We must confess—we get excited for Thanksgiving every year solely for the leftovers! If you’ve gotten your fill of turkey sandwiches, turn those precious extras into this Tex-Mex twist on a classic shepherd’s pie. Zooshed up with chorizo, green chiles, beans, and cheese, our Texas-inspired casserole has a touch of smoky heat. If you want to dial up the spice, add a couple dashes of your favorite hot sauce or look for a spicy pork chorizo. Pro tip: To get the crispy brown bits on the top of your shepherd’s pie, use the back of your spoon to create peaks and valleys in the mashed potatoes. Grease with a bit of cooking spray before popping in the oven and then finish under the broiler before serving.
5cupsshredded leftover turkey or rotisserie chicken
1½cupschicken stock or low-sodium broth
2Tablespoonscornstarch
One15.5-ounce can GOYA pink or pinto beansrinsed and drained
One15-ounce cancornrinsed and drained
One4-ounce canchopped green chilesdrained
Kosher salt
6cupsleftover or ready-made mashed potatoes
1cupshredded pepper jack cheese
½cupsour cream(optional, see Notes)
Nonstick cooking spray
Thinly sliced scallions, small cilantro sprigs, for garnish
Hot sauce and lime wedges, for serving
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 450°F. In a large, deep cast-iron skillet (ideally 12 inches), heat the canola oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the chorizo and cook over moderate heat, breaking up the meat with your spatula, until almost cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add the shredded turkey.
In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk the chicken stock with the cornstarch. Add to the skillet and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the beans, corn and green chiles. Season with salt, if needed.
In a medium microwave-safe bowl, microwave the mashed potatoes on HIGH until hot, about 2 minutes. Add the cheese and sour cream, if needed, and mix until almost smooth. Spoon the potatoes on top of the turkey-chorizo filling and spread in an even layer, using the back of your spoon to create peaks in the potatoes. Spray with nonstick cooking spray.
Set the shepherd’s pie on a rimmed baking sheet and transfer to the oven. Bake until the potatoes are beginning to brown on top and the filling is bubbling up around the edges, about 20 minutes. If desired, heat the broiler to HIGH and broil the shepherd’s pie until browned on top, 3 to 5 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and scallions and serve right away, passing hot sauce and lime wedges at the table.
Notes
If your leftover mashed potatoes are very thick, then fold in the sour cream to make them more spreadable.