A Lighter Turkey Shepherd’s Pie
When I first started on the low FODMAP diet and was discussing it with friends and family, the idea of “comfort food” kept coming up. There seemed to be an assumption that I wouldn’t be able to have any of my old favorites – like a turkey shepherd’s pie!
At first glance, maybe you thought this too, but we are happy to tell you that that could not be further from the truth.
In fact, we have a “Comfort Food” category in our Recipe Filter so that you can find them swiftly. This Turkey Shepherd’s Pie certainly fits the bill.
Classics Made Low FODMAP
Classic shepherd’s pie is based on lamb and often includes high FODMAP peas but it is a recipe that lends itself to variation. This Turkey Shepherd’s Pie version is lighter featuring turkey and forgoes the peas.
Carrots and zucchini and green beans are the highlighted vegetables here and I have further lightened the sauce and the mashed potato topping by using unsweetened almond milk.
Gather the Family
I like to make this in a decorative casserole dish and serve it family style from the dinner table.
Add a salad and you have a low FODMAP comfort food meal to rival any other.
And you can get the dish onto the table in 1 hour.
Turkey Shepherd’s Pie
Missing shepherd's pie because the original features high FODMAP peas? This Turkey Shepherd’s Pie is low FODMAP and we have even lightened up the mashed potato topping with unsweetened almond milk.
Ingredients:
Turkey Shepherd’s Pie Filling:
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) Garlic-Infused Oil, made with olive oil
- 3/4 cup (54 g) chopped leeks, green parts only
- 1/4 cup (16 g) chopped scallions, green parts only
- 2 (medium) carrots, peeled, root end discarded, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch (12 mm) rounds
- 4 ounces (115 g) slender green beans, trimmed, cut crosswise into thirds
- 1 medium zucchini, ends trimmed, quartered lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch (12 mm) rounds
- 2 pounds (910 g) ground turkey
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon rosemary (Heaping)
- 1/4 teaspoon sage (Heaping)
- 1/4 teaspoon thyme (Heaping)
- 2 tablespoons low FODMAP gluten-free flour
- 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) unsweetened almond milk, such as Almond Breeze
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Mashed Potato Topping:
- 3 pounds (1.4 kg) russet potatoes, peeled, cut into chunks
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ to 3/4 cup (120 ml to180 ml) unsweetened almond milk, such as Almond Breeze
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Paprika
Preparation:
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For the Filling: Position rack in middle of oven. Preheat oven to 375°F/190°C. Coat the inside of a 3-quart (2.8 L) ovenproof casserole dish with nonstick spray; set aside.
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Heat a large skillet over low-medium heat. Add Garlic-Infused Oil until it is shimmering, then add leeks, scallions, carrots and green beans and sauté, stirring often, for about 10 minutes or until vegetables are crisp tender. Stir in zucchini and cook for about 2 minutes more or until zucchini becomes just tender.
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Add the turkey to the skillet, breaking it up as you add it to the pan. Turn heat up to medium and stir the turkey around to brown well. Add tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, sage and thyme and continue to sauté until turkey is just barely cooked through.
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Stir in the flour to coat everything evenly, then slowly add almond milk and continue to cook until a light sauce develops. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Scrape mixture into prepared pan.
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For the Topping: If you are good at multitasking, get a large pot of salted water boiling while you are sautéing the filling. Cook the potatoes until tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain well and return potatoes to pot. Add butter and begin to mash with a hand-held potato masher. Slowly add enough almond milk to create a nice thick but smooth texture. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spread the mashed potatoes evenly over the filling, covering it edge to edge.
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Bake for about 30 minutes or until the mashed potatoes are a bit browned here and there and filling is hot. If you want to brown the potatoes further, you can run the casserole under a broiler for a few minutes. Sprinkle with paprika and serve. A crisp, green salad with a sharp vinaigrette is a perfect accompaniment.
Notes:
Tips
- Make sure your almond milk is UNSWEETENED! Even if you like vanilla or sweetened with your tea or cereal, use unsweetened for savory cooking!
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more. For a more detailed explanation, please read our article Understanding The Nutrition Panel Within Our Recipes.
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Worcheshire sauce has garlic in it. How is this LF?
It is a matter of serving size and because it has been lab tested and declared low FODMAP that we know for sure. There are MANY low FODMAP foods that contain high FODMAP ingredients – it all comes down to serving size. For instance, look at ketchup on the Monash app. They have lab tested BOTH ketchup With and Without high fructose corns syrup and they have the EXACT same low FODMAP serving size. This is because at this serving size the HFCS is below FODMAP thresholds. Same thing happens with Worcestershire sauce and many other products. There are certified lab tested products containing date paste, fruit concentrates, all sorts of “high” FODMAP ingredients. This article on High FODMAP Foods With Low FODMAP Serving Sizes will be of interest.
I didn’t expect this to be as fantastic as it was! Really enjoyed it, as did my non-low fodmap eaters. Although if you’re in a hurry, I would recommend chopping everything up in advance. Thanks for your recipes!
Hi Heather, thank you for writing with the lovely review! This is low FODMAP comfort food! Just a tip – when reading recipes, if the ingredients call for peeled and chopped vegetables in the ingredient list, as this one does, the time to make the recipe does assume you are starting at that point with the vegetables prepped.
This looks so good; I can’t wait to try it! Do you advise a nonstick skillet or regular large skillet for this recipe? (Maybe it’s regular unless it says nonstick in the recipe?) Thank you!
When I do not specify it is because it is not very specific. You could use nonstick, cast-iron or triple-ply stainless steel and get great results
Thank you!
This was fantastic! The whole family loves it. My 5 year old told me she was dreaming of eating the leftovers all day because it was the best meal she’s ever had, haha! Thank you for developing all of these family style meals for busy moms like myself who don’t have time for IBS flare-ups!
OH My Rachel this comment is the best! Tell your daughter HELLO from the FODMAP Everyday team, and we are so thrilled to be making a positive difference in your food life:) This message goes into our hall of fame for positivity!
This was great. My only complaint is that it took me far longer than the advertised to make it, which is true of most recipes as the chopping and peeling alone probably took 20-30 minutes, but I froze it and will get lots of meals out of it so it was worth it. I used ultra-filtered 2% milk and lactose-reduced evaporated milk as I don’t like the taste of almond milk, and it doesn’t agree with me. I’ll definitely make it again.
Hi there! Just a note about recipe writing. If a recipe says two carrots in the ingredient list, and then down in the direction it tells you to wash them, scrub them, and chop them, then the time it takes you to do those things is represented in the prep time of the recipe. However, if in the ingredient list it says two carrots, chopped, then by the time you get to the directions you are starting with chopped carrots and the time it takes to prep them is not represented in the prep time.
With low FODMAP recipes since we are very often calling for very specific amounts of foods, a lot of the prep takes place early and is represented in the ingredient list.
Glad you made the tweaks you needed for the liquid!