Turkey Sweet Potato Shepherds Pie, gluten free

Another great day cooking for our local Children's Home that helps neglected, abused or abandoned kids.

This time I made Gluten Free Turkey Sweet Potato Shepherds Pies and my Fabulous Florida Frittata, with the organic produce that I received from our awesome Space Girl Organics company.


This recipe is easy to make and would be perfect using leftover turkey instead of ground turkey during the holidays.  Change up the veggies with whatever you have on hand. If you don't have tapioca starch, you can use gluten free white rice or sweet rice flour or organic cornstarch instead.

Makes 2 medium casseroles or 1 large.  Feeds 6-8

Ingredients:

For the filling:

• 2 1/2 pounds of organic ground turkey, cooked
• 2 tablespoons organic olive oil, as needed
• 1/2 organic onion, diced
• 2 teaspoons organic garlic, minced
• 15 organic carrots, cooked, diced
• 5 stalks organic celery, cooked, diced
• 5 ears organic corn, cooked, cut from cob
• 2 cups fresh peas
• 1 tablespoon organic gluten free Tamari or Worcestershire, like San-J
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Gluten free seasonings, to taste, like McCormick Grill Mates Montreal Steak Seasoning or Old Bay 
• 2 tablespoons gluten free tapioca starch
• 1/2 cup milk, or dairy free alternative

For the topping:   Mash the following until creamy

• 10 organic sweet potatoes, peeled and cooked until tender
• 2 tablespoons organic butter, or more if preferred
• dash of milk, or dairy free alternative
• 1/2 cup organic shredded cheddar cheese, opt

Instructions:

Because everything is cooked before assembling, you can cook your meat and veggies several ways.  You can use leftovers or boil, saute or roast the vegetables until just tender. 

1. If using ground turkey, in a large fry pan or pot on medium heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Saute the ground turkey, onions and garlic.   
2. Cook, crumbling and stirring until the meat is browned and no longer pink.  Drain grease or excess liquid, if needed.  My ground turkey didn't have much added water or grease so it didn't need to be drained.  You want a little liquid in the pan for when you thicken the mixture.
3. Add seasonings, to taste and tamari or Worcestershire.  Stir and cook a few minutes longer.  Add tapioca or cornstarch and stir to thicken.
4. In a large bowl, stir the meat and cooked vegetables together.   
5. Pour into greased casserole dishes and spread the mashed sweet potatoes on top in a thick layer.
6. Bake at 350/170 for apx 30 minutes or until heated through.