The Best Fluffy Pancakes recipe you will fall in love with. Full of tips and tricks to help you make the best pancakes.
The day after Thanksgiving, my fridge looks like a crime scene. Foil-wrapped everything, a turkey carcass taking up half a shelf, and containers I can’t identify without opening them. This pot pie is the reason I don’t panic about any of it.
Turkey pot pie isn’t a consolation prize. Done right, it’s better than the original bird — the gravy-thick filling does more flavor work than a dry slice of white meat ever could, and the crust gives you something Thanksgiving dinner itself doesn’t: crunch.
Why This Works
Cooking the flour into the butter and vegetables for a full two minutes before adding any liquid is the step people skip, and it’s the one that matters most. Skip it and you get a filling that tastes like raw flour no matter how long you simmer it after. Cook it those two minutes and the flour loses that chalky edge, so the sauce actually tastes like the poultry seasoning and thyme instead of paste.
Pouring the milk and broth in slowly, whisking the whole time, is the second non-negotiable. Dump it all in at once and you’ll fight lumps for the next ten minutes. Add it in a thin stream and the flour mixture has no choice but to absorb it smoothly.
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup butter
- ½ cup chopped celery
- 1 small onion, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon poultry seasoning
- ½ teaspoon dried sage
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ⅔ cup milk
- 1¾ cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2½ cups shredded or chopped cooked leftover turkey (a mix of white and dark meat gives the best flavor, but either alone works)
- 16 ounces frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
- 2 9-inch refrigerated pie crusts, or homemade
How to Make Leftover Turkey Pot Pie
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly spray a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray.
- Fit one pie crust into the dish, leaving the edges intact.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add the celery, onion, and garlic. Cook until soft, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Stir in the flour, salt, poultry seasoning, sage, thyme, and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring, to get the raw flour taste out.
- Whisk in the milk slowly, in a thin stream.
- Do the same with the chicken broth — slow and steady keeps the filling thick instead of watery.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.
- Stir in the mixed vegetables and turkey until combined.
- Pour the filling into the bottom crust.
- Top with the second crust and pinch the edges together to seal — a fork works fine, fingers work fine too.
- Cut a few slits in the top crust so steam can escape.
- Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling through the slits.
- Let it rest 5 to 10 minutes before cutting. It needs that time to set, or the first slice slides apart.
Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 35 minutes Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes Course: Dinner Cuisine: American
Tips
- Set the pie plate on a foil-lined baking sheet before it goes in the oven. This filling bubbles up through the slits, and cleaning burnt filling off the oven floor is not how you want to spend the rest of the holiday weekend.
- Don’t skip thawing the frozen vegetables first. Straight-from-frozen veggies dump extra water into the filling and thin it out right when you need it thick.
- If your filling looks thinner than you’d like after the 10-minute simmer, it will still set up more in the oven — but if it’s genuinely soupy, give it another 5 minutes on the stove before it goes anywhere near the crust.
Variations
- Swap the mixed vegetables for a frozen pea-and-carrot blend if that’s what you’ve got — it works, just less colorful.
- A homemade crust makes a real difference here, texture-wise, but on the day after a holiday, store-bought is the right call. I wouldn’t bother making crust from scratch for this one.
- Adding a handful of shredded cheddar into the filling is tempting but skip it — it makes the sauce greasy instead of rich, and you lose the herb flavor under it.
Make-Ahead
The filling can be made a day ahead and refrigerated, but assemble the pie the same day you bake it. A cold filling poured into a crust that then sits in the fridge makes the bottom crust soggy by the time it hits the oven. Baked leftovers reheat fine in a 350°F oven for about 15 minutes, loosely tented with foil so the top doesn’t over-brown.
FAQ
Can I use fresh vegetables instead of frozen?
Yes — dice them small and give them a few extra minutes in step 4 so they soften before the flour goes in.
Why is my pot pie filling runny?
Almost always one of two things: the vegetables weren’t thawed and drained, or the flour didn’t cook long enough in step 5. Both add extra liquid or fail to thicken it properly.
Can I freeze leftover turkey pot pie?
You can freeze it unbaked or baked. Unbaked keeps better — wrap tightly and bake straight from frozen, adding about 20 extra minutes and tenting with foil if the crust browns too fast.
Do I need to use both white and dark meat?
No, but I’d use dark meat over white if I had to pick one. Dark meat holds up better in a filling that simmers and then bakes again; white meat can go a little stringy.
Closing Thoughts
This is the pie I make while everyone else is still asleep or arguing about who gets the recliner. Slice it and serve it next to whatever cranberry sauce survived the first meal — it’s better cold-weather food than the original spread, honestly, and it disappears faster.
Leftover Turkey Pot Pie
This comforting Turkey Pot Pie is filled with tender leftover turkey, mixed vegetables, and a rich, creamy herb-seasoned gravy tucked between two flaky pie crusts. It is an easy and delicious way to transform Thanksgiving or holiday turkey leftovers into a cozy family dinner.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Prepare the Pie
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Lightly spray a 9-inch pie plate with non-stick cooking spray.
- Fit one pie crust into the prepared pie plate, leaving the edges intact for sealing with the top crust later.
Make the Turkey Filling
- In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.
- Add the chopped celery, minced onion, and garlic. Cook for 3–5 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened.
- Add the flour, kosher salt, poultry seasoning, dried sage, dried thyme, and black pepper. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring continuously to incorporate the flour and seasonings.
- Slowly pour in the milk while whisking continuously until smooth.
- Gradually add the chicken broth while continuing to whisk. Add it slowly so the mixture maintains a thick, creamy consistency.
