Easy Shepherd’s Pie With Thanksgiving Leftovers

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At A Glance
Make this leftover shepherd’s pie with what you already cooked for Thanksgiving. Layer stuffing, turkey with gravy, veggies, and cranberry sauce if you like, then top with mashed potatoes. Cover and bake until hot and comforting. Uses up fridge odds and ends with no extra cooking.

Thanksgiving leftovers are a gift when you know how to use them. This easy shepherd’s pie layers stuffing, turkey with gravy, any leftover vegetables, and a blanket of mashed potatoes. (Cranberry sauce is optional) It bakes into a cozy casserole that clears the fridge and tastes like a second holiday dinner.

Typically, a shepherd’s pie casserole involves ground meat such as beef or lamb, plenty of vegetables, something “saucy,” and a final layer of mashed potatoes. While this comes pretty close, we aren’t using ground meat here.

What You’ll Need

• Stuffing or dressing
• Cooked turkey – chopped or shredded
• Gravy
• Cooked vegetables – such as green beans, peas, carrots, or corn
• Mashed potatoes
• Cranberry sauce – optional
• Salt and pepper – to taste, if needed

How To Make Easy Shepherd’s Pie With Thanksgiving Leftovers

The trick with this casserole dish is to start with your stuffing and end with your mashed potatoes. For me, the bottom layer was my crouton stuffing.

Really, you can use anything in this casserole. Whatever is left over can be layered on. But it usually bakes best with the croutons on the bottom and the mashed potatoes on the top.

If you don’t have stuffing or dressing left over, then use some turkey and gravy for your bottom layer. Truly, whatever you have left over in the fridge from Thanksgiving will work here.

If you find you are out of vegetables or just don’t have enough for a full casserole, feel free to add some frozen vegetables here. For Thanksgiving, I bought corn and forgot to make it. So I could have used it here if I wanted. Just add them as a frozen layer and proceed with the rest of your leftover layers.

Base Ratios That Always Work

Use a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish.

• 4 to 5 cups stuffing or dressing for the base
• 3 to 4 cups chopped turkey tossed with 1 to 1.5 cups gravy
• 2 to 3 cups cooked vegetables
• 4 to 5 cups mashed potatoes for the top

Step-by-step

1. Heat oven to 350°F.
2. Spread stuffing in the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch casserole.
3. Toss the turkey with the gravy and spoon it over the stuffing.
4. Add vegetables. Dot or swirl on cranberry sauce if using.
5. Spread mashed potatoes to the edges, sealing in the steam.
6. Cover tightly with foil and bake 40 to 50 minutes until heated through and bubbling at the edges.
7. Rest 10 minutes, then scoop or slice to serve. Add extra gravy if you wish.

Pro tips

• Seal the mashed potatoes to the edges so moisture steams the layers.
• If the potatoes look too pale, uncover for the last 8 to 10 minutes of baking to get a mild, golden brown color.
• Thin out thick leftover potatoes with a splash of milk or stock before spreading.
• Dry stuffing? Moisten with 2 to 4 tablespoons of stock.

Variations

• Turkey shepherd’s pie with sweet potatoes: swap mashed potatoes with mashed sweet potatoes.
• Extra gravy glaze: Warm ½ to 1 cup gravy and drizzle over the slices at serving.

Make Ahead And Storage

• Make ahead: Assemble up to 24 hours in advance. Cover and refrigerate.
• Fridge: 3 to 4 days, covered.
• Freeze: Wrap tightly and freeze up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge and bake until hot.

FAQs

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More Healthy Shepherd’s Pie Recipes

• Shepherd’s Pie With Sweet Potatoes
• Mexican Shepherd’s Pie