Turkey Pot Pie with Puff Pastry
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What’s mouthwatering, warm, cozy, and golden-brown all over? This turkey pot pie! Cooler months are meant for classic, hearty recipes like this one, and there’s no better way to serve up comfort than with a dish that combines robust holiday flavors with a buttery, flaky crust. It’s a great way to use up any leftover turkey from Thanksgiving!
I think we all know that food is what we look forward to most when thinking about Thanksgiving and its surrounding holidays. Yes, I also look forward to the comfort of spending time with loved ones, but its the traditional foods that make these holidays so cozy and warming each year.
To me, a classic turkey pot pie with puff pastry embodies all of these cozy luxuries. It’s the perfect family-style meal that’ll fill you up with warm, wintry flavors and fill your kitchen with those heavenly aromas we savor during this season.
You can make it using leftover Thanksgiving turkey, or you can prep specifically for it. Either way, it’s easy, wholesome, and a true crowd pleaser!
Have a passion for puff pastry?
Another way to enjoy the flaky, buttery pastry is in bacon puff pastry cheese twists. It’s a fantastic holiday appetizer!
INGREDIENT NOTES AND SUBSTITUTIONS
- Puff Pastry – For a turkey pot pie with puff pastry, it’s arguable that the puff pastry is the star of the show. It adds a delightfully flaky, crispy, buttery component to each bite. Thaw frozen puff pastry for a super simple crust.
- Butter – This is what you’ll cook your vegetables in to infuse the entire dish with a satisfying flavor.
- Vegetables – Frozen peas and diced yellow onion, celery, carrots, and russet potatoes are classic components of turkey pot pie. Feel free to swap out what you don’t love for corn, mushrooms, asparagus, or cauliflower.
- All-Purpose Flour – This makes the filling nice and thick.
- Dry White Wine – Used to deglaze your pan so you can soak up all the best bits of flavor that get stuck to the bottom. Use extra chicken stock instead if needed.
- Chicken Stock – Adds a hearty, meaty flavor and lots of extra nutrients. Swap for vegetable stock or turkey stock if preferred.
- Cooked Turkey – The key ingredient! It must be cooked beforehand, and you can cube it or shred it depending on your preference.
- Egg – Used for an egg wash to give the crust its signature golden, shiny appearance.
HOW TO MAKE TURKEY POT PIE
- Get Prepped. Preheat your oven to 400°F and dice your carrots, onions, potatoes, and celery. Grease the inside of a 9×9” casserole dish.
- Roll Out Puff Pastry. Sprinkle flour on a flat surface and roll the thawed puff pastry into a 12-inch square. Press it along the sides and bottom of the casserole dish and trim any excess.
- Bake The Crust. Pierce the pastry with a fork all over. Place a sheet of aluminum foil flat against the pastry and cover the sides to prevent them from burning. Bake for 20 minutes, remove aluminum foil, and set aside.
- Cook Vegetables. Place a baking sheet into the oven to preheat before melting butter in a large skillet. Add onions, celery, carrots, and potatoes and sauté until they’re tender and slightly browned. Sprinkle in flour, stir, and slowly whisk in chicken stock and wine.
- Finish The Filling. Once the mixture is bubbling nicely, stir in seasonings, cooked turkey, and peas.
- Bake. Spoon the filling into the baked crust and cover the top with leftover pastry. Get fancy and create a lattice crust if desired! Brush with egg wash and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the filling is bubbling.
Other ways to use Thanksgiving leftovers
Leftover stuffing– Use the stuffing to make cranberry pecan stuffed waffles, then top them with slices of leftover mashed potatoes, turkey, and gravy. Holy cow these are good.
Leftover cranberry sauce– If you have leftover whole berry cranberry sauce, it makes a fantastic smoothie! Just pop it in the blender with plain yogurt and ice cubes. Oh, and a scoop of protein powder for an extra boost of nutrition.
Just a couple of ways to use up those Thanksgiving leftovers. Enjoy!
Why Do You Cook Turkey Pot Pie on a Baking Sheet?
Doing this helps the pie stay even, and the sheet pan catches any filling that is likely to boil and bubble over!
Why Is My Pot Pie Crust Burning?
When baking pot pie with puff pastry crust, there’s a delicate balance between cooking the crust perfectly and ensuring the filling gets nice and hot, too. When you initially bake your puff pastry before adding the filling (called blind baking), cover it with tin foil so that it doesn’t get too crisp.
Then, check on your pot pie while it bakes — if you notice the crust getting brown too early, cover it with foil for the remainder of the bake time.
Can You Freeze Turkey Pot Pie?
This is such a hearty meal, it’s not surprising if you’ve got leftovers! You can freeze turkey pot pie covered in a container for up to three months. When ready to eat, remove from fridge for about 30 minutes and bake at 375°F for about 30 minutes.
You can also freeze the pot pie before baking it. When you’re ready to eat, brush the puff pastry topping with egg wash and cook at 375°F for about an hour.
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This post, originally published on Kevin is Cooking Nov. 22, 2016, was last updated with new content on Nov. 24, 2022.
