Turkey Shepherd's Pie - Now that's a brilliant use of Leftovers!
The most innovative way to prevent a trip to the market and use up any possible leftovers from Thanksgiving is to make this comforting, cheesy, hearty, and soul-satisfying Leftover Turkey Shepherd's Pie. Loaded with creamy mashed potatoes, crispy bacon, and ooey-gooey shredded Mozzarella Cheese.
2½cupsturkey meatdark or white (chopped in small chunks or shredded)* see notes
½cupEnglish peasfrozen
3cupsmashed potatoescan be replaced with mashed sweet potatoes
4ozMozzarella Cheeseshredded
Garnish
fresh parsleychopped
fresh dillchopped
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INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Cook bacon bits in a large 12" skillet over medium-low heat. Turn over with tongs and cook both sides until perfectly crispy. Remove from skillet and set aside.
In the same skillet with leftover bacon drippings (fat), sauté 1 cup diced yellow onions, 1 rib of chopped celery, 2 medium chopped carrots, ½ cup sweet corn, 1 small bell pepper finely chopped, and 3 large scallions finely chopped. Sauté until the onions are translucent.
Stir in minced garlic. Season with salt, pepper, dried rosemary, and dried thyme. Sauté until the garlic is fragrant for about 30 seconds.
Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour and stir well. The Flour will ensure the veggies stay crunchy. And in the next step, when you add gravy, the flour will ensure a creamy texture.
Stir in 2½ cups of leftover turkey meat cut into bite-sized chunks or shredded with two forks. Stir in ½ cup frozen English peas. Turn off the heat.
Top with leftover Mashed Potatoes or Mashed Sweet Potatoes The more, the merrier. Spread it out until smooth all over the filling. Use a fork to ruffle up the top.
Top with loads and loads of shredded Mozzarella cheese or shredded sharp cheddar cheese.
Transfer to a preheated oven. Bake in the middle rack of the oven for 30 minutes. If you don't want the top to brown, then after 15 minutes, cover the top with foil.
Serve the Leftover Turkey Shepherd's Pie with freshly chopped parsley, fresh dill, and crispy bacon bits from step 1.