Spiced Pumpkin Shepherd’s Pie

When I was a wee lass, my family lived in London, England. Though I was young, I have lots of memories from my time there, especially food memories.

Immediately when I remember London, I think of Shepherd’s Pie. The smooth, whipped potatoes atop warm meat mixed with carrots and peas is like a child’s dream dish.

I crafted a spin on this much-loved classic swapping out a smooth and spicy pumpkin topping for the potatoes. I created a Sweet + Spicy Mix that I’ve started using on everything, to be honest. It works well here to bring in some classic fall flavors, as well as some heat from the chipotle.

I also added some of my favorite cold-weather vegetables - turnips and kale - to make this a unique seasonal dish you can enjoy on the cooler days of Fall and into Winter.

My husband liked this dish so much he insisted I share it with you. So here you go. It’s a lot of steps, but not complicated. And totally worth it.

Sweet + Spicy Mix:
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp ground chipotle
1/2 tsp salt

Filling:
1 large carrot, cubed
1/2 white or yellow onion, diced
1 small turnip, cubed about same size as carrot
6 leaves kale, de-veined and chopped
1 lb ground beef
1 cube beef bouillon, or 1 cup beef broth
1 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp ground coriander seed
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried rosemary, or 1 fresh sprig
2 Tbsp butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Topping:
Sweet + Spicy Mix (see above)
1 sugar pumpkin, or butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 Tbsp butter + more to grease baking dish
Salt and pepper to taste
Mix Sweet + Spicy Mix together and set aside.

Prepare filling:

In a large pot, melt 2 Tbsp butter over medium-high heat. Add carrots and onions. Sprinkle with salt and sauté for 3-5 minutes. Add turnips and kale and cover pot with lid. Cook another 5-7 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Add rosemary, oregano, coriander, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine and cook another 2-3 minutes. Turn off heat.

In a large frying pan, cook ground beef on medium heat until browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper when almost done.

Mix bouillon cube and flour in 1 cup hot water. Stir well. Add to beef pan and mix well. Simmer for 2-3 minutes until mixture is warm and bubbly.

Now add vegetable mixture with beef. Stir to combine. Turn off heat.

Prepare topping:

In a medium pot, bring pumpkin and 1 cup water to boil. Reduce to simmer for about 20 minutes, or until pumpkin is soft. Turn off heat. Add 1 Tbsp butter and half of the Sweet + Spicy Mix. Using a stick blender, purée the pumpkin until smooth. You want a thicker purée similar to the consistency of mashed potatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Create the pie:

Preheat over to 375 F.

Grease 8” square baking dish with butter. Add filling to bottom of pan. Then spread pumpkin topping evenly over top. Sprinkle with remaining Sweet + Spicy mix.

Bake at 375 F for 45 minutes. Then broil for 5 minutes to brown the top. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!