Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie

Ingredients

• 4 medium sweet potatoes (2 1/2 pounds total)
• 1/4 cup nonfat milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoon unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground pepper

• 8 ounces mushrooms
• 1 small onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 1/2 pounds 93% lean ground beef or turkey
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 (15-ounce) can reduced-sodium chicken broth or beef broth
• 3 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup fresh, frozen, or canned green peas
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

Optional Ingredients

• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Materials

• 9x13 baking pan
• Measuring spoons
• 9-inch square baking dish
• Spatula or wooden spoon
• Sharp knife
• Can opener
• Cutting board
• Fork
• Measuring cups
• Colander

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Coat a 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Scrub potatoes and pierce several times with a fork. Place in a 9x13-inch baking pan and bake until soft, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool while you make the filling.
3. While the sweet potatoes are baking, wash and slice mushrooms. Peel onion and garlic. Dice onion. Mince garlic.
4. While the sweet potatoes are cooling, in a large skillet over medium-high, cook beef or turkey, mushrooms and onion, crumbling the meat with a spatula or wooden spoon as it cooks, until the meat is no longer pink, about 30 minutes.
5. In a colander, drain off liquid and return to pan. Add thyme and garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Sprinkle with flour and stir to coat. Add broth and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a simmer. Cook until mixture thickens, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in peas, salt and pepper. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.
6. Peel the cooled sweet potatoes and place in a medium bowl. Add milk, butter, cinnamon (if using), salt and pepper. Mash with a fork until smooth. Spread over the filling. Bake until hot and bubbling at the edges, 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Chef’s Notes

• Serve this meal with a tossed salad.
• Substitute another green vegetable for the peas if you prefer—spinach, green beans, edamame or lima beans are all good options.
• While sweet potatoes add plenty of vitamin A to this dish, you could certainly use regular potatoes instead, which are rich in potassium and vitamin C. If you use regular potatoes, you can leave the skin on in step 5.
• This dish reheats well so consider making it over the weekend and reheating it on a busy weeknight. Prepare through Step 4, cover with foil and refrigerate for up to 3 day. Reheat, covered, at 350F until hot throughout.