The Best Turkey Leftover – Turkey Pot Pie

Around here, we love turkey leftovers!  Growing up, we made an enormous Butterball turkey for Thanksgiving and ate it in one form or another until Christmas. And then we made another one. Turkey wasn’t a food group, it was a season. We had no choice but to embrace reheated plates of turkey and potatoes, warmed up, gooey green bean casserole, and fermented cranberry relish. As I got older I branched out, trying lots of new recipes with turkey as the star ingredient.
Of all the leftover dishes I’ve tried, turkey pot pie is consistently the best. And it’s a recipe that can be adapted to whatever you like, and what’s in the fridge. Here are the basics:
Turkey
Chop 1-2 cups of cooked turkey into bite-size pieces.
Veggies (This is a perfect way to use the leftovers from the relish tray!)
½ cup diced onion
½ cup diced carrot
½ cup peas
½ cup diced celery
1 cup sliced mushrooms
Sauté them in butter until crisp-cooked. Mix vegetables and turkey in large bowl until combined.
(You can also use leeks, broccoli, cauliflower, diced squash, corn, or green beans if that’s what you’ve got on hand.)
Gravy
Add gravy to generously coat all ingredients. Start with your leftover gravy from Thanksgiving. If you don’t have enough you can use canned chicken or turkey gravy, or make more.
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup whipping cream
Melt butter in a large saucepan. Whisk in flour until completely combined into a paste. Cook for one minute. Add broth all at once, stirring constantly. Bring mixture to a boil. When it has thickened, add wine (if desired) and whipping cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Herbs
Chopped parsley, sage, chives, or thyme make nice additions to the pie. Add to taste.
Crust
After you pour the gravy, turkey, and veggies in a large casserole dish, decided what kind of crust you like. You can use:
• A tube of refrigerated biscuit dough
• Pre-made puff pastry (thawed)
• Leftover mashed potatoes, mixed with an egg and some grated Parmesan cheese
• Pre-made pie crust (flat folded sheets found in the refrigerated section)
• Bisquick biscuit recipe
Place your crust of choice over the filling, making sure there are slits for the steam to escape. Bake at 350 F until the topping is browned and cooked through, and the filling is hot and bubbly. Serve with leftover cranberry sauce and enjoy!
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