Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Creamy Turkey Shepherd's Pie (aka Thanksgiving Leftovers Shepherd's Pie!)
Creamy turkey filling beneath a soft potato topping makes this pie an especially welcoming dinner. Sweet peas and tender carrots nestle around the meat, with thyme giving the sauce a savory aroma. A spoonful through the potatoes catches plenty of that creamy filling underneath.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Total
- 55 min
- Original yield
- Serves 6
- Ingredients
- 13 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Main course
- Primary protein
- Turkey
- Cuisine
- American
- Cooking method
- Baking · Baked & roasted
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: 31–60 minutes
A few quick notes
1. Tender vegetables first
Cook the finely diced vegetables until tender before adding garlic, then begin the flour-thickened sauce.
2. Thicken before turkey
Cook and stir the added broth until thickened before stirring in peas and cooked turkey.
3. Coat the potato top
Dab the mashed potato topping with the remaining butter or brush it with oil before baking.
Get to know the ingredients
Turkey
Use cooked chopped turkey so it can warm through in the thickened filling with the peas.
Carrots
Peel and finely dice the carrots so they soften with the onion and celery before the sauce.
Mashed potatoes
Spread prepared mashed potatoes over the finished filling before adding their butter or oil coating.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 6. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 5 steps completeMake room for Creamy Turkey Shepherd's Pie (aka Thanksgiving Leftovers Shepherd's Pie!)
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
Heat the potato topping
Bake until the mashed potatoes are heated through above the creamy turkey filling, then serve.
A little more help as you go
Prepare the pie ahead
Assemble without baking, cover and refrigerate for the given make-ahead window before baking as directed.
Use leftover vegetables
Reheat leftover vegetables in the butter instead of cooking fresh ones fully before continuing with the sauce.
A few questions you might have
Can I use leftover gravy?
Yes, follow the separate gravy guidance to replace the butter, flour and broth sauce when you have enough.
Can I freeze leftover pie?
Yes, wrap tightly and freeze for up to two months, then thaw overnight before reheating in the oven.
Does the thyme go into the vegetables first?
Stir it in with the seasoning after the peas and turkey have warmed through in the filling.
Can I use canola oil?
Yes, canola oil is an alternative to butter for cooking the vegetables and coating the potato top.
Will a refrigerated assembled pie need longer?
It may need the extra baking duration given for the make-ahead version to heat through.
Any more cooking tips?
To Make Ahead: prepare the casserole completely but do not bake. Cover in plastic wrap or tin foil and refrigerate up to 1-2 days in advance, then bake as directed. You may need to add an additional 10-20 minutes baking time. ** To Use Leftover Vegetables: you get to skip ahead! Instead of having to cook the veggies all the way through, just reheat the leftover vegetables you’re using in the butter, then add the extra butter and flour, then broth, and continue on with the recipe. *** To Use Leftover Gravy: Depending on how much you have leftover, you may want to just add it in with the turkey and peas if it’s a small amount. Or you may want to skip the extra tbsp butter, flour and broth that makes the gravy in the recipe, and simple stir in your own if you have at least 1.5 cups. Storing: Leftover Turkey Shepherd’s Pie will last in the fridge for up to 4 days or wrapped tightly in the freezer for up to 2 months. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge if frozen, then warm in the oven until heated through.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: thereciperebel.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
