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    Home > Thanksgiving > Cheesy Turkey Shepherd's Pie

    Cheesy Turkey Shepherd's Pie

    Published: Nov 22, 2018 · Modified: Nov 20, 2020 by Kathleen · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. See full disclosure

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    Turkey Shepherds Pie is a delicious way to serve all your Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter leftovers in one skillet. Turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, peas, corn and carrots go in this cheesy one-dish dinner. It's a cross between a Shepherds Pie and a Chicken Pot Pie.

    Shepherds Pie made with leftover Thanksgiving turkey vegetables and gravy. Made in a cast iron skillet with multi colored cloth Pinterest Pin

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    What is Shepherds Pie?

    Shepherd's Pie is typically made with ground lamb or beef and veggies smothered with a thick layer of mashed potatoes.

    In fancy versions, the mashed potatoes are piped onto the meat mixture in decorative dollops. Cheesy Turkey Shepherds Pie is made with Thanksgiving or Christmas leftovers (or "hold-overs" sounds like you planned it that way).

    Shepherd's Pie is one of my favorite one-dish comfort foods. The other favorite is chicken pot pie. Combining these two faves is how I got the idea to make Cheesy Turkey Shepherd's Pie.

    Instead of covering the turkey and veggies with a crust (that I would have to make), like a chicken pot pie, mounding up leftover or "held over" mashed potatoes from Thanksgiving and sprinkling with cheese sounded yummy to me-and easy.

    The "sauce" in my Cheesy Turkey Shepherd's Pie is simply the leftover turkey gravy and the veggies are leftover peas or corn or carrots or green beans-or a combination of whatever is leftover!

    After spending two days in the kitchen cooking for Thanksgiving, I'm ready for some family time. Making Cheesy Turkey Shepherd's Pie is as easy as pulling out the leftovers and mixing and layering them in a skillet and baking it. It comes out of the oven a new creation, not the same ol' turkey and dressing you've eaten the last three meals and you didn't have to get out of your pajamas to go to the grocery store.

    What if I want to make Cheesy Turkey Shepherds Pie and don't have leftover turkey and vegetables?

    Now, let's say you know you always run out of mashed potatoes and gravy or your family doesn't serve veggies except for the green bean casserole or it's July and no turkey in sight. Here are a few substitutions you can make.

    If you ate all the gravy and vegetables at Thanksgiving, you can substitute chicken or turkey gravy and frozen vegetables. I don't recommend just any gravy-I can't stand the flavor of most gravy in jars or powdered package but.

    McCormicks is gluten free, no MSG and no artificial flavors. I use the beef gravy in my regular Shepherd's Pie recipe. If it's July and no turkey is in sight substitute rotisserie chicken.

    How to make Cheesy Turkey Shepherds Pie

    Turkey breast with some cut off the breast, a chefs knife on a cutting board, McCormicks chicken gravy and PictSweet mixed vegetables in package

    If you don't have enough leftover mashed potatoes and your potato bin (if you have a potato bin) is empty, there's no shame in using a good quality package of instant potatoes in this situation. Remember, if you are making this right after Thanksgiving, you are giving yourself a break from cooking.

    Blue bowl filled with mixed vegetables, chopped turkey, and gravy. Red bowl of mashed potatoes. small white bowl of shredded cheese.

    If you know you always run out of mashed potatoes, go ahead and take advantage of the BOGO's on Ore Ida's frozen or Bob Evans refrigerated mashed potatoes the week before when you are shopping for the rest of your holiday meal. I'm a big fan of using coupons and using the ibotta app, too.

    Chopped turkey, vegetables, and gravy in a blue bowl. Mashed potatoes in a red bowl. Shredded cheese in a small white bowl.

    Combine the chopped turkey or rotisserie chicken, vegetables and gravy in a bowl. Combine ½ cup of the cheese to the mashed potatoes. Hold back the rest to sprinkle on top.

    Vegetables and gravy and turkey in a cast iron skillet with mashed potatoes dolloped on top. Small white bowl of shredded cheeseDollop the mashed potatoes on top of the vegetables and gravy mixture in a cast iron skillet or casserole dish. This makes it easier to spread the potatoes to the edges instead of plopping it all in the center which might make the veggie mixture "tsunami" up the sides of the skillet.

    Cast iron skillet full of mashed potatoes. Small white bowl of shredded cheese

    Spread the mashed potatoes all the way to the edges of the skillet to help prevent the gravy from bubbling over the sides.

    Cast iron skillet full of mashed potatoes with Colby Jack cheese sprinkled on top on marble surface

    Sprinkling Colby Jack cheese on the mashed potatoes not only tastes good but it looks good because those potatoes are pretty white. In my Shepherds Pie recipe, I used mashed red potatoes and left the skins on which gives it a nice color contrast-and adds fiber!

    Turkey Shepherds Pie baked in a cast iron skillet and place on an orange towel topped with cheese.

    Colby Jack cheese is my favorite cheese to keep on hand. I like the flavor of the Colby and the easy melting ability of the Monterey Jack. Bake the Cheesy Turkey Shepherds Pie 25 minutes or until the cheese is melted and slightly browned and the mixture starts to bubble around the edges.

    Shepherds Pie made with leftover Thanksgiving turkey vegetables and gravy. Made in a cast iron skillet with multi colored cloth.

    You can't get more "shortcut" than using what you already have on hand in your fridge and pantry. Don't get hung up on which vegetables to use. I like to roast carrots and parsnips together and I'd throw those in, too. Other possibilities are English peas, lima beans, black beans, broccoli, and butternut squash.

    I’d love to hear from you if you make this or any of my recipes for Thanksgiving or Christmas this year. Leave a comment below, tag me on social media, and Pin this recipe on Pinterest.

    Other Thanksgiving and Christmas recipes you will love

    Candied Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Cranberry Apple Jalapeno Salsa (instead of traditional cranberry sauce), and Cornbread Dressings Cups.

    Be sure to follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter and don’t leave before you send me your email address here so you don’t miss a single post on my Southern shortcut recipes!

     

    Shepherds Pie made with leftover Thanksgiving turkey vegetables and gravy. Made in a cast iron skillet with multi colored cloth.

    Turkey Shepherds Pie

    Kathleen Phillips: GritsAndGouda.com
    Perfect use of Thanksgiving leftover turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, green beans, and gravy.
    5 from 5 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe

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    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 25 minutes mins
    Total Time 35 minutes mins
    Servings 6 servings
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    Ingredients
      

    • 2 cups coarsely chopped turkey breast
    • 1 ¼ cups turkey gravy or 1 (12-oz carton turkey or chicken gravy (McCormick)
    • 1 cup cooked green beans or peas
    • ½ cup corn kernels
    • ½ cup cooked chopped carrots optional
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • ⅛ teaspoon ground pepper
    • 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese or Colby Jack divided
    • 2 ½ cups mashed potatoes heated for spreading

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, stir together turkey, gravy, green beans, corn, carrots, salt and pepper. Spoon mixture into a 8-inch cast iron skillet or a 1 ½ quart casserole dish coated with cooking spray.
    • Stir ½ cup cheese into mashed potatoes. Dollop mashed potatoes over turkey mixture, then spread them to the edges of pan; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 25 minutes or until gravy is bubbly around edges.

    Notes

    Shortcut: If you don’t have left over peas and carrots, use 1 ½ cups (10-oz) pkg mixed vegetables.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1sixthCalories: 481kcal
    Did you make this recipe?If you love it, share it! Comment below before you go!

     

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      Air Fryer Butternut Squash Halves
    • Roasted parsnips and carrots served on a wooden platter
      Roasted Parsnips and Carrots
    • Honey roasted carrot sticks next to an air fryer.
      Honey Roasted Carrots (Air Fryer)

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Gary B

      November 30, 2022 at 6:53 pm

      Very good! Used up all of our thanksgiving leftovers and everyone loved it!

      Reply
    2. gritsandgouda

      February 06, 2020 at 4:53 pm

      So glad you liked it!

      Reply
    3. Heather Argo

      February 02, 2020 at 8:25 pm

      5 stars
      Kathleen made this for me and it was sooooo AMAZING! You must try or you’ll be missing out!

      Reply
    4. gritsandgouda

      November 30, 2022 at 8:38 pm

      Oh that's great! So glad you made it and it used all your leftovers!

      Reply
    5 from 5 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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    Hi y'all! I’m Kathleen. I share Southern shortcut recipes! I’m a food stylist, cookbook author, and former test kitchen director in Alabama. I take traditional Southern recipes you know and love (and a few new ones) and make them with shortcuts so you can enjoy them faster.

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    Hi y'all! I’m Kathleen. I share Southern shortcut recipes! I’m a food stylist, cookbook author, and former test kitchen director in Alabama. I take traditional Southern recipes you know and love (and a few new ones) and make them with shortcuts so you can enjoy them faster.

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