Make Ahead

Turkey Pot Pie for Another Day

November 27, 2009
4.3
9 Ratings
Photo by James Ransom
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

I love turkey on Thanksgiving, but then I need to take a little break from it for a while—and making something to freeze for later is the perfect solution. Tossing the turkey breast in olive oil keeps it tender and moist, and the shallot, lemon zest, parsley, and vermouth give the final pie a little extra sparkle. —Jennifer Ann

Test Kitchen Notes

WHO: Jennifer Ann is an early Food52-er and works in international patent research.
WHAT: A perfect way to use up turkey leftovers—and to save them for another day.
HOW: Simmer all of the goodness together on the stove, then transfer to a casserole, top with puff pastry, and bake.
WHY WE LOVE IT: Jennifer Ann calls for turkey breast in the ingredients, but we think it would work well with all parts of the turkey. The recipe is heavy on the lemon (which we loved), but feel free to adjust to taste. We'd eat this today—and, of course, on another day! —The Editors

Continue After Advertisement
Watch This Recipe
Turkey Pot Pie for Another Day
Ingredients
  • 4 cups shredded turkey breast
  • 5 tablespoons good quality olive oil, divided
  • 1 tablespoon finely minced shallot
  • zest from one lemon, preferably organic
  • 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf Italian parsely
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 8 ounces fresh cremini mushrooms, coarsely chopped
  • 2 leeks, white and pale green parts thinly sliced
  • 2 carrots, cut into a small dice
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/3 cup dry white vermouth
  • 1/3 cup AP flour
  • 4 cups chicken broth or stock
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
  • 3/4 cup frozen peas
  • 1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
Directions
  1. In a medium bowl, mix together the turkey, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, shallots, lemon zest, and parsley; set aside.
  2. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter with 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a dutch oven. Sauté the mushrooms over medium-high heat until cooked through and lightly browned; transfer to a bowl, and set aside.
  3. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a clean dutch oven; add leeks, carrots, and thyme and cook until vegetables begin to soften (about 8 minutes). Raise the heat slightly, add the dry vermouth, and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.
  4. Add flour to the carrot mixture, stirring constantly for about 1 minute. Whisk in the stock and cream, then simmer until the sauce thickens (about 10 minutes); remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
  5. Mix the cooled sauce with the lemon-parsley turkey, mushrooms, and frozen peas; divide the mixture between 4 mini-loaf pans.
  6. Cut 4 pieces of puff pastry large enough to cover each loaf pan with ½ inch hanging over on each side. Crimp the edges with the tines of a fork to seal and tightly wrap each pie in several layers of plastic wrap and a layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 2 months.
  7. To cook the frozen pies: Preheat oven to 400°F. Brush the tops of the unwrapped frozen pies with egg and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

43 Reviews

Ibjan November 26, 2023
Delicious but very labor intensive. 4.5 stars round3d to 5
cynthiag117@comcast.net February 4, 2023
This took about 3.5 hrs to make and cost about $20. I didnt have leftover Turkey so roasted a package of boneless chicken thighs. To me, too much work and too much cost. The boyfriend liked it but I won’t be making this again.
aliciads107@gmail.com December 31, 2022
I love this pot pie. I love the addition of lemon!
luckyducktm November 27, 2022
We discovered this recipe 3 years ago. It's our go-too for leftover turkey. The lemon zest, parsley, shallot combo, folded in, is the key. The resulting dish is everything you love about turkey pot pie but the zest and parsley make the flavors pop- next level.
eatchimac March 30, 2021
Oh, I didn’t try Turkey Pot Pie Recipe. Now I can make it at home. So glad for sharing this recipe Now I can make it at home. It looks delicious. Now I can share your blog with my friend circle. I am so glad after seeing your recipe, Thanks for sharing this recipe. Food is one of the biggest topics of conversation online and offline. Keep it up, I am waiting for your next recipe!

Judi L. November 29, 2020
Lemon in turkey pie intrigued me and I thought it must add a freshness to the pie. I can't decide if I would make it again...it was good, but I just can't decide if it was good enough to forgo traditional flavors.
kansashostage December 2, 2019
This recipe is fabulous. I’ve made it every year since I discovered the recipe, sometimes doubling it if I have tons of leftover turkey. I use all the leftover meat I have, including the dark meat. My husband adores this pot pie - it’s the main reason we make so much more turkey than we can eat! I also have added leftover gravy to the mixture to thicken it and add a little more “Thanksgiving” flavor.
Leith D. December 1, 2019
This is really delicious. I made it with mashed potatoes instead of puff pastry to use up more leftovers and turned it into turkey shepherd’s pie.
tastysweet November 28, 2019
How about an actual pie pan. Or would you need two of them? And then how long to bake?
Picture shows pie pan.
Dolo November 30, 2020
I agree. I don’t understand why you would want 4 mini loaf pans ....The picture is a full pie. How long to bake one..,I’d like 1 pie or maybe 2 of those slightly smaller foil loaf pans you get at the grocery store. Any temp & time information appreciated.
Emily November 2, 2021
Everything is cooked already so I think it’s really just warming things up and done when your puff pastry crust is browned and done.
Jared K. October 10, 2018
What size baking dish would you use to make one large dish?
Rebecca C. December 4, 2016
Made pies again this year (3rd or 4th time). This round were made with homemade turkey stock from the left over carcass. Also, have used a dry white wine instead of vermouth each time. Froze all the pies w/o having a final taste of the filling but, the stock was delicious alone, and it all smelled really good all together.
Natalie B. November 22, 2016
This was amazing - I made it last year after Thanksgiving. Bookmarking for this year to make again by request.
Momma April 11, 2016
Haven't made this yet but looks easy any suggestions on how to make this with frozen pie crust
Rebecca C. December 1, 2015
Been making this, as is, for years. This time I used puff pastry for a shell as well. I lined mini pie pans with the dough, pricked it a few times, and filled them. Then, sealed on a top crust, baked some and froze the others. The fresh baked were perfect pot pies. I expect the frozen ones will be, too.
Jeannine W. November 29, 2015
I just made this for my family and what a smashing hit! I added a little extra lemon zest and used sweet vermouth. I used all the liquid in the recipe and reduced it for 10 minutes and it was perfect. Unbelievably good. It will be my go to pot pie recipe. Thank you Jennifer Ann.
kzmccaff January 24, 2015
I made a couple mini pot pies and froze them--and baked one from frozen--30/35 minutes was not close to enough time. This time I let one defrost in the fridge, we'll see how it turns out!
HJC January 13, 2015
I made this recipe last weekend & it was fantastic! Because I wanted to make two big pies, I modified the recipe slightly by increasing the stock & cream a bit, then adding 2 extra carrot, about 2 cups cooked brown rice, a bit more peas & half of a bag of frozen corn. I also added salt/pepper to taste. The resulting liquid, when it cooked, was just the right amount. The filling consistency was great - not too dry, not too soupy. Will definitely make again!
frizz November 29, 2014
Made this tonight, and I used the 4 cups that are called for in the recipe. I also let it boil for the full 10 minutes, which let the sauce reduce beautifully and was just the right amount of liquid. I did add salt and pepper, and I probably should have added a little more. It felt like it was missing ... something. But I can't figure out what.
Idette B. November 28, 2014
Recipes like this are why I keep vermouth.
I will definitely make this pie. And I love the variations. =D
Marie November 15, 2014
Looks delicious!! I will have to try it for the holidays :0)