Turkey Pot Pie with Puff Pastry
Ingredients
- 2 sheets puff pastry thawed
- 1/3 cup butter
- 1 large yellow onion chopped
- 2 stalks celery small dice
- 2 large carrots peeled and cubed
- 1 large Russet potato peeled and cubed
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup dry white wine See Note 1
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp ground sage
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 3 cups cooked turkey meat cubed or shredded
- 1 cup peas cooked or frozen
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 egg whisked with 1 tsp water, for egg wash
Instructions
- Set oven to 400°F.Grease the inside of a 9×9” casserole dish. On a lightly floured surface, roll the pastry sheet into a 12-inch square. Gently press the pastry dough in and up sides of dish. Trim the excess pastry. Using a fork, prick the pastry thoroughly. Place a sheet of aluminum foil against the surface of the pastry and cover sides so they don’t over cook and burn. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove dish from oven and remove the aluminum foil, then place an empty baking sheet into the oven to preheat.
- Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat, then add onions, celery, carrots and potatoes. Sauté for 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender-crisp and slightly browned. Sprinkle flour over vegetables, stir and cook for another 4 minutes. Slowly whisk in the stock and wine, cooking until the mixture bubbles and thickens.
- Stir in mustard, thyme, sage, white pepper, turkey, peas and parsley.
- Spoon the chicken vegetable mixture into the the baked bottom crust. Top with remaining puff pastry sheet, or cut into strips to create lattice crust (See Note 2) Place the turkey casserole onto a baking sheet and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the filling is hot and bubbling and the pastry is golden brown.
Notes
- If substitute is needed for wine, use chicken stock.
- On a lightly floured surface, cut the puff pastry sheet crosswise into 4 strips and halve each one, for 8 strips total. Weave a lattice pattern over the filling with the pastry strips. Trim any excess pastry. Brush top of pastry with egg wash.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Hi Kevin,
With our Canadian Thanksgiving over I made your meat pie for dinner. My college kids, who make comments about everything, loved it. I made 2 one for dinner and one for the freezer. I made a pie crust instead of puff pastry for both and reduced the broth by 1 cup. I used a Chardonnay, since I only had Reisling and those are a bit citrusy. We have great Reislings here in Ontario. Thanks for the recipe. I’m going to check out more recipes on your site.
So happy you found me and that your family enjoyed this one Leigh. I’m sure I’ll be making again in a month myself! 🙂
Hi Kevin, I found your recipe when searching for what to do with our leftover Easter turkey (yep, I have a ham hater in the family so we had both. This fit the bill perfectly and was absolutely delicious! I cheated by using frozen peas and carrots and canned potatoes, and I’m sure it would have been even better exactly as written. I had to add a cornstarch slurry to thicken the gravy…I’m wondering if that could be because I used Wondra flour instead of all purpose? Anyhow, no biggie – my family of 5, two of whom are very picky, finished every morsel and could have eaten more. Thanks for sharing this!
So glad all of you enjoyed this Carol. Thanks for taking the time to come back and let me know!
How did I miss this? Pot pie is one of my favorite foods on the planet – and what a PERFECT way to use up leftover turkey.
Thanks Marissa. Gotta make those leftovers fancy and what better way than with puff pastry. So good!
Dunno how I messed up the calculations so bad, but we have way more bird than I could’ve ever imagined, so we’re going to be eating a lot of turkey for a very long time. This pot pie sounds like the perfect way to cook a bunch of it!
Love a warm and hearty pot pie, can’t wait to try this one out! Thanks for posting Kevin! Cheers!
I hear ya, we had so much turkey leftover, too. Lots to share with the family and for leftovers. I love a grilled turkey and cheese sandwich, making soup and pot pies like this. Thanks for stopping by Seth and enjoy!
Oh, this leftover casserole sounds fantastic and looks just breathtaking, Kevin! If I were celebrating Thanksgiving now, I would roast a bigger turkey just to have enough leftovers for this dish! In a meanwhile, If you have any leftovers of this casserole (doesn’t sound possible though), you can always send it to Canada:)
I’m with you, I always get a larger turkey then the number of dinner guests just so we have leftovers for sandwiches, soups and pot pies like this one. You two would be welcome at our house any time if ever down here! 😉
Ah, I love a good leftover casserole. Also, kudos on the lattice work on the top. I’m usually just lazy and cover a pie all over in pastry.
Thanks Matt. I thought I’d spruce it up this year! 🙂
I do a similar one with Christmas day leftovers. I basically throw everything in a pot (everything, including dressing and all) and top with a rolled out sheet of puff pastry (I love your fancy work better, by the way). I would love to try your version. You always make kick ass recipes, Kevin 🙂 Pinning! Though, if you like, since our Thanksgiving is over here in Canada, perhaps I could visit you and you could cook this for me 😉 ? Happy Thanksgiving, my friend!
Thanks for the kind words friend. You would be welcome in my home any time Dawn. I’d share and I’d also look you up if we ever travelled up there. 🙂
Thanks Kevin! Sounds perfect 😉
Hey Kevin! I have always made pot pie with leftover turkey and this one looks perfectly delicious!. This year I’m doing a Cajun turkey breast so I’m not sure how much will be leftover, but I should be able to make a couple of individual ones! My favorite part of the holiday is having leftovers so I usually make lots of sides, especially dressing and stuffing!
Love the Cajun spices Dorothy. I will usually get a bigger bird than needed just so we have leftovers. Come back tomorrow! 😉
I love a good casserole…and you’ve taken it to a whole new level with this turkey pot pie creation! Yum! I’ll have to do my best to save some leftover turkey for this one…I usually just nom nom it all in epic sandwich form. But this year, we’re going casserole Kevin style! 🙂
Thanks Dave. I love leftovers from the big turkey day, be it in a pot pie like this or sandwiches… with cranberry sauce. 😉
Wow Kevin it looks insanely delicious! Really that red casserole is gorgeous! pineed
Thank you Farida, I love it, too. What’s even better is I got the casserole dish on sale!