A buttery, flaky pot pie is the perfect way to use leftover Thanksgiving turkey! It’s even better when the turkey pot pie is loaded with rich Gruyère cheese!
A pot pie so comforting it may give your Thanksgiving dinner a run for its money.
I have never considered myself much of a baker, but lately, I’ve been trying to learn some basics, like rolls and basic bread recipes. I have a cookbook I’ve had since I was a teenager, and I was intrigued by the pie crust recipe. After Thanksgiving, I decided a pot pie was in order because I had so much turkey left over.
While I can’t take credit for developing the pie crust recipe, I can say that it is delicious and perfect for pot pie. I tried another pie crust recipe for pumpkin pie that I found online, and it was a disaster. Not so with this recipe from the cookbook Kitchen Sense. The author, Mitchell Davis, was inspired by Julia Child’s pie dough recipe. Though Davis uses a food processor to create the pie dough, I opted for a pastry cutter because I had JUST put my processor away, and I couldn’t bear the thought of hauling it back out again.
You can make this turkey pot pie with store-bought pie crust instead, and it will still be delicious!
How to make this leftover turkey pot pie recipe
There are two elements to the pot pie: the crust and the filling.
The Crust
You’ll need:
- All-purpose flour
- Cake flour
- Kosher salt
- Cold butter
- Cold shortening
- Cold water
Why use cake flour in a pie crust?
Cake flour is a delicate flour with less protein than all-purpose flour. The lower protein means it produces less gluten. A blend of cake flour and all-purpose flour helps create a flakier crust. If you don’t have cake flour, you can substitute it with all-purpose flour at a 1:1 ratio, though Davis suggests replacing it with an equal amount of all-purpose flour less 1 tablespoon. I’ve made it with a 1:1 ratio of all-purpose flour with fine results, though the mix of cake flour and all-purpose flour makes for a better crust.
How to make the pie crust
- Step 1: Combine the flours and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the cold, diced butter, and chilled shortening. Use a pastry cutter to blend until a coarse, crumbly mixture forms.
- Step 2: Stir in the cold water and mix until a dough ball forms.
- Step 3: Dump the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Wrap the dough and transfer to the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. The dough will keep for up to 2 days in the refrigerator.
The Filling
While the pie dough chills, you’ll make the filling. Here’s what you need:
- Vegetables: I load the pot pie with celery, onion, carrots, potatoes, and peas. You’ll need 2 cups of diced celery, onion, and carrots. Then, you’ll use 8 ounces of potatoes and 1 cup of frozen peas. You can get creative with the vegetables but try not to add more than the recipe dictates, or you’ll have too much filling for the pot pie. For example, you could replace one rib of celery with a bit of diced fennel or even a red bell pepper instead. If you want corn in the pot pie, you could use ½ cup frozen peas and ½ cup frozen corn. Whatever combination you decide to use, just be sure to keep the ratio of vegetables the same.
- Seasonings: I use salt, pepper, dry thyme, garlic powder, nutmeg, and white pepper. You need just a scant amount of nutmeg and white pepper, but I love the subtle flavor they lend to the filling.
- Flour: You’ll use a bit of flour to create a thick and luscious filling.
- Milk and broth: I use both whole milk and chicken broth. You can use all milk or all broth, depending on what you have. You can also use plain old water, but you may need to add a bit more salt to the filling.
- Gruyère cheese: Use freshly grated Gruyère cheese instead of pre-grated cheese, which will have a cellulose coating to prevent it from sticking in the package. That coating can make your filling gritty. If you don’t have Gruyère, almost any freshly grated cheese will work here. Try it with Parmesan, cheddar, Swiss cheese, or Monterey jack cheese.
- Cooked turkey: I recommend using a mix of dark and light meat for the most flavorful pot pie. You can also use diced chicken from a rotisserie chicken.
How to make the turkey pot pie filling
- Step 1: Sauté the carrots, onion, and celery in olive oil. Once softened, add the small-diced potatoes. Be sure not to dice the potatoes too big, or they’ll take too long to cook! Aim for about ¼-inch cubes. After the potatoes are just under fork tender, season them with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and thyme.
