Healthy Shepherd's Pie

The idea for this recipe started with my friend Theresa, who posted this link for me on Facebook.  It looked like a good start, and then my friend Dorothy offered her suggestions for some modifications to make it even healthier.  I took their ideas, threw in a couple ideas of my own, and the result was a delicious and healthy (and filling!) shepherd's pie.

Healthy Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients:

• 1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 pound ground turkey breast or lean ground buffalo
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 can (14 ounces) petite diced tomatoes
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• ¾ cup water
• 8 ounces baby spinach, chopped
• 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 cups mixed vegetables
• 2½-3 pounds butternut squash, roasted (see notes)
• ½ cup finely shredded Asiago cheese
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Position rack in upper third of oven; preheat broiler.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until beginning to soften, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
3. Reduce heat to medium, stir in beef, flour and tomatoes, and cook, stirring, until the beef is mostly browned, about 3 minutes.
4. Add water, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaf, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until the broth is the consistency of thick gravy, about 4 minutes.
5. Stir in spinach and cook until the spinach is just wilted, about 1 minute. Stir in mixed vegetables, add salt and pepper to taste.  Remove from the heat.
6. Place squash in a fine-mesh sieve and gently press on it to extract excess liquid. Transfer to a bowl. Stir in garlic powder and ½ teaspoon salt. Divide the meat mixture among six 10-ounce broiler-safe ramekins. Top each with about ½ cup of the squash. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet.
7. Broil until heated through and bubbling around the edges, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and broil until it is just melted, about 3 minutes more.

Notes:
For roasted squash, heat oven to 350F.  Place whole squash in the oven and cook for one hour.  Remove from oven and discard skin and seeds.

I didn't have enough or big enough ramekins, so I cooked most of this in a casserole dish.  It took a little bit longer, but the end result tasted the same. 

For the mixed vegetables, I used a combination of peas, green beans and corn.  I think I'll add some steamed carrots to the mix next time as well.

Sarah and I agreed that some chipotle would be delicious in this too, I'll throw that in next time with the Worcestershire sauce.