely optional. I add the milk sparingly at first until the texture is right, because it’s tough to re-thicken potatoes! I used an immersion blender to puree this mixture, but you can easily use a potato masher if you don’t have that equipment available!

Once you’re happy with the flavor & texture of your mashed potatoes, transfer them to top the meat & vegetable mixture. Spread evenly over the top and transfer to your preheated oven.

Bake for 25-30 minutes in a 400 degree oven until the potato topping has begun to turn brown and may have a slight crisp to it.

Yum! Top with a little chopped parsley to garnish and you have yourself a delicious, savory Shepherd’s Pie!

If you try this recipe out, let me know what you think! 🙂 If you’re not feeling so much cooking, try out my Southwest Stuffed Bell Peppers that you could also make with leftovers!

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Tater Tot Casserole

tater tot casserole, potato puffs, ground turkey, healthy meal, healthy recipe

I wanted to share a family favorite with you all. I think of this as a comfort food because we ate it so often growing up, but with my background in nutrition, I’ve lightened up the fat and increased the fiber in this healthier version of my dad’s Tater Tot Casserole.

This was one of my favorite meal since I was a kiddo, and I think I learned to cook the original version when I was about 11 years old – or whenever it is that you’re old enough to be unsupervised in the kitchen.

Our OG recipe was made with Italian pork sausage, the creamy soups, and the tots. Pretty basic & straightforward. No frills. As most of my meals involve a strategy to include more veggies, I of course did the same thing to this comforting dish to have all the deliciousness without all the fat and a few added extras. That being said, this is a healthier version of a classic comfort food 😉)

So, to start the tater tot casserole, you will want to preheat the oven to 400 degrees, spray a 9×13″ cooking dish with cooking spray (set aside), and begin cooking the ground meat. I prefer to use a ground turkey sausage, so I have to do less seasoning, but you could totally use a plain ground meat if you were looking to reduce nitrates or sodium, and season to your preference.

Ground Turkey, Tater Tot Casserole, Lightened Up
Nutrition Tip! – I often hear my patients claim that they use turkey sausage vs pork sausage when trying to reduce sodium, but the reality is that the turkey products are generally only lower in fat, and sometimes even higher in sodium!

While the turkey is cooking, chop your veggies. I like to chop these in varying shapes so it’s not totally uniform. Onions square, matchstick peppers & pie shaped zucchini. I know, I’m a weirdo. But food is all about eating with your eyes, right? Colors, shapes…. ok, ok. I digress.

Zucchini, Onion, Red Pepper, Bell Pepper, Red Bell Pepper, Vegetables, Veggies for Tater Tot Casserole

Once the turkey is cooked and any remaining liquid has been drained, add the pepper & onion, and cook for about 3 minutes until the onions and peppers begin to soften and become slightly translucent. At this point, add the zucchini (and mushrooms), and cook for 2-3 minutes more until the mushrooms & zucchini are only slightly cooked.

Tater Tot Casserole - Lightened Up - Healthy
Tater Tot Casserole - Lightened Up - Healthy

Now, I have a protester of mushrooms in my house – but I LOVE them in this dish! So, after the veggies are softened and mixed with the ground turkey, I sautee a few mushrooms just for me, and only put them on half of the casserole.

Once you’ve got all of your veggies cooked, spoon them into the pre-greased casserole dish that you set aside earlier.

Tater Tot Casserole - Lightened Up

Here’s the less healthy part of this recipe – the “cream of” soups. I prefer to use a mushroom and a celery, but you can really use any kind of your choosing. You will then proceed to dollop the creamed soups on top of the meat/veggie mixture until evenly covered. Spread it around like you’re frosting a cake.

After this step, simply place the tater tots on top of the cream soup and it’s ready to put in the oven! Full disclosure, I accidentally bought a smaller bag of tots than I generally do, so you can go heavy on the tots or not. I prefer more potato though!

Cook the casserole for 35 minutes or until the tots are beginning to brown. At this point, remove the casserole from the oven and top with some shredded cheddar cheese. You can go as light or as heavy as you like here – just remember that the more cheese you add, the less ‘light’ the dish will be. 😉 I go heavy or go home…. (This is also how I differentiate the side with the mushrooms. More mushrooms = more cheese…. in my household anyway!) Cook for about 5 more mintues or until the cheese is melted.

Tater Tot Casserole - Lightened Up

Once cooled, dish it up and enjoy! Full disclosure, I was so hungry after making this, I didn’t even garnish it – whoops!

Tater Tot Casserole

admin
A Favorite Comfort Food, with a few healthy swaps & additions
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings

Equipment

  • 9×13" casserole dish

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb ground turkey sausage
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, sliced
  • 1 medium zucchini, chopped
  • 4 oz chopped mushroom
  • 1 14 oz can cream of mushroom soup
  • 1 14 oz can cream of celery soup
  • 1 frozen bag tater tots (32 oz)
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • cooking spray

Instructions
 

  • Preheat Oven to 400 degrees.
  • Spray the edges of a 9×13" casserole dish with cooking spray to prevent sticking
  • Begin by browning ground turkey in a skillet over medium heat until cooked through. No pink should be remaining. Drain off any remaining liquid & discard.
  • Add the chopped onion, sliced bell pepper, chopped mushroom, and chopped celery and continue to cook until onion becomes translucent.
  • Once cooked, add to the bottom of a 9×13" casserole dish and spread evenly across the bottom of the dish.
  • Spread cans of soup evenly across the top of the meat & vegetable mixture, and cover completely.
  • Top with tater tots placed in the soup in an even layer, and cook for 35 minutes in the 400 degree oven.
  • Once the tots have browned, remove the dish, sprinkle the 1 cup cheddar cheese mixture over the top and put back into the oven until the cheese is melted, about 5-10 more minutes.
  • Allow to cool, and enjoy!

Notes

Feel free to reduce the sodium further in this dish by using plain ground meat, and seasoning with salt-free seasonings! 
Also, my vegetable choices are simply what I prefer. Feel free to add or eliminate per your preferences. *Chopped celery is a great addition!*
Keyword casserole, tater tot

Give it a shot and let me know what you think! Do you have a family recipe for tater tot casserole? (Or do you even call it that?!)

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