Pressure Cooker Shepherd's Pie
With Turkey and Sweet Potatoes
Shepherd's Pie is probably the quintessential comfort food - meat, potatoes, cheese. Does it really get any better than that? Well, maybe... This pressure cooker shepherd's pie recipe is definitely comforting, but with about half of the guilt! We've switched out the beef (or lamb) for turkey and traded out the white potatoes and added one of our favorites... sweet potatoes. And it's soooo good!
We've also kicked up the spice level to something unexpected, with cumin and chipotle. The blend of sweet from the potatoes, spice from the turkey, and salt from the cheese is completely intoxicating.
A Little Lesson About Mushrooms
First things first... Mushrooms HATE water. You really should never rinse mushrooms under water. Rather, what I do is, wipe them clean with damp paper towels. Next, there are pretty much two ways to sauté mushrooms - each way yielding a different result.
Here's the quick explanation... If you add salt while cooking them, it will draw the water out of them (this is called "sweating") and they will become soft and will not brown. On the other hand, if you do not add salt, they will keep a firmer texture (useful when you want them to be "meaty") and will brown if your pan is hot enough. That's what we wanted in this pressure cooker shepherd's pie, hence the reason for this explanation.
The Process
Place sweet potatoes in pot on top of trivet. Then add 1 ½ cups of water and lock lid. Cook for 20 minutes at high pressure.
Once cook time is complete, allow pressure to release naturally (about 15 minutes), then quick-release remaining pressure.
Carefully remove skin and any dark spots from sweet potatoes and transfer them to a large bowl, along with butter, brown sugar, and salt. Mix well, then mash them until their like mashed potatoes.
Rinse out pot and dry completely. Using sauté setting - add 1 tablespoon olive oil and mushrooms. DO NOT add any salt at this point (something you'll rarely hear me say, since you should season as you go). We want to brown the mushrooms and if we add salt now they will sweat.
Cook them for a few minutes on each side, until the begin to caramelize slightly. Once they have browned, hit them with a dash of salt and remove right away. Set aside.
Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to pot, along with onions and ½ teaspoon of salt. Cook for about 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until onions are soft and translucent. Remove and set aside.
Add turkey to pot and break up as much as possible. Then leave it be for a few minutes to begin the browning process. Stir occasionally.
Once turkey is fully broken up and nearly fully cooked, add 1 teaspoon salt, turmeric, cumin, chipotle powder, and smoked paprika. Mix well.
Return mushrooms and onions to pot and mix well, along with tomato sauce.
Add spinach and begin mixing.
Mix until spinach is wilted.
Transfer turkey mixture to a (1.75 qt) pyrex dish. Press down into an even layer.
Then add sweet potatoes on top of turkey and spread in an even layer.
Top sweet potatoes with parmesan cheese.
Add a 3-inch trivet to pot, along with 1 ½ cups of water. Place bowl on top of trivet and lock lid. Cook at high pressure for 5 minutes. Once cook time is complete, quick-release pressure. Then carefully remove bowl to serve.
And the AMAZING result...
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Pressure Cooker Shepherd's Pie with Turkey and Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. sweet potatoes
- 3 cups water divided
- 3 Tbsp. butter
- 3 Tbsp. brown sugar
- 2 tsp. sea salt divided
- 3 Tbsp. olive oil divided
- 8 oz. baby bella mushrooms sliced
- ¼ cup yellow onions diced
- 1 lb. ground turkey
- 1 Tbsp. garlic minced
- 1 tsp. turmeric
- 1 tsp. cumin
- ½ tsp. chipotle powder
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
- 8 oz. tomato sauce
- 10 oz. fresh baby spinach
- ½ cup parmesan cheese grated
Instructions
- Place sweet potatoes in pot on top of trivet. Then add 1 ½ cups of water and lock lid. Cook for 20 minutes at high pressure. Once cook time is complete, allow pressure to release naturally (about 15 minutes), then quick-release remaining pressure. Carefully remove skin and any dark spots from sweet potatoes and transfer them to a large bowl, along with butter, brown sugar, and ½ teaspoon of salt. Mix well, then mash them until their like mashed potatoes.
- Rinse out pot and dry completely. Using sauté setting - add 1 tablespoon olive oil and mushrooms. DO NOT add any salt at this point (something you'll rarely hear me say, since you should season as you go). We want to brown the mushrooms and if we add salt now they will sweat. Cook them for a few minutes on each side, until the begin to caramelize. Once they have browned, hit them with a dash of salt and remove right away. Set aside.
- Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to pot, along with onions and ½ teaspoon of salt. Cook for about 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until onions are soft and translucent. Remove and set aside.
- Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and turkey to pot and break up as much as possible. Then leave it be for a few minutes to begin the browning process. Stir occasionally. Once turkey is fully broken up and nearly fully cooked, add 1 teaspoon salt, garlic, turmeric, cumin, chipotle powder, and smoked paprika. Mix well.
- Return mushrooms and onions to pot and mix well, along with tomato sauce. Add spinach and mix until spinach is wilted.
- Transfer turkey mixture to a (1.75 qt) pyrex dish. Press down into an even layer. Then add sweet potatoes on top of turkey and spread in an even layer. Top sweet potatoes with parmesan cheese.
- Add a 3-inch trivet to pot, along with 1 ½ cups of water. Place bowl on top of trivet and lock lid. Cook at high pressure for 5 minutes. Once cook time is complete, quick-release pressure. Then carefully remove bowl to serve.
Nutrition
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Mark Smith
Planned on making this but I have the smaller Instant-Pot; therefore, the 1.75qt Tryvex container won’t fit. Any suggestions? Perhaps finish off in the oven?
Gary White
Yes, you could finish this in the oven. Bake at 375F until cheese is melted and golden brown.
Jo
I'm confused. it's my first time using an instant pot and I'm trying this recipe but what setting and how long do I put the turkey on to brown it?
Gary White
In step 2 you switch the IP to sauté. It should still be on sauté when browning the turkey. 🙂 You can us either normal or high sauté setting.