Life shouldn't be all salads and omelettes: Shepherd's Pie - the Remix

Don't get me wrong - I eat more eggs and salads than most people in the modern world. I love them to bits. But to eat the same thing, day in and day out, is a life of monotony that I don't want to subject myself, my husband (or any of you) to! I also don't want to have to eat a separate dinner from Brandon every night. Who has the time to make two meals? More than that, enjoying meals with family is something I really value so if I can make it work, I do it.

It's easy to take the basics (like eggs) and make them into healthy meals - but it's so rewarding when you can take a favourite family recipe and shake it up a bit, to make it healthier and to happily surprise your tastebuds. One of Brandon's favourite meals is Shepherd's Pie - typically consisting of ground beef, mashed potatoes, creamed corn, the odd veggie and (for him at least) a pile of cheese and bread crumbs on top :)

That sadly won't work for me with the bread crumbs and the piles of potatoes....but that doesn't mean we can't eat together - it just means we have to get a bit more creative! Tonight we did just that. Two new takes on Shepherd's Pie - extra veggies, leaner meat and more flavour than it's traditional counterpart.


Shepherd's Pie: the Remix

The filling:
1 package of extra lean ground turkey
1/2-1 cup of frozen peas
1/2-1 cup frozen chopped spinach
1 egg AND
either an additional egg or 1/4 cup of cottage cheese

The topping - v1.0
3 sweet potatoes peeled and steamed
2 tbsp of light cream
dash of cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste
1oz of old cheddar

The topping - v2.0

1 medium head of cauliflower steamed
2-4 tbsp unsweetened almond milk/regular milk
salt and pepper to taste

1-2oz of soft goat's cheese

sprinkle of parmesan

Directions

1) Cook the ground turkey. Combine turkey in large bowl w/ thawed peas and chopped spinach. Stir until well mixed.

2) Add egg(s) and/or cottage cheese and mix well.

3) Add salt and pepper to taste.

4) Put in bottom of oven-safe casserole dish.

Now for the topping.

v1.0 - mash sweet potatoes with light cream and spices (I use a hand blender for easy quick clean up) and spread evenly on top of the turkey mixture. Bake at approximately 350-375 for 45 minutes and then take out and top w/ grated cheddar. Set oven to broil and put bake into over until the cheese browns. Serves 4-6. 

v2.0 - for the more carb-conscious among us (and for those that love the more sophisticated flavour that goat's cheese brings to dishes). First, top turkey mixture with crumbled goat's cheese evenly. Mash steamed cauliflower, almond milk and salt/pepper until creamy and spread over turkey mixture. Bake at approximately 350-375 for 45 minutes and then take out and top w/ a sprinkle of parmesan. Set oven to broil and let parmesan brown.

Taste tested by the man who used to like his shepherd's pie piled high with cheese, heavy on the meat and light on the veggies....both are officially approved - and have found thier way onto the meal roster!