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A Recipe Note from Cleo
This is a wonderfully tasty way to make use of your leftover Thanksgiving turkey. You only need two to three cups of diced roasted turkey meat. The pie keeps well in the fridge, too, so it tastes just as good reheated the day after you make it.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. May you eat with plenty of joy!
~ Cleo
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Now for today's Thanksgiving Week recipe...
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Cleo Coyle writes two bestselling mystery series with her husband. To learn more, click here. |
This is a wonderfully tasty way to make use of your leftover Thanksgiving turkey. You only need two to three cups of diced roasted turkey meat. The pie keeps well in the fridge, too, so it tastes just as good reheated the day after you make it.
I keep the PDF of this recipe handy all year because this pot pie recipe will work equally well with roasted chicken. Another reason I keep it handy is because it includes a recipe for making an easy WHITE SAUCE as well as an (optional) CHEESE SAUCE that's delicious drizzled over vegetables, especially broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, and asparagus.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. May you eat with plenty of joy!
~ Cleo
🍂 Cleo Coyle's
Easy Turkey Pot Pie
with Cheddar Cheese Crust
Servings: 6 slices (fills one 9-inch pie pan)
For Easy White Sauce
1 cup cold whole milk (with a splash more, if needed to smooth lumps)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/2 teaspoon finely ground sea salt (or table salt)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons Wondra Flour (see product picture below)
For Pie Filling
2 to 3 cups cooked turkey cut up into bite size pieces (leftovers will do nicely)
2 to 3 cups frozen mixed vegetables (do not thaw!)
For Crust
1 package pre-made pie crusts (room temperature; I use Pillsbury)
2 cups mild cheddar cheese shredded
Directions
Easy Turkey Pot Pie
with Cheddar Cheese Crust
Servings: 6 slices (fills one 9-inch pie pan)
For Easy White Sauce
1 cup cold whole milk (with a splash more, if needed to smooth lumps)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/2 teaspoon finely ground sea salt (or table salt)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons Wondra Flour (see product picture below)
For Pie Filling
2 to 3 cups cooked turkey cut up into bite size pieces (leftovers will do nicely)
2 to 3 cups frozen mixed vegetables (do not thaw!)
For Crust
1 package pre-made pie crusts (room temperature; I use Pillsbury)
2 cups mild cheddar cheese shredded
Step 1 – Make an easy white sauce: Wondra flour is the key. It’s a super-fine flour that dissolves quickly into liquids, allowing you to thicken sauces and gravies. (See my note at the end of this recipe for turning this white sauce into an easy cheese sauce.) FOR THE WHITE SAUCE: Into a saucepan, add your whole milk, butter, salt, and pepper. Warm the mixture over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the butter melts. When the butter is melted, get out your whisk! Sprinkle the Wondra flour over the milk mixture and whisk continually until the sauce comes to a boil. Continue to boil and whisk for one full minute. During the cooking, whisk vigorously to smooth any lumps out of the sauce and (if needed) splash in a little more milk, which will help the smoothing process. (Yields 1 cup of white sauce.)
Step 3 – Cheese-ify your pie dough (optional): This is a "quick and easy" recipe, which is why I'm using pre-made pie crusts. One package of "Pillsbury Pie Crusts" is all you'll need since it contains 2 unbaked pie shells, enough for 1 turkey pot pie. The pre-made crusts come rolled up inside the box. Allow both dough rolls to come to room temperature (about 15 minutes out of fridge or 10 seconds in the microwave). Gently unroll the crusts on a flat surface and sprinkle each crust with 1 cup of the shredded cheddar. Lightly press the cheese into the softened dough. If the dough is too hard, it's still too cold from coming out of the fridge. Let it sit for another few minutes until soft. (If you aren't a big fan of cheddar cheese, try Swiss, gruyere, or another favorite.) Fusing it with the dough may seem odd, but it's a shortcut that really works, and a better way to use the cheese than just dumping it into the filling where it can overpower your other flavors. This way, the cheese crosses your taste buds during your chewing of the flaky, buttery crust. It's a more delicious eating experience.
Step 4 – Fill your pie: To prevent sticking, spray a 9-inch pie pan with cooking spray or lightly grease with butter or margarine. Line the pan with one of the pre-made pie crusts (cheese side up). Fill with your veggie-turkey-white-sauce mixture. Cover with the second pie shell (cheese side down, i.e. facing the filling). Now seal the edges and make a few thin slits with a knife on the top of the shell to let steam escape. To prevent the edges of your pie from browning too much or burning, loosely curl strips of aluminum foil around the crust edges or use a pie shield. (I also like to lightly brush the top of the crust with chilled heavy cream to enhance browning.)
Step 5 – Bake at 425° Fahrenheit for 30 to 35 minutes, until crust is golden. Then reduce the heat to 375° F. Remove the foil strips or pie shield from the crust edges and return the pie to the oven for 10 minutes of final baking.
COOL for 15 to 20 minutes before cutting to allow the pie to set.
CLEO NOTE (Cheese Sauce variation): If you've never used Wondra Flour, look for its blue cardboard canister in the same grocery store aisle that shelves all-purpose flour. It's a handy little helper for thickening gravies and making quick sauces. You can make an easy cheese sauce for vegetables by adding 1/2 cup of your favorite cheese to the white sauce recipe above. Add the cheese at the end of the cooking process and stir until the cheese is melted. Then whisk gently for smoothness.
Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!
For a free Title Checklist of
Cleo Coyle's 19 Books in Order,
click here or on the image below.
Step 2 – Add frozen veggies and cooked turkey: Once your white sauce is finished, turn off the heat. Dump the frozen* mixed vegetables into the pan with the white sauce & stir to coat. Add the turkey and stir again, until the veggies and turkey are well mixed in with the white sauce. Set aside. *NOTE: You are not cooking or thawing the frozen veggies. The vegetables will thaw during the baking process, which will give them the perfect texture by the time the pie is fully baked.
Step 4 – Fill your pie: To prevent sticking, spray a 9-inch pie pan with cooking spray or lightly grease with butter or margarine. Line the pan with one of the pre-made pie crusts (cheese side up). Fill with your veggie-turkey-white-sauce mixture. Cover with the second pie shell (cheese side down, i.e. facing the filling). Now seal the edges and make a few thin slits with a knife on the top of the shell to let steam escape. To prevent the edges of your pie from browning too much or burning, loosely curl strips of aluminum foil around the crust edges or use a pie shield. (I also like to lightly brush the top of the crust with chilled heavy cream to enhance browning.)
Step 5 – Bake at 425° Fahrenheit for 30 to 35 minutes, until crust is golden. Then reduce the heat to 375° F. Remove the foil strips or pie shield from the crust edges and return the pie to the oven for 10 minutes of final baking.
COOL for 15 to 20 minutes before cutting to allow the pie to set.
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And Our LatestCoffeehouse Mystery
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"A BEST READ OF 2022"
~ Lori Caswell, Escape withDollycas into a Good Book
"A GEM OF A STORY"
~ Kirkus Reviews
☕
And Our Latest
Coffeehouse Mystery
Now on Sale!
Now on Sale!
Cleo Coyle’s Honey Roasted
is not only a coffee lover's mystery.
It's a culinary mystery with a tempting
menu of delicious recipes!
Click here or on the image (above)
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to HONEY ROASTED
Cleo Coyle’s Honey Roasted
is not only a coffee lover's mystery.
It's a culinary mystery with a tempting
menu of delicious recipes!
for Cleo Coyle's Free Recipe Guide
to HONEY ROASTED
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Thanks for the tip on pressing cheese into the crust, Cleo! I'll give it a try.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Molly about the cheese tip. It's great to have the tip but also the expanation of why.
ReplyDeleteThis does sound tasty. No seasonings?
I suppose left over veggies could be used as long as they are not already overcooked and would turn to veggie mush with the baking.
Very happy Thanksgiving to you both.
I just finished Ghost and the Stolen Tears which I promised myself I would not read until Thanksgiving weekend. (I could not wait any longer) Well, I will have to make this smart and delicious pie instead. Thank you for both the wonderful read and the delicious recipe
ReplyDeleteThank you for clearing up a problem I've been having with my pot pies. I have been using leftover gravy instead of creating a white sauce (and maybe adding some gravy in later). What a nice tip!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this clever recipe. I am always hosting the Thanksgiving feast which leaves me with LOTS of leftovers. Sounds like a turkey pot pie will be served this Sunday!
ReplyDeleteI just listened to Honey Roasted on audio and I am hooked. What a fun story. Sweet as honey with a villain who stings. And I just can't choose which guy Clare should be with, so I am sure Clare is having trouble, too. Can't wait for the next coffeehouse.
ReplyDelete