I initially was calling this meal Turkey Shepherd’s Pie until Stuart ask me when was the last time I heard of someone shepherding a flock of turkeys? Sometimes the Scot’s can be so infuriating with their exactness. Regardless of the name given, shepherd’s pie, cottage pie, a casserole or a gratin, this meal is a delicious, one pot way of using some of those Thanksgiving / Holiday Dinner leftovers.
Turkey Cottage Pie on a Plate
I have plenty of leftover turkey meat and giblet gravy to make more than one turkey pot pie, but I wanted to do something different. I had a lot of leftovers from the 10 pound bag of potatoes that I made into mash potatoes so I was thinking that I would make a turkey cottage pie.
The vegetables that I added to the turkey and gravy were fresh mushrooms and a frozen medley of vegetables (peas, carrots, corn, green beans and lima beans) but honestly any type of vegetable chopped small would be perfect.
Ingredients:
- 2 Cups of Diced Leftover Turkey
- 2 Cups of Fresh Mushrooms
- 2 Cups of Frozen Mixed Vegetables
- 2 Cups of Leftover Gravy (Giblet Gravy for me)
- 4 – 6 Cups of Leftover Mash Potatoes (Heated to make it easier to spread on top of the other ingredients)
- Butter
- Salt & Pepper (To taste, but since most of the ingredients have been previously seasoned, little to no additional seasoning will be required)
- 8†x 6“ Aluminum Containers (2 Count) or a 9†x 12†Casserole Dish (1 Count)
This amount of ingredients will make two small dishes, with one dish feeding two people comfortably or the use of a large casserole dish to feed four people with no problem.
Preparation:
- In a large bowl add the turkey, mushrooms, mixed vegetables and gravy, mixing all of the ingredients together.
Turkey Cottage Pie Filling
- Then ladle the contents of the bowl into the aluminum containers / casserole dish.
Turkey Cottage Pie Filling in Aluminum Dishes
- Once all of the filling has been ladled into the dish, then gently spread the warmed leftover mash potatoes over the top of the filling. If desired and who can resist, top the mash potatoes with a few pats of butter.
Turkey Cottage Pie Topped with Mash Potatoes
- In an oven preheated to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, cook the turkey cottage pie for 30 minutes uncovered. Let the cottage pie sit for 5 minutes and then serve.
Turkey Cottage Pie Baked and Ready to Eat
It was a tasty meal utilizing leftovers from the holiday dinner. I can see making this same meal with leftover roasted chicken when mash potatoes and gravy were also made for that meal.
Baking a Frozen Turkey Cottage Pie:
For this recipe I made two 8†x 6†containers of Turkey Cottage Pie. One we ate for dinner and the other was covered with a lid an placed in the freezer to be eaten at a later date.
Turkey Cottage Pie Sealed and Ready to be Frozen
When this frozen Turkey Cottage Pie is going to be eaten, the oven will be preheated to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and the container will go into the oven for 50 minutes covered and then for the last 5 – 10 minutes broil the cottage pie to brown the mash potato topping.