“The time has come,” the Walrus said, “to talk of other things. Of shoes and ships and sealing wax and how to use up all this blasted leftover turkey!”
Mmm well maybe that’s not how the song goes, but it’s the song I’m singing today. Because not only is it Black Friday, it’s also the infamous Oh-No-How-Do-We-Use-All-These-Leftovers Day. And let’s be real. You can only choke down so many turkey sandwiches and reheated green bean casserole before you want to hurl something into the sun.
So today’s recipe is fairly simple. It’s for a turkey pot pie using up some of those leftovers Best thing is, once it’s prepped, if you’re turkey-ed out, you can absolutely freeze it and finish baking it later. Like in February. When it’s -10 degrees out and heating up your oven for a piping hot comfort meal sounds like Heaven.
Turkey Pot Pie
Course: MainDifficulty: Medium6
servings15
minutes40
minutesOne of the best and tastiest ways to use up Thanksgiving leftovers. This pot pie can be assembled and frozen for a later date, or eaten while it’s freshly prepared.
Ingredients
1 box refrigerated pie crust (2 crusts)
3 cups chopped turkey
1 1/2 cups gravy (turkey or chicken)
1 bag frozen mixed vegetables
1T butter
1 onion, diced
Directions
- Remove 1 pie crust from refrigerator and allow to warm to room temp 15-20 minutes, so it is more pliable to roll out.
- Roll out one crust into the bottom of pie plate. Prick several times with a fork, without puncturing all the way through the crust.
- Return the crust and the pie plate, to the fridge to re-chill while preparing filling. Meanwhile, remove other crust to warm just enough to roll out. The chill makes the crusts flaky, but difficult to work without ripping.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- In a large skillet, melt butter. Add onion and saute until onions are translucent.
- Add frozen mixed vegetables and saute an additional 2-3 minutes, or until they’re thawed and just warmed through.
- Add gravy and allow residual heat to rewarm, approximately 1 minute. Taste for salt and pepper as needed.
- Turn off heat and add turkey to skillet. Allow residual heat to rewarm the turkey without cooking it further.
- Retrieve pie plate from fridge and pour filling into the crust, spreading it out to an even depth.
- Moisten the tip of your finger in some ice water, and lightly wet the outside edge of the pie crust.
- Top with other pie crust, and seal edges together by pressing on the rim with a fork. Cut 3-4 small slits in the center of the pie crust to allow filling to vent during baking.
- If freezing the pot pie for later, now is the time to slide it into a gallon-sized freezer bag and freeze. Make sure to thaw pie in the fridge overnight when ready to bake.
- Bake prepared pot pie for 30-35 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
- Remove from oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Notes
- If you intend to prep the pie for the freezer, you can skip putting crusts in and out of the fridge. Simply pull both crusts out and allow them to warm up so they are pliable. Freezing them will effect the same cold desired for a flaky texture.
- Additionally, freezer-bound pot pies don’t need to heat the filling after the onion is cooked. Simply mix the filling ingredients and pour into bottom crust. However, be aware that the pie might require a longer bake time to bring the filling up to temperature.
- If you notice your crust is getting too brown, either on the edges, or because it was fully-chilled before placed in the oven, cover with aluminum foil to stop the browning process.
- Depending on what seasonings were used in roasting your turkey and/or gravy, you might find the filling too bland for your preference. Thyme, rosemary, and sage can be added to the filling mixture.
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