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This Healthy Shepherd’s Pie with Ground Turkey and Apple is a cozy Fall inspired dairy free Shepherd’s Pie recipe made with ground turkey, diced apples, rubbed sage, and a creamy dairy-free cauliflower potato mash.
Is there really anything more Fall than cooked apples?? From apple crisp to apple muffins to this apple and turkey shepherd’s pie, apples add such a sweet autumn vibe.
If you haven’t tried it before, you need to try the combination of ground turkey cooked with apples and sage. It is just amazing! I was actually inspired to make this based on my Apple And Sage Turkey Meatloaf recipe. Turning ground turkey and cooked apples into a shepherd’s pie form is the ultimate cozy satisfying meal.
Table of Contents
Why this recipe works
- It’s made with healthy ingredients.
- It jazzes things up. It’s a fun way to add apples to a dish or to change things up and make something a little different that will be a crowd pleaser.
- It is great for those following a Paleo, Gluten free, Dairy free or Whole30 diet.
- It’s also great for a large family or for anyone that wants leftovers.
- This dish reheats really well and makes wonderful leftovers.
Recipe Ingredients
- carrots– these are part of the apple sage turkey gravy filling.
- apples– this help flavor the whole dish! Any type of apple works here.
- ground turkey– any type works, I prefer regular fat ground turkey here though.
- rubbed sage– this pairs well with the apple and turkey flavors.
- onion powder– any type or brand works here. This flavors the meat and the potatoes.
- mustard– dijon mustard or any brand without added sugar or colorings.
- tomato paste-this helps flavor the gravy.
- strained tomatoes– this gives texture to the gravy.
- potatoes– I like using gold or yellow potatoes but you can use russet as well.
- cauliflower– this is used in the mash with the potatoes.
- garlic powder– this flavors the potato cauliflower mash.
- almond milk– make sure it is unflavored and without added sugar.
- olive oil– a good quality extra virgin olive oil.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Additions/ Substitutions
- Instead of onion powder, you can use raw onions and cook them with the ground turkey.
- Instead of cauliflower, you can use more potatoes.
- Instead of almond milk, you can use any non-dairy milk of choice.
Step by step instructions
Step 1: Boil the potatoes and cauliflower.
While those are boiling, you can start cooking the apple sage turkey filling. To do this, cook the carrots and apples, then add the ground turkey, and spices and seasonings
Then, once the ground turkey is cooked through, add the strained tomatoes and mix, and then pour the whole mixture into a large pan.
Step 2: Mash the potatoes and cauliflower using a potato masher in a large bowl. Add garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, almond milk and olive oil to the mash and mix until smooth.
Once the mash is smooth, top the shepherd’s pie filling with it.
Step 3: Completely top the dish with the mashed cauliflower and potatoes.
Step 4: Bake!
Recipe FAQs
Once the pan is cool, wrap it in aluminum foil and store in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Yes! Follow all of the steps until the baking step and store in the fridge until ready to bake.
You can use pears!
Other healthy Shepherd’s Pie recipes you’ll love:
Did you try this recipe? Please leave me a ⭐ review below!
Healthy Shepherd’s Pie with Ground Turkey and Apple (Paleo, Whole30)
Ingredients
Shepherd’s Pie filling ingredients:
- 1 Tbs olive oil
- 1 cup sliced carrots
- 2 cups diced apples
- 2 lbs ground turkey , (I use 94% lean ground turkey)
- 2 tsp dried parsley
- 2 tsp rubbed sage
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 Tbs mustard
- 3 Tbs tomato paste
- 1/2 cup strained tomatoes
Cauliflower potato mash ingredients:
- 6 medium potatoes , cut into 1 inch slices
- 1 head of cauliflower , cut into smaller florets
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup almond milk
- 2 Tbs olive oil
Instructions
- Boil the sliced potatoes, and the cauliflower florets in water for 20-25 minutes, until you can easily stab the potatoes with a knife. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Shepherd's pie filling instructions:
- Put 1 Tbs olive oil, 1 cup of sliced carrots, and 2 cups of diced apples into a large pot/pan, and mix. Heat over medium heat and sauté until tender, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add the ground turkey to the pot breaking it up into smaller pieces. Top the ground turkey with 2 tsp parsley, 2 tsp rubbed sage, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 Tbs mustard, and 3 Tbs tomato paste. Mix and cook until the meat is cooked through, about 6-8 minutes.
- Add 1/2 cup strained tomatoes, mix.
- Pour the shepherd's pie filling into a 9 in x 13 in pan.
Cauliflower potato mash instructions:
- Put the boiled potatoes and cauliflower florets into a large bowl and mash. Top with 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tso pepper, and 1/4 cup almond milk and mash.
- Scoop the cauliflower potato mash onto the shepherd's pie filling in the pan, evenly distributing it and then smooth it out with a spatula.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes. If you want to add a bit of crisp to the top, set your oven to broil and cook for a few more minutes.
Notes
-
- Instead of onion powder, you can use raw onions and cook them with the ground turkey.
- Instead of cauliflower, you can use more potatoes.
- Instead of almond milk, you can use any non-dairy milk of choice.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
