Turkey Shepherd's Pie Recipe (2024)

Turkey Shepherd’s Pie is the ultimate comfort food. I crave comfort foods in times of trouble and uncertainty. For me, these foods are cozy meals like this shepherd’s pie, macaroni and cheese, and pot roast. I first featured this recipe on my blog in October of 2012 when we got hit with Hurricane Sandy and were without power for over a week. Now, we are in the midst of a worldwide health crisis, and this shepherd’s pie again comes to mind.

This blog has served as a place for me to record life events as well as share recipes and inspiration for all of you. I first wrote this post in 2012 during Hurricane Sandy. That trying time pails in comparison to what is going on right now in 2020.

Update 2020

Just over two weeks ago, life was “normal” in the US. Since then, life has turned completely upside-down globally due to a disease we know little about.

All schools have been closed since last Thursday, almost everyone is working remotely from home, senior centers and assisted living places are closed to visitors, restaurants are no longer allowed to provide dining in (curbside pickup and delivery only), playgrounds are closed, the YMCA, library, gyms and movie theater are closed. We are being asked to stay home, and practice “social distancing” to “flatten the curve.” There is no vaccination or cure at this point, so the only thing we can do is slow this disease down. Otherwise, our medical facilities will be completely overwhelmed, and unable to handle the volume of people needing care.

These measures might sound extreme, but they are necessary. Many people who don’t think they will get sick have been ignoring the call for “social distancing.” They are not considering that fact that they might get someone else sick, whether it’s an elderly person, a person with a weak autoimmune system, or a child with cancer.

Despite the current situation, I believe tough times like this can bring out the best in people. My prayer is that we as a country, and as a world, will learn to love one another better, be more considerate of others, and help others through this extremely difficult time. Our seniors are being told to stay home and are in need of food and medicine. Schools are closed, and there are children who rely on school meals every day. Local businesses are shut down, and employees may become unemployed. What can each of us do to help? Each of us can do something, no matter how great or small, which can impact the life of another in a positive way.

Hurricane Sandy 2012

This Turkey Shepherd’s Pie is one of the first meals I made after our power was restored last week following Hurricane Sandy. After 8 days without power, I couldn’t wait to cook once again in a warm, lit kitchen. Fortunately, we have a gas stove, so even during the power outage, I could cook using a lighter to ignite the stove. Each day, I would start cooking dinner in the afternoon when it was still light out so that I could have dinner ready before it got dark.

As the days passed, and it became apparent that the power outage was going to go on for longer than expected, I began taking things out of the freezer as they defrosted and using up as much of the food as I could. I began cooking more and more food as the days went on and more items started to defrost. Since it was dark in our home and we had so much food, we began hauling our prepared meals over to our dear friend’s home (they were one of the few families in town that had power) and shared dinner with them, and on occasion with another family that would stop by.

These shared meals were really special – it was so nice to catch up with each others’ lives and to have a little laugh despite the circ*mstances. In the end, I left a lot of leftovers at my friends’ house who happily accepted them. I am so glad that I could offer something in return for their generosity in opening their home to my large family.

So, back to this Shepherd’s Pie – during one of our dinners at my friends’ home, the topic of Shepherd’s Pie came up and my kids’ ears perked up. I knew that I would have to make this for them once we got power back. When I served this dish to my kids the other night, they were so happy – it was like snuggling on a couch with a warm blanket next to a fireplace.

If you like this comfort food recipe, you might also like:

Turkey Meatloaf Muffins

Turkey Bolognese Sauce