- Step 2: Melt the butter into the vegetables. Once bubbly, add the flour. Stir to coat the vegetables in the flour. Sizzle the flour in the pot for about 2 minutes until it becomes nutty and aromatic.
- Step 3: Add half the chicken broth and whisk until a slurry forms. Add the remaining chicken broth and whisk until smooth.
- Step 4: Begin adding the milk and whisk until smooth and creamy.
- Step 5: Add the Gruyère cheese and whisk until melted. The filling should be very thick, smooth, and creamy. Add the nutmeg and white pepper.
- Step 6: Add the turkey and frozen peas to the filling and stir to combine. Taste and adjust the seasonings to your preference. Simmer for about 5 minutes or until the peas are bright green. Turn off the heat and transfer the filling to a wide dish to cool it down before making the pot pie.
Why must you cool the filling before adding it to the pot pie?
At this point, you must cool the filling before rolling out the pie crust. Why? Your pie crust is made with lots of butter and flour. When added to the oven, the butter must start at a cold temperature to maintain its structure as it bakes. If the butter is too warm, it will melt too quickly, resulting in a mushy crust instead of flaky and crusty.
If you add warm filling to the pie crust, it will immediately begin to melt the butter, creating a mushy, soggy bottom. Do NOT skip the cool-down step of the filling. I recommend placing the filling in a wide dish instead of a deep bowl to cool down. This will allow the filling to cool off more rapidly and more evenly. If you add the hot filling to a deep bowl, all the heat will be concentrated in the middle and will take longer to decrease the temperature.
Ideally, your filling will be no warmer than 50ºF. You can use an instant-read thermometer to test the temperature before rolling out the pie crust. You can allow the pot pie filling to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour. For food safety reasons, do not allow the filling to stand at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
Alternatively, you can refrigerate the filling overnight and make the pot pie the next day.
Once your filling has cooled off, you can finish the pot pie.
How to assemble the turkey pot pie
- Step 1: Before beginning, preheat the oven to 425ºF. Combine a beaten egg and milk in a small bowl and set it aside.
- Step 2: Cut the chilled dough in half. Return half of the dough to the refrigerator. Place the other half on a floured work surface and use your palm to flatten it into a disc. Roll the dough into a circle about 1 inch larger than your pie dish using a floured rolling pin.
- Step 3: Carefully peel the dough from the counter and lay it into a 9-inch pie dish.
- Step 4: Pour the cooled filling into the pie crust.
- Step 5: Roll out the remaining half of the pie dough into the same size as the previous half, about 1 inch larger than the pie dish. Carefully lay it on the pie dish. Cut off the excess and use your fingers to seal the top and bottom of the crust together. At this point, you can use your fingers or a fork to crimp the crust.
- Step 6: Cut small slits into the top of the crust to create vents for the steam to escape. Brush the top of the pie with the egg and milk mixture. You likely will not use all of the egg wash.
- Step 7: Place the pie dish on a baking sheet and transfer to the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes. Rotate the pie once midway through cooking to help the top brown evenly.
How long do you need to cool a pot pie before cutting it?
Allow the pot pie to stand at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes. If you cut the pie while it’s steaming hot, the filling will ooze out of the pie.
Once the pie has cooled off, you’re ready to serve it up. Cut it into slices and transfer to plates. This pie is hearty enough to enjoy on its own with no accompaniments. If you feel inclined, a small side salad would be delicious if you want something light and fresh with it.
How long will turkey pot pie keep in the refrigerator?
Homemade pot pie will last 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator as long as it’s kept in an air-tight container.
To reheat it, you can bake the pot pie in an oven-safe baking dish at 350ºF until heated. The exact time will depend on how much you’re reheating and whether you’re reheating individual slices or an entire pie. Start with 15 to 20 minutes and incrementally add time until the pie is heated.
You can also air-fry individual slices of leftover pot pie by placing them on parchment paper. Reheat at 350ºF. Refrigerated pot pie may take 5 to 10 minutes to reheat, while frozen pot pie may take 10 to 15 minutes to reheat fully.
Can you freeze homemade pot pie?
Yes! Freezing pot pie is easy. Simply wrap in a few layers of plastic wrap or foil. You can wrap individual slices or an entire pie, depending on your preference. I like to place the wrapped pie in a freezer bag. Homemade pot pie will keep for up to 3 months in the freezer. You can reheat it following the instructions above.
Leftover Turkey Pot Pie
Ingredients
Pie crust:
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cake flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cups unsalted butter (1½ sticks, chilled and small-diced)
- ¼ cup shortening (chilled)
- ½ cup cold water
Turkey pot pie filling:
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups diced vegetables (such as carrots, celery, and onion)
- 8 ounces russet potatoes (approximately 2 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and small-diced)
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt (plus more to taste)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dry thyme
- 3 tablespoons butter
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups chicken broth
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup Gruyère cheese (freshly grated)
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- 2 cups cooked turkey (diced)
- 1 cup frozen peas
- Salt and pepper to taste
Egg wash:
- 1 egg (beaten)
- 1 tablespoon whole milk
Instructions
Make the pie crust:
- Combine the all-purpose flour, cake flour, and kosher salt in a large bowl and use a fork to mix them.
- Add the cold, diced butter and the chilled shortening to the bowl of flour. Use a pastry cutter to blend the fat into the flour until a crumbly, coarse mixture forms.
- Mix the cold water into the flour until a dough ball forms. Don’t worry if there are a few loose crumbles. Use your hands to pull everything together into a dough ball.
- Dump the dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap and use your hands to gather any loose crumbs into the dough ball.
- Wrap the plastic wrap tightly around the ball of dough. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.
Start the pot pie filling:
- While the dough chills, make the pot pie filling. Heat 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil in a wide pot over medium heat. Add the diced carrots, celery, and onion. Sauté for 5 to 7 minutes until they soften.
- Add the diced potatoes and season with 1 teaspoon kosher salt, a big pinch of black pepper, garlic powder, and dry thyme. Sauté over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes until the potatoes soften.
Toast the flour:
- Melt the butter into the vegetables. Once bubbly, add the flour and stir to coat. Cook for 2 minutes until the flour becomes nutty and aromatic.
Add the liquid:
- Add half the chicken broth to the pot and whisk to incorporate. Continue whisking until a slurry forms. Add the remaining chicken broth and continue whisking until smooth.
- Add the milk and whisk until smooth. Cook over medium heat until bubbly and thick.
Add the cheese:
- Add the freshly grated Gruyère cheese and whisk until melted and smooth. Add the nutmeg and white pepper. Taste and add more salt if needed.
Finish the pot pie filling:
- Add the cooked turkey and frozen peas and stir to incorporate. Simmer for 5 minutes until the peas are bright green. Turn off the heat.
Cool the pot pie filling:
- Transfer the pot pie filling to a wide dish. Cover loosely with cling wrap and let stand for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour. I recommend transferring it to a wider dish instead of a deep bowl for a more rapid cool-down. See Note 1.
Roll out the pie crust:
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Mix the beaten egg and the milk in a bowl and set aside.
- Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator. Cut the ball in half and return half of the dough to the refrigerator. Place the other half on a lightly floured surface and press it into a disc. Use a floured rolling pin to roll the dough into a circle about 1 inch larger than your pie dish.
- Carefully lift the dough from the counter and place it into a 9-inch pie dish. See Note 2.
- Add another sprinkle of flour to your work surface. Roll out the other half of the dough into a circle about 1 inch larger than the pie dish.
Make the pot pie:
- Pour the cooled pot pie filling into the prepared pie dish. Carefully lift the top crust from your surface and place it on top. Trim off any excess and discard it or use it for decoration. Use your fingers to seal the pie crust edges. Crimp the crust with your fingers or a fork if you like. Use a sharp knife to create a few small slits in the top of the crust to allow the steam to escape.
- Brush the crust with the egg and milk mixture. You likely won’t use all of it.
Bake the pot pie:
- Place the pie dish on a large baking sheet. Transfer to the oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and flaky. Rotate the pie once midway through baking for even browning.
- Remove from the oven and let stand for 20 minutes.
To serve:
- Cut the pie into 8 slices and transfer to plates. Serve and enjoy!
