This savory Rutabaga Pie is a variation of the English dish Gloucestershire Pie and features turkey, apples, potatoes, and rutabaga for a comforting earthy meal. If you enjoy shepherd's pie, you'll likely also appreciate this variation on the classic.
I brought home several small regional cookbooks on a trip to England a few years back. I found a recipe for Gloucestershire Pie in the one featuring recipes from the Cotswold region. It's a beautiful rural area of England filled with grasslands, hills, and small medieval villages chock full of charm.
Gloucestershire Pie is from the southwestern county of Gloucester, England, where the Cotswolds are located. Today, the pie is typically made of lamb, apples, and boiled onions with a potato and rutabaga topping. Though interestingly, at one point, pigeons were a main ingredient.
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Considering that few Americans are familiar with Gloucestershire or it's pie, I renamed my take on the recipe to rutabaga pie. The result is similar to what we know as shepherd's pie; however, ground turkey is used instead of lamb, rutabaga is boiled and mashed with the potatoes, and chopped apples are added to the meat.
😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's the embodiment of comfort food. I mean, it includes gravy and is covered in mashed root vegetables. Need I say more?
- It's a unique variation on classic shepherd's pie. With apples, rutabaga, and ground turkey, it's an unexpected combination that offers a blend of sweet and savory deliciousness. The apples soften and meld with the ground turkey while the rutabaga adds character and complexity to the potato layer.
- You can bake it in the same pan you prep it in. Because who doesn't love washing fewer dishes?
Want more comfort food? Try these:
- Cauliflower Potato Leek Soup
- Golumpki (Stuffed Cabbage)
- Stuffed Peppers with Tomato Sauce
- Potato, Leek, and Broccoli Knishes
🥔 Ingredients
Here's everything you need to make
Key Ingredients
- Rutabaga: Also known as a swede, rutabaga is an earthy, sweet, and slightly bitter root vegetable similar to a turnip, though less intense in flavor. It's in the same vegetable family as the cabbage and can be enjoyed roasted like other root vegetables or boiled and mashed like potatoes. Mashed and mixed with potatoes, as we'll do in this recipe, adds flavor and complexity. They're an underrated but wonderful vegetable that's worth giving a try. Here's a good overview of rutabaga and more cooking ideas.
- Potatoes: These will be mashed and mixed with the rutabaga. Any potato variety is fine here.
- Apples: Perhaps an unexpected ingredient in this recipe, the apples are chopped and mixed into the filling with the ground turkey and onions. Their sweetness balances the savory and herby flavors of the other ingredients, keeps things moist, and makes a welcome addition to the meal. Any crisp apple will work well.
- Ground turkey: Serves as the base of the filling. Typically, this dish is prepared with leftover cooked meat, such as lamb. But the leanness of ground turkey and its mild flavor allow the vegetables, apples, and herbs to be the stars of the dish.
See the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients and quantities.
🥩 Substitutions
- Turnips are a fine substitute for the rutabaga, though the flavor will be more intense.
- Ground chicken or pork may be used in place of the ground turkey. I'm not sure ground beef would work well with the apples.
- You can use fresh or dried thyme and rosemary, depending on what you have on hand.
🍲 Instructions
How to make this shepherd's rutabaga pie.
- Step 1: Peel and chop the rutabaga and potatoes. Then, chop the onion.
- Step 2: Add the rutabaga to a pot and cover with plenty of water. Boil for 10 minutes. Add the potatoes, and boil for ten more minutes.
- Step 3: While the vegetables boil, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large pan. Add the flour and cook for a couple of minutes until browned.
- Step 4: Slowly whisk in the broth until incorporated. Simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes until thickened and reduced.
- Step 5: Pour the gravy out of the pan, add the butter and the chopped onion. Cook 3-5 minutes until soft and golden.
- Step 6: Add the ground turkey to the pan and use a spoon to break it up. Cook for 6-7 minutes, until cooked.
- Step 7: Stir in the chopped apples and cook for another 5 minutes until softened. Then add the gravy.
- Step 8: Drain the rutabaga and potatoes when tender. Mash them in the pan, then stir in cream and ½ teaspoon salt.
- Step 9: Spread the mashed rutabaga and potatoes over the turkey and apple mixture. (In the pan you cooked them in or another pan.)
- Step 10: Use a fork to scrape the top to create texture. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes. If you want to brown it further, pop it under the broiler for a few minutes. Serve hot, topped with the chopped parsley.
🌟 Helpful Tips
- Use plenty of water when you first boil the rutabaga so that there will be enough to cover the potatoes when you add them to the pot.
- Placing your pie on a baking sheet when putting it in the oven will help to catch any drips and avoid burning in the bottom of your oven.
🍳 Equipment
Potato masher: For mashing up the rutabaga and potatoes.
Oven-safe pan: This makes it easy to transition from cooking on top of the stove to transferring the meal to the oven to finish it off. It's not essential, however.
🥧 Storage
Store the rutabaga pie, tightly covered, in the fridge for up to four days.
🙋🏾♂️ FAQ
Rutabaga is a root vegetable, like a potato, and it also mashes up nicely. But it doesn't taste quite the same. It is more earthy and has a mix of sweet and bitter flavors. It tastes closer to a turnip than a potato.
Rutabaga is lower in calories and carbs compared to potatoes. It also is higher in fiber and has a lower glycemic index. However, potatoes are higher in potassium and Vitamin C.
Yes, you should peel rutabaga before boiling.
Butter, garlic, earthy and woody herbs, cheese, bacon, apples, potatoes, and cream all go well with rutabaga.
🍮 Pairing
These desserts would pair beautifully with this rutabaga pie.
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📖 Recipe
Rutabaga Pie
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
This savory Rutabaga Pie is a variation of the English dish Gloucestershire Pie and features turkey, apples, potatoes, and rutabaga for a comforting earthy meal. If you enjoy shepherd's pie, you'll likely also appreciate this dish as well.
Ingredients
- 1 pound rutabaga
- 1 ½ pounds potatoes
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 pound apples
- 1 large onion
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 tablespoon fresh)
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary (or 1 tablespoon fresh)
- 2 tablespoons half and half (or cream)
- ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 °F. Peel and roughly chop the rutabaga and potatoes. Cover the rutabaga with water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Throw in a big pinch of salt and boil for 10 minutes. Add the potatoes and cook for 10 more minutes or until both vegetables are tender.
- Melt two tablespoons of butter in a large oven-proof pan. Whisk in the flour and cook for a couple of minutes until bubbling and browned. Whisk in the broth and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour the gravy into a bowl and set aside.
- While the vegetables boil and gravy simmers, chop the onion, peel, core, and roughly chop the apples. In the empty pan, sauté the onion in the remaining butter for about 5 minutes. Add the ground turkey, ½ teaspoon of salt, thyme, and rosemary, and cook until the turkey is mostly cooked. Add the chopped apple and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the gravy.
- When the potatoes and rutabaga are cooked, drain the water and return them to the pot. Mash while they're still warm, then stir in the cream, the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt, and the nutmeg. If they’re not somewhat creamy, pour in another splash of cream.
- Spread the potato and rutabaga mash evenly over the top of the pan with the ground turkey. If you feel like it, run the tip of a fork through the mashed vegetables to create extra texture. Place the pan on a baking sheet to catch any drips, then place it in the oven to bake for 20 minutes. If it's not browned enough to your liking, stick the pan under the broiler for a couple of minutes. Afterward, sprinkle the pie with the parsley and serve.
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: English
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