Mexican shepherd's pie is a Tex-Mex twist on a classic comfort food recipe. It's quick, too, using just one pan for a quick and easy dinner with bold flavors and a cheesy mashed potato topping.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Irish, Mexican
Keyword Beef, Chicken, Comfort Food, One Pan Meal, Potatoes, Turkey
Prep Time 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time 45 minutesminutes
Total Time 55 minutesminutes
Servings 6
Ingredients
1tbspolive oil
1lbground turkeysee note below
½smallonionpeeled & diced small, ~¼-inch
1mediumred bell pepperdiced small, ~¼-inch
3clovesgarlicminced
1tbspchili powder
½tbspground cumin
1chipotle pepper in adobominced; see note below
1tspadobo saucefrom your can of chipotle peppers
114.5 oz candiced tomatoes
½cupchicken stock
115.5 oz canblack beanssee note below
2cupsleftover mashed potatoessee notes
4ozpepper jack or Monterey jack cheesegrated
2tbspcilantrochopped
1scallionsliced thin
1tbspbuttermelted
salt & pepperto taste
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 400F.
Season ground turkey with 1/2 tsp kosher salt and ground black pepper. Lightly fold in the salt and pepper to incorporate it throughout the meat.Heat a 10-12-inch cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add 1/2 tbsp olive oil.Press your ground turkey into a large patty. It will look like a giant burger. Add it to the skillet and let it sear for about 3 minutes or until the first side is browned.Then flip the patty over to sear the other side. It's likely to break up a bit, and this isn't a problem. Just flip in large sections. Let sear for another 3 minutes. Then use a wooden spoon or spatula to break the meat up into crumbles. Cook until the meat is mostly cooked through. Then remove from the pan an into a bowl.
Add the other 1/2 tbsp of olive oil to the pan and turn the heat to medium. Add the onion, bell pepper, and a good pinch of salt. Cook this until the vegetables start to soften and the onion becomes translucent. This will take about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, and cumin. Cook for another minute.
Add the tomatoes with all of their juice, the chipotle chili pepper, adobo sauce, chicken stock, and cooked ground turkey. Stir to combine well. Bring to a simmer and let cook for about 10 minutes. Then add the black beans to the skillet.
While the shepherd's pie filling is simmering, combine the mashed potatoes, grated cheese, cilantro, and scallions in a bowl. Mix well.
After the shepherd's pie filling has simmered for 10 minutes, top with the mashed potato mixture. Use a large spoon or disher scoop to portion the potatoes evenly over the top of the filling. Then use a spatula to smooth evenly over the top. I like to leave about 1/2 inch uncovered on the edges because it looks pretty.Pour the melted butter over the top of the potatoes.
Place the skillet in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes. Then flip your oven to broil and let this broil for an additional 5 minutes or so until the mashed potatoes are starting to brown on top. Keep a close eye while your pie broils to ensure you don't burn the top.Remove from oven and serve. Hot sauce is a great condiment for this dish.
Notes
Use any ground meat of your choice here, but if you're using poultry, I recommend a mixture of both dark and white meat for best flavor and texture. White meat only might be too dry.
Feel free to use more or less chipotle pepper based on your spice tolerance.
Use any canned bean you have in the pantry, I bought black beans at Costco, so I needed to use those! :)
If you don't have leftover mashed potatoes, use your favorite recipe to whip up a batch. Or use instant mashed potatoes or pre-made from your grocery store.