Health Nut Shepherd's Pie

Health Nut Shepherd's Pie

Sometimes I just don't know what to make for dinner.  Sometimes I go shopping for specific ingredients to make for dinner.  And sometimes, I'm trying to combine ingredients and put them all into a dinner before things go bad.  This dish is the latter!

The last night before we left for a sunny, Easter weekend in San Diego, I had lots of veggies in the refrigerator that I knew wouldn't make it through the weekend.  I needed something that could combine all the veggies together and not taste like a bowl of vitamins so that my two favorite men would eat them.

I had some ground turkey, some potatoes and some marinara sauce.  I threw it all together, baked it in the oven, and this was the result!  I love it when a plan comes together.  (Yes, I did just quote a line from the A-team)

Health Nut Shepherd's Pie

Prep Time: 20 minutes / Cook Time: 50 minutes / Servings: 6

Health Nut Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients:

• 3 large Russet potatoes
• 1 pound lean ground turkey
• 10 oz. sliced white mushrooms
• 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 red or green bell pepper, finely chopped
• 4 stalks asparagus, cut into 1" pieces
• 2 cups broccoli florets, roughly chopped
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 1 16 oz. jar tomato basil marinara sauce (I use Trader Joe's)
• 1/4 cup shredded low-fat cheddar cheese
• 1/3 cup low-fat milk
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• salt and pepper
• olive oil cooking spray

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Peel and roughly chop the potatoes.  Add them to a large pot of boiling, salted water and boil on high heat for 12-15 minutes until soft when poked with a fork. Drain the potatoes and add them to a large mixing bowl.
3. Add the milk, season with salt and pepper and mash until the potatoes are smooth and creamy.  Set aside.
4.  Spray a large, heated skillet with olive oil cooking spray.   Add the onion, bell pepper and mushrooms.  Season with 1/2 tsp. garlic powder and salt & pepper to taste.  Cook on medium heat for 7-10 minutes until veggies are soft and liquid is absorbed from mushrooms.  Transfer to a large bowl, add the asparagus and broccoli, stir until combined and set aside.
5. Re-spray the same skillet with cooking spray, add the ground turkey, season with 1/2 tsp. garlic powder and salt & pepper to taste.  Cook on medium heat for 7-10 minutes until turkey is browned and cooked through.
6. Add the cherry tomatoes and marinara sauce.  Reduce heat to low and continue to cook for 7-10 minutes on medium heat until sauce is slightly reduced and tomatoes are soft.
7. Remove the meat sauce from the heat and add to the bowl with the veggies.  Stir until all ingredients are combined and place in the bottom of a large casserole dish.  Spread the mashed potatoes on top with a spoon or spatula, covering all the meat sauce.  
8. Top with the cheese and bake in the oven at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes, until the cheese is browned and bubbly.  Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Health Nut Shepherd's Pie