Curried Turkey and Chickpea Shepard’s Pie

I wanted to share a recipe I developed a while ago, that for some reason I never posted.  I love shepard’s pie, and find that it is a fun type of recipe to play around with in terms of flavor and spice combinations.  This is comfort food at it’s finest, the warming spices of curry and garam masala pair nicely with the turkey and chickpeas.  Shepard’s pie in any form is great comfort food, in my opinion.  Let me know if you try it out in the comments.

Optional yam topping in food processor.  If using cauliflower topping, the same method will apply.

Shown with optional yam topping.

 

Curried Turkey and Chickpea Shepard’s Pie

Ingredients:

1 lb ground turkey

2 tsp coconut oil

1/2 medium onion, chopped small

1 stalk celery, diced

1 cup carrots, diced

1 bunch green onions, chopped and dark green ends discarded

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbs fresh ginger root, grated

1 can (approximately 1 cup) cooked and drained chickpeas

Mix the following spices together in a small bowl:

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp coriander

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp salt

Cauliflower topping:

3 cups cauliflower, chopped (alternate version: use 3 cups chopped yams instead of the cauliflower)

2 tsp butter

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp curry powder

Method- refer to ingredients lists on how to chop all veggies.

1. Heat pan on medium heat, add 1 tsp coconut oil, onions, celery, carrots and green onions. Stir and cook for 5-6 minutes until soft. Add garlic, ginger and half of the spice blend and stir.  Cook for another 30 seconds, stirring to incorporate spices.  Remove veggies from pan and set aside.
2. Wipe out pan, add 1 tsp coconut oil to the pan and crumble the ground turkey into the pan. Add remaining spice blend and stir to combine. Cook until turkey is cooked through.  Return veggies to the pan and add the chickpeas and 1/2 cup chicken broth.  Cook until chickpeas are warmed through and broth has reduced a little.
3. Preheat oven to 375^o F and grease a 9×9” square baking dish.
4. Steam cauliflower (or yams, if using) until tender, then remove from pan an allow to cool enough to handle. Mash the cauliflower (or yams) with the butter and spices, either by hand with a potato masher or food processor.
5. Add the veggie and turkey mix to a greased baking dish, then spread the topping evenly over the filling.
6. Bake at 375^o F for 45-50 minutes, or until the topping is getting a little brown on top. Allow to cool a few minutes, be careful when taking out of the baking dish as it may be crumbly.
7. Serve with a fresh green salad for a well balanced meal. Enjoy!