Mushroom & Herb Shepherd's Pie

Topped with cheddar mashed potatoes. This recipe can be made with turkey or beef.

Ingredients

  • 32 oz potatoes
  • 16 oz button mushrooms
  • 12 oz carrots
  • 1 onion
  • 1/4 oz thyme
  • Olive oil
  • 20 oz ground beef or ground turkey
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 5 Tbsp butter, divided
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 Tbsp flour
  • 2 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 Tbsp veggie stock concentrate
  • 3 Tbsp sour cream
  • 1 cup white cheddar cheese

Directions

  1. Dice potatoes into 1/2-inch pieces; place in a large pot with enough salted water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, 15-20 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup potato cooking liquid, then drain and return potatoes to pot. Keep covered off heat until ready to mash.
  2. Meanwhile, trim and quarter mushrooms. Trim, peel, and finely dice carrots. Halve, peel, and dice the onion. Strip the thyme leaves from stems; mince leaves.
  3. Heat a drizzle of oil in a large, preferably ovenproof, pan over medium-high heat. Add beef or turkey. Season with salt and pepper and cook, breaking up meat into pieces, until browned and cooked through, 4-6 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate and carefully discard any excess grease from pan.
  4. In the same pan, heat a drizzle of olive oil. Add mushrooms and a big pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
  5. Add another drizzle of olive oil to pan. Stir in carrots, onion, and salt. Cook, stirring, until veggies are softened, 5-7 minutes more.
  6. Stir in 2 Tbsp of butter, then add thyme, garlic powder, and flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in tomato paste until incorporated.
  7. Add water and stock concentrates, scraping up browned bits. Stir in protein and bring to a boil; reduce to a low simmer and cook until thickened, 2-3 minutes. If the filling seems to thick, add splashes of water. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a baking dish if pan is not ovenproof.
  8. Mash drained potatoes with sour cream, half of the cheddar, and the remaining 3 Tbsp of butter until smooth and creamy, adding splashes of reserved potato cooking liquid as needed. Season with salt and pepper.
  9. Heat broiler to high. Once filling has thickened, spoon mashed potatoes on top. Spread in an even layer, leaving a 1-inch border around the edge of the pan. Sprinkle potatoes with remaining cheddar.
  10. Broil until cheese is lightly browned, 3-4 minutes, watching carefully to avoid burning. Let rest 5 minutes and serve.