Monday, June 22, 2009

Italian Shepherd's Pie


Sauteed fresh zucchini + turkey bolognese sauce + leftover mashed potatoes = My made-up Italian Shepherd's Pie = awesome yumminess.

I've never made an actual Shepherd's Pie, nor have I ordered it from a restaurant. It seems that whenever I see it on a menu, there is a myriad of reasons that prevent me from ordering it......I've had a big lunch that day or it's 100 degrees out or I'm having a hankering instead for some fish n' chips with my Guinness. And because of this, I don't really feel like making it with an Italian flair is altogether blasphemous. I don't know what its supposed to taste like, so it's not confusing to me and my tiny little brain.

Anyway, this is really an attempt to stretch out ingredients from a previous meal....instead of using all 1.25 lbs of the turkey package the night before, I saved about a half pound to whip up this quick bolognese sauce.

Quick Turkey Bolognese
1T. light olive oil
1/2 lb. ground turkey
1/2 diced onion
2 diced carrots
1 diced red bell
2 cloves chopped garlic
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1 small jar TJ's marinara sauce

Brown the turkey with the onion, carrots, bell and garlic until done. Add marinara and parm. Simmer for about half hour, stirring occasionally, until thick.

Alright, so throw this bad boy together. Saute those zucchini (I used 5 small ones) on high heat to get some color and add to bottom of large pie pan. Top with the bolognese and then the leftover mashed potatoes. I added a bit of parmesan on top of the pie. Cook at 375 for 45 minutes and if the top is not brown enough, crank up the broiler for a minute.

If your pie pan is loaded to the brim like mine, please put a cookie sheet underneath. Please? Oh, and next time I'm adding mushrooms..mmmmmmmmmm.