Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie
Sweet potato shepherd’s pie is a layered, classic pie with tender sweet potato chunks, vegetable mix, savory turkey all baked with comfort and love in one casserole dish.
Always a favorite!
This is a spin on traditional Shepherd’s Pie.
It uses sweet potatoes (not yams, the sweet potatoes are the ones with the lighter skin), giving it a slightly sweeter taste.
This shepherd’s pie is really yummy. And even though it is easy to make, I made a double batch to use as a freezer meal because it freezes really well, and makes for a hearty meal with no work later!
Shepherd’s pie is a classic meal similar to meatloaf. Everyone has had it or heard of it at one point in their lives.
This shepherd’s pie is rich, hearty and flavorful in every bite!
We love sweet potatoes in our family I just knew I wanted to try and add a little more sweetness to my traditional shepherd’s pie.
If you love sweet potatoes, you need to try these family meals with sweet potatoes in them: southwestern sweet potato and ground beef skillet, lightened up chicken and sweet photostat California burrito or BBQ pork, quinoa, sweet potato burrito.
Growing up we knew there was going to be shepherd’s pie every week. It was an easy and simple go-to meal that my mom would make.
She has it memorized, she made it so many times. It is a classic and traditional layered comfort meal that each of us kids enjoyed eating.
When you find something your kids will eat, you just stick to it! Like this kid friendly shepherd’s pie cups.
Now it has become a family favorite in our home and again, it is so easy to whip together and bake for a quick meal as a family.
With this shepherd’s pie, sweet potato is substituted for the potatoes from a traditional shepherd’s pie.
I love the sweetness and flavors that it brings with each bite.
What you need to make sweet potato shepherd’s pie
So many easy and on hand ingredients that make this meal even easier to make.
Make this quick and right before everyone gets home from work and school!
- Sweet potatoes
- Garlic- minced
- Chicken broth- you can use beef broth if you are wanting to use ground beef.
- Turkey or beef- ground
- Olive oil
- Onion powder- to taste
- Mixed vegetables- your choice of flavor and kind.
- Flour
- Worcestershire sauce
- Rosemary
- Salt and Pepper- to taste
- Paprika- to taste
- Cheese
How do you make sweet potato shepherd’s pie?
Simple to put together and mixes very quickly. Not too many steps to get you through making this shepherd’s pie.
- Start by dicing, cooking, and mashing your sweet potatoes, then set aside.
- Brown your beef and add in your veggies. I used a bag of frozen mixed veggies that I had on hand.
- Make your sauce. This is like a homemade version of a “cream of whatever” soup.
- Mix sauce and meat mixture together, and assemble your shepherd’s pie in a disposable foil container for freezing, or casserole dish of choice.
- Put meat and sauce mixture on bottom, top with mashed and slightly seasoned (salt and pepper) sweet potatoes.
- Top with shredded cheese, if desired, and either cover and freeze, or bake at this point!
Why is it called a “pie”?
The word “pie” suggests apple pie, or chicken pot pie, with a top and bottom pastry crust.
But the “pie” in “shepherd’s pie” comes from the shape of the dish and the way its topping covers the filling.
Can shepherd’s pie be made ahead of time? Yes!
Meal prepping is my thing and I want to keep it up.
I love that I can make this on Sunday night with other meals and warm it up at the beginning of the week.
It works for our family to have a menu plan set in place so we know what we are having and how to make ahead so we have more time to spend together.
You can make this shepherd’s pie 1-2 days in advance if desired.
Simply cook ingredients on the skillet and pour in a baking dish.
Let cool completely, then cover tightly with plastic wrap or foil and place in fridge.
When ready to serve, bake uncovered in the oven until bubbly, about 20 to 25 minutes.
Can you freeze shepherd’s pie? Yes!
This is one of those recipes that I love to double when making.
I can make one for our family that night and then one for another night when I put it in the freezer.
If you are planning on freezing the sweet potato shepherds pie, I’d recommend baking it first prior to freezing.
Simply bake uncovered in oven for 20 minutes, then let cool completely.
Tightly wrap in aluminum foil or plastic wrap and place in the freezer.
Then it can be frozen for 1 to 2 months.
When ready to enjoy, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then bake until warmed through.
What can you serve with shepherd’s pie?
Make this a complete meal. I like to prepare it ahead of time, then all I have to do is add a few sides the day of and puff, we have a hearty and delicious meal!
To start off I like to add a salad like frog eye salad, cranberry jello salad or kale chopped salad. It also pairs well with moms dinner rolls and our favorite simple dessert, chocolate pie.
Looking for more “pie” dinners? Here are some to try!
- Ham and Cheese crustless quiche
- Chicken Pot Pie
- Gluten Free Seafood Pot Pie
- Chicken Pot Pie Filling
- Shepherd’s Pie
- Kid Friendly Shepherd’s Pie Cups
Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie with Ground Turkey
Ingredients
- 2 sweet potatoes
- 3 tbs of minced garlic
- 1 3/4 cup of chicken broth
- 1 lb of ground turkey or beef
- 1 tsp of olive oil
- Onion powder to taste
- 3 c mixed vegetables of choice
- 2 tbsp of flour
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 tsp rosemary
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Paprika to taste
- Cheese optional
Instructions
- Peel and chunk sweet potatoes.
- Put in large saucepan, cover with water.
- Add a tsp of salt, 1 cup chicken broth, and half the minced garlic to water.
- Cook until soft, about 20-25 minutes.
- Drain and mash.
- Set aside.
- Put olive oil in skillet and saute remaining garlic with onion powder.
- Brown turkey or beef.
- Add your flour, salt and pepper, remaining 3/4 cup chicken broth, worcestershire sauce, paprika and rosemary.
- Mix well.
- Add your frozen vegetables.
- Let simmer for 5-7 minutes.
- Assemble in 9 x 13 pan by putting beef mixture on bottom and topping with sweet potatoes, and if you would like, a little bit of shredded cheese.
- Preheat oven to 400, bake 15-25 minutes, or until warmed through and bubbly
Nutrition
Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.
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