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This Turkey Pot Pie is one of our favorite ways to use Thanksgiving leftovers. With its flaky crust loaded with turkey and vegetables, you’ll want to make it a part of your family tradition too!
Our family looks forward to this dinner almost as much as Thanksgiving itself! It has become a day after Thanksgiving tradition. It is a meal that my family will definitely gather around the table in excitement for! I love having something to serve my family that is loaded with veggies and protein. It is one of those comfort foods that is also packed with nutrients. I like to serve it with a simple side salad and some warm bread.
Everyone knows one of the best parts about Thanksgiving dinner is the leftovers. If you’re looking for a great way to turn your leftovers into a meal that deserves a spotlight of its own, this Turkey Pot Pie recipe is the way to go. This so so easy because you use a pre-made pie crust which pairs so well with the leftover turkey, your favorite veggies, and a rich, creamy sauce.
Ingredients in this Easy Turkey Pot Pie Recipe
You really can’t go wrong with this delicious and easy pot pie recipe. It’s a crowd pleaser – even kids gobble it up! Here’s what you need:
- Unbaked pie crusts – Use store-bought crusts to make your life easier. You can find these refrigerated pie crusts near the dairy section, by the biscuits in the pop-open tubes. Each package includes two crusts, which is perfect for this recipe.
- Turkey – dice two cups of cooked, leftover turkey, or, buy a small turkey breast at the grocery store.
- Chicken broth – two cups broth, or a couple of cups of water with some chicken bouillon.
- Oil – I like to use extra virgin olive oil to sauté the veggies.
- Onion – about a cup of finely chopped yellow onion.
- Carrots – you’ll want about a cup of carrots, usually two large carrots peeled and diced. But, a handful of baby carrots works great too.
- Celery – half a cup of diced celery.
- Salt and pepper – to taste.
- Flour – all-purpose flour is used to thicken the sauce.
- Milk – use any kind of milk you have on hand, and keep a little extra to thin out the sauce if needed.
- Frozen peas – about ¾ cup.
Substitutions to this Recipe
- If you don’t have leftover turkey, no problem! Substitute shredded chicken for turkey and make our Chicken Pot Pie recipe!
- Don’t like traditional crust? Put your filling in a 9×13 pan and cover with puff pastry! You will get a puffy crust with all the flavor! Follow the puff pastry box instructions to get the right baking time and temp.
- Use leftover turkey gravy instead of making the sauce in the recipe card.
- Store bought crusts are so convenient, but you can also make your own perfect homemade crust! It only takes a few minutes to mix, roll, and bake, and uses only a couple of pantry ingredients.
- No fresh veggies? Grab a bag of frozen mixed vegetables or throw in a can of corn. Dice up any veggies that are about to go bad in your fridge. Totally versatile!
Fun Additions and Variations
- Potatoes – Dice up some potatoes and parboil them before adding them to the mix. You can also add hash brown cubes if you are in a hurry. They cook up fast in the sauce and add more bulk to the pot pie.
- Corn – Add frozen corn or a can of corn (drained) for added veggies
- Heavy cream – Try adding a little heavy whipping cream to add more richness to the sauce
- Sweet potato – Add some parboiled or roasted sweet potato to give your pot pie more of a fall flavor
- Curry – Add some curry powder to the sauce for a fun Indian-inspired twist!
- Seasonings – Try a sprinkle of rosemary or thyme to add more of an earthy, herby, flavor
- Bacon – Add some cooked, crumbled bacon for some added savory flavor!
Recipe Tips
- You can make this recipe in a 9-inch pie dish or make individual pies in ramekins. My kids love having their own little pot pie, but you can use a pie pan or even a casserole dish.
- These pies are HOT! When I serve them to my kids, I just turn them upside down on their plates, remove the ramekin, and let them cool a little.
Frequently Asked Questions About Pot Pie
To keep the crust from getting too soft and soggy, try sprinkling some dried breadcrumbs or crushed cornflakes on the bottom of the crust before filling and baking.
Prebaking the bottom crust for about five minutes gives the crust a golden brown color and crispy texture. It’ll hold the filling much better, too.
For a picture-perfect pie crust, brush with a beaten egg yolk, mixed with a little water before baking.
Yes! It is best if you freeze the pot pie before baking. Wrap tightly in foil, label, and freeze for up to 3-4 months. When ready to eat, thaw completely in the refrigerator. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes at 375-degrees F, then uncover and bake another 25-30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the center is cooked through. You can use a meat thermometer to make sure the internal temperature of the pot pie is 165-degrees F. Allow to cool 10 min before serving.
Read More: 25+ Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes
More Leftover Turkey Recipes
There are so many delicious recipes that you can make with leftover turkey. Here are a few of our favorites!
Easy Turkey Pot Pie
Ingredients
- 2 unbaked pie crusts 9 inch refrigerated, (you can find them near the dairy section by the biscuits in the ‘pop-open’ tubes, it will be a box with 2 crusts included)
- 2 cups cooked leftover turkey
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 onion chopped fine (about 1 cup)
- 2 carrots peeled and sliced (about 1 cup)
- 1/2 cup celery chopped fine
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter ½ stick
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/2 cup milk more if needed to thin sauce
- 3/4 cup frozen peas
- 1 egg white (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375-degrees.Heat 1 tablespoon oil in skillet oven over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, celery, salt, and pepper.Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender (about 5 minutes).
- While vegetables are cooking, shred pre-cooked turkey into small, bite-sized pieces.
- Transfer cooked vegetables to bowl with turkey; set aside.
- Heat butter in empty skillet oven over medium heat. When foaming subsides, stir in flour and cook 1 minute.
- Slowly whisk in chicken broth and milk. Bring to simmer and stir until sauce thickens, about 1 minute. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add more milk if needed to thin sauce.
- Remove from heat and stir turkey-vegetable mixture and peas into sauce.
- Place one of the pie crusts in a 9” pie pan or cut out to fit in individual ramekins. Poke a few times with a fork and place in the oven for about 5 minutes.
- Remove and pour in the sauce/veggie mix.
- Cover with the other crust and seal the edges. Cut some slits in the top and brush with an egg white wash (optional). To make the egg white wash, whip the egg white with a little water and whip until frothy. Brush over the top of the crust.
- Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Allow to cool 10-15 minutes before serving.
My family loved this pot pie! We are in the middle of a very cold snap here and this was the perfect comfort meal!
My husband is super picky, but he loved this dish!
Yay! I’m so glad it was a win!
Great recipe I used frozen mixed vegetables instead but I added a few fresh potatoes it was yummy
I’m so glad you liked it. Thank you for the 5 stars! Adding fresh potatoes was a great idea!
Do u think I can make it up and freeze it?
I personally have not frozen this pie, but it should freeze just fine. Prepare the pie according to the recipe, but instead of baking it, wrap it well in plastic wrap and aluminum foil, and place it in the freezer. Thanks for asking!
I love pot pie, and making it happen with leftovers makes it even easier. I’m taking it a step further and putting a layer of leftover stuffing in the bottom.
Now THAT is a great idea! 🙂
Just made this for dinner to use up the Thanksgiving leftovers. Delicious and easy!