Turkey Pot Pie is a great way to use leftover turkey or chicken! It's an easy recipe full of veggies that everyone loves for dinner.
Okay wait!!! It's me, Dorothy. I haven't been taken over by some freaky dinner-loving person. I know it's weird to wake up and see a savory recipe here but trust me, this one is a keeper. It's worth putting sugar on the back burner…for a hot minute anyway.
Trust me, I'm not going to start posting dinner recipes all the time – I promise. Believe me, I cook dinner most days and I am NOT passionate about real food. Give me sugar and I'm inspired and have tons to talk about, but chicken or turkey? Not so much.
HOWEVER: I do eat real food…plus this has a crust, so it fits. I'm Crazy for Crust…and not just dessert. (Hey, new tagline, lol.) Once in awhile I may share something that fits…like pot pie or pizza.
Recently we had a turkey breast for dinner and I had a bunch of shredded turkey meat leftover. All of a sudden last weekend I was craving pot pie and once I made it I knew I had to share it because it was so delicious.
I grew up on pot pie; we had those mini Marie Callendar's pies in our freezer all the time and I'd eat them for lunch on a regular basis. When I was in high school and started showing more interest in helping cook dinner, my mom and I found a Chicken Pot Pie recipe in a magazine. It was an advertisement so I don't know where it originally came from (I *think* Crisco) but we used to make it all the time. It was a such a great recipe for a nice cold winter night…plus it had crust so we all had to have seconds.
When I was craving pot pie last weekend I unearthed that old recipe and then tinkered with it to bring it up do date and fit my tastes now. The result? Pot Pie Perfection!
Okay, so first of all, I started the pie with bacon. Don't all great recipes start that way? I cooked up some bacon in my pot, then I cooked onion, celery, and carrots in the fat.
Pretty much, the pie starts out as a winner.
Once you add seasoning and flour, you create a thick and creamy sauce that's the basis of the pot pie. I added a bunch of the leftover turkey, as well as the bacon and vegetables.
Now let's talk vegetables. I always use peas and corn in my pot pies. This time I also had leftover green beans so I threw a handful of those in too. You can use any frozen (or fresh cooked) veggies you like.
Then you sandwich the gorgeous filling in between two pie crusts and bake it until it's golden. It's SO good you guys, really.
Next week when you have leftover turkey and green beans…you should make this.
And then you should make it again a few weeks later with leftover rotisserie chicken. Just a thought… 🙂
Turkey Pot Pie
Yield: 8 servings
Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Turkey Pot Pie is a great way to use leftover turkey or chicken! It's an easy recipe that everyone loves for dinner.
Ingredients:
- 2 strips bacon, diced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup (about 1 small) diced yellow onion
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- 1 small carrot, diced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon ground sage
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper, plus more to taste
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup chicken or turkey stock
- 1 cup nonfat milk
- 1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
- 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
- 1 cup chopped cooked green beans (see note)
- 2 cups shredded cooked turkey
- 1 package (2 crusts) refrigerated pie crusts (or two from scratch pie crusts), thawed according to package directions
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Preheat sauce pan over medium heat. Cook bacon until browned, then remove from pan to a plate, leaving the bacon grease in the pan. Set aside.
- Add olive oil to the pan, then add onion, celery, and carrot. Stir to coat with oil and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-5 minutes. Sprinkle with thyme, sage, salt, pepper, and flour and stir to coat. Cook for 1 minute. Add stock and milk, and cook and stir until thickened, just a a few minutes.
- Remove pan from heat and stir in vegetables and turkey.
- Place one crust in the bottom and up the sides of a 9" pie plate. Spoon hot filling into crust. Place second crust over the top, press the edges together, and crimp as desired. Cut slits in the top of the pie for air to escape.
- Place pie on a cookie sheet in case of spillage, and bake for 40-55 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to one month. Entire pie may be mad and frozen ahead of time, either before or after baking.
Notes:
Vegetables: use 2 1/2 cups of your favorite vegetables, either fresh cooked or thawed frozen. You're not limited to peas, corn, and green beans - use anything you like.
