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Home » Recipes » Main Dish Recipes

Mexican Shepherd's Pie - Shepherd's Pie Recipe

Published: Dec 28, 2013 · Modified: Dec 6, 2021 by Colleen 10 Comments

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Mexican Shepherd's Pie in a cast iron skillet.
Mexican Shepherd's Pie in a cast iron skillet.

Mexican Shepherd's Pie is a classic shepherd's pie with a Mexican twist. It's an easy weeknight meal that the whole family will love and just may become a permanent part of your standby dinner rotation.

Mexican Shepherd's Pie

Why You're Going To Love This Recipe

Shepherd's Pie is a classic comfort dish that's fun to customize, and just like this Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie  this Mexican-inspired version livens up that classic in a delicious way.

This recipe is a perfect way to use up leftover mashed potatoes.

Mexican shepherd's pie is very easy to make, especially if you have those leftover mashed potatoes.

Finally, if you do have leftover mashed potatoes, this is a simple, one-pan meal, making cleanup a breeze.

Mexican Shepherd's Pie in a cast iron skillet

Here's What You Need To Make It

Potatoes

A starchy potato, like a russet, is the best potato for mashing. The starch gives the mashed potato a creamy texture. However, you can also use Yukon Gold or any other variety. Here's is a guide to all the different potato varieties: A Guide To Every Type of Potato.

Onion

I use a smallish onion, which, when diced, should yield half to three-quarters of a cup.

Lean Ground Turkey

Lean ground turkey is ground turkey breast and has fewer calories and less fat than regular ground turkey. You also can use regular ground turkey, ground beef, pork, or chicken.

Bell Peppers

Although you can certainly use green peppers, I like to use the more colourful yellow, orange, and red ones for their higher nutritional values, and appearance.

Chillies

Canned green chillies are usually Anaheim chillies and they are mild, without a lot of heat. You can use a hotter chilli, such as jalapeno if you prefer.

Corn

Frozen, canned, or fresh corn kernels would all work equally well in this recipe.

Cheese

Sharp cheddar is my choice, but a milder cheddar will still be just as good, and Monterey Jack works well, too

Tips For Success

  • Try making extra mashed potatoes for another meal so that you have them to make Mexican shepherd's pie the next day.
  • Use light cream cheese, instead of butter and milk in mashed potatoes. If you use light cream cheese, you get about half the fat and calories that you get with butter and milk. And the cream cheese makes the potatoes taste incredibly rich and creamy.
  • An oven-safe skillet like a cast iron pan will take the dish from stovetop to oven in just one pan, but you can also transfer the cooked turkey mixture to a 9x9 baking dish for the oven.

Make It Ahead

You can make this recipe up to a day ahead of time and store it in the fridge until you're ready to bake it. Just allow it to cool completely, then cover with foil before putting it in the fridge. Alternatively, you can make the two components (potatoes and filling) and keep them separate until it's time to bake.

To reheat, put it, still covered in foil, in a 350° oven for about 30 minutes, until heated through.

Freeze It

To Freeze a cooked shepherd's pie, allow it to cool completely before transferring it to an airtight freezer container. Freeze up to 2 months. Cook from frozen, covered in foil, at 350° for one hour, or until heated through.

What to Serve with Mexican Shepherd's Pie

A salad is always a good side for such a hearty meal. Some great choices include Grilled Corn & Black Bean Salad and Watermelon Salad with Jalapeno and Bacon

If you are craving more cheesy comfort dishes, check out Easy Stove Top Mac & Cheese,   Ranch Chicken & Potato Casserole or Chipotle Chicken Enchiladas.

Mexican Shepherd's Pie

Mexican Shepherd's Pie

Mexican Shepherd’s Pie – Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

Mexican Shepherd's Pie is a delicious one pan version of a classic comfort dish, livened up with chili and corn. 
4.52 from 27 votes
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Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Diet: Gluten Free
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 242kcal
Author: Colleen Milne

Ingredients

  • 1-½ pounds potatoes peeled, cut into quarters
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 small onion diced
  • 1 clove garlic minced or pressed
  • 1 lb lean ground turkey
  • 2 sweet bell peppers preferably two different colours, I like red and orange diced
  • 1 50 gr can chopped mild green chilies
  • 2 tablespoon chili powder
  • 2 teaspoon cumin
  • Juice of one lime
  • 2 tablespoon cilantro leaves dried, or ¼ cup chopped fresh
  • ½ cup frozen corn kernels
  • ¼ cup light cream cheese
  • ½ cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1 egg beaten
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Peel, quarter and boil potatoes in a large pot of salted water.
  • While potatoes are cooking, heat an oven safe 10" skillet over medium high and add olive oil. When oil is hot, add onion and garlic, sauteing for about 5 minutes or until onions are soft.
  • Add ground turkey to the skillet, and continue cooking, breaking up the ground turkey with a spoon, until turkey is cooked through.
  • Add peppers, corn, chiles, chili powder, cilantro, cumin and lime juice. Continue cooking for about 5 minutes or until peppers are slightly softened.
  • Heat oven to 350°
  • Drain potatoes, and mash with cream cheese. Stir grated cheddar into mashed potatoes
  • Spread potatoes on top of ground turkey mixture. Brush top with beaten egg
  • Bake in pre-heated oven for about 45 minutes, or until potatoes are golden and filling is bubbling.
  • Serve hot

Notes

An oven-safe skillet like a cast iron pan will take the dish from stovetop to oven in just one pan, but you can also transfer the cooked turkey mixture to a 9x9 baking dish for the oven.
You can make this recipe up to a day ahead of time and store it in the fridge until you're ready to bake it. Just allow it to cool completely, then cover with foil before putting it in the fridge. Alternatively, you can make the two components (potatoes and filling) and keep them separate until it's time to bake.
To reheat, put it, still covered in foil, in a 350° oven for about 30 minutes, until heated through.
To Freeze a cooked shepherd's pie, allow it to cool completely before transferring it to an airtight freezer container. Freeze up to 2 months. Cook from frozen, covered in foil, at 350° for one hour, or until heated through.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 242kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 215mg | Potassium: 562mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1435IU | Vitamin C: 57.8mg | Calcium: 93mg | Iron: 2.7mg
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Mexican Shepherd's Pie
Mexican Shepherd's Pie

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. LDBrown

    July 18, 2022 at 5:49 pm

    I’m going to make it for my family and friends.

    Reply
    • Colleen

      July 20, 2022 at 6:31 am

      I think you'll love this shepherd's pie! I look forward to hearing back how it went.

      Reply
  2. Rachael

    April 23, 2022 at 9:51 am

    I want to use instant mash potatoes…how many packets should I use? Perhaps the family size… not in a box.

    Reply
    • Colleen

      April 23, 2022 at 10:29 am

      Hi Rachael, I have never used instant mashed potatoes so I can't say for certain. However, 1.5 pounds of potatoes ends up as about 3 cups mashed, so maybe that helps? This shepherd's pie is so delicious. Enjoy!

      Reply
  3. Rachael

    December 05, 2021 at 4:32 pm

    Need to put in a baking dish. So what size baking dish?

    Reply
    • Colleen

      December 06, 2021 at 8:58 am

      Hi Rachael, Thanks for this question. For this recipe I used a 10" skillet, but you can use a 9x9 inch casserole dish or baking pan instead.

      Reply
  4. Susan

    December 01, 2020 at 3:26 pm

    How much in ounces is a "50 gram can of green chilies"?

    Reply
    • Colleen

      December 01, 2020 at 8:26 pm

      Hi Susan, 50 grams is about a 2 oz can.

      Reply
  5. cheryl balfour

    September 14, 2019 at 4:39 am

    1/4 cup of chili powder?

    Reply
    • Colleen

      September 14, 2019 at 7:57 pm

      Hi Cheryl, thank you for questioning this. The chili powder that we buy in Canada has zero heat, just mild chili, paprika, cumin, garlic, and other spices. I know that in other parts of the world it means something different, so this is a good reminder to me to re work some recipes that contain chili powder. Please use less, to taste, of your chili powder for this recipe! Sorry for any confusion.

      Reply

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2849 shares