Ahh fall is here.
While I’ve mostly been obsessing over pumpkin spice everything and all my fave fall produce. What I’ve failed to remember is what else the fall season brings…cold season. You heard that right, it’s cold season. Like all things fall, I couldn’t stay away. Cold season is in full swing over here, sore throat, sniffling, sneezing and all. Here I am, knee-deep in Kleenex and drinking hot tea like it’s going out of style. You can bet there is very little motivation around here to slave in the kitchen.
But somehow, we still have to eat around here. The hubby is still working super long hours at work so I can’t quite count on him for meals. Plus, it’s more important now than ever to make sure I’m making good food choices. Bring on the vitamins and minerals baby. I gotta beat this cold.
If you guys saw my last post, I made some Creamy Mashed Butternut Squash early this week. This stuff was the bomb. I made a bit extra the first time around so I had some leftovers in the fridge. Literally, the perfect time for usable leftovers. I’ve been meaning to modify the old school version of shepard’s pie to pump up the nutrition. I swear my recipe inspiration is incredibly last-minute and random. All it took was too many butternut squash in the garden, a trial of mashed butternut squash, and there I was, making some butternut squash shepard’s pie.
I pleasantly surprised with how satisfying this recipe was. Bonus points that it will get me through a few meals while I take time to rest. Most of time that went into the butternut squash shepard’s pie was baking in the oven to brown the “potatoes.”
Since I made the potatoes ahead of time the prep work was pretty easy on my end. I diced up one yellow onion and added that to the pan with one bag of frozen mixed vegetable. No will power to cut those carrots. Frozen veggies to the rescue. I sautéed the veggies for just a few minutes to soften. When soft, I added in the minced garlic and ground turkey. In place of the tradition ground beef, I added 93% lean ground turkey, seasoned with salt and pepper and then browned. I chose the leaner variety of turkey since the excess fat isn’t drained from the pan.
When the ground turkey is fully browned, sprinkle flour in the pan. Doing this will allow the remaining ingredients to thicken a bit so it becomes creamy and dreamy. Toss the flour in the mixture and stir to coat, allowing to sauté for one or two minutes. Then the broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire, and herbs are added, simmering for 5 minutes or until sauce starts to thicken. The mixture can then be added into a casserole or baking dish and topped with the mashed butternut squash.
*Pro-tip: Whenever I use tomato paste, I always have a bunch leftover. Most recipes only call for one to two tablespoons. What I usually do is buy the big can. Whatever I don’t use for my recipe, I portion out and freeze. All I do is scoop out tablespoon size portions and place them evenly across wax or parchment paper, top with another layer of paper, toss in a freezer bag, and freeze until I need another tablespoon or two. Super easy way to avoid food waste!
So if you need me, I’ll just be wrapped up in blanket, drinking hot tea, and munching on my butternut squash shepard’s pie for the rest of the week.
| Prep Time | 30 minutes |
| Cook Time | 45 minutes |
| Servings |
people
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- 1 large butternut squash, seeded and cubed (may substitute for frozen butternut squash)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon ground sage
- 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or oil of choice
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 16 ounce bag frozen mixed vegetables
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 pounds lean ground turkey
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons flour of choice
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
Ingredients
Creamy Mashed Butternut Squash
Meat Filling
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- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. When the water is boiling add cubed squash and salt.
- Cook squash until tender, approximately 20 minutes depending on cube size.
- When squash is tender, drain water from pot. Add in butter, cheese, and seasoing.
- Using a hand mixer or potato masher, puverise the squash until desired consistency is acheived.
- Tast and add additional seasoning as needed.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- While the squash is cooking, prepare meat filling
- Place oil into a large, hot fry pan over medium high heat. Add onion and frozen mixed vegatables and sauté for 5 minutes and they start to soften. Add garlic, stirring to combine.
- Add the ground turkey, salt and pepper, cooking until browned, roughley 5-7 minutes.
- Add tomato paste, broth, Worcestershire, and herbs, stirring to combine. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until sauce slightly thickens.
- Transfer mixture into a 1.5 quart casserole/baking dish. Top with the mashed butternut squash. Smooth with a spatula.
- Place in the oven and bake for 25-35 minutes or until mashed butternut squash starts to brown. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes before serving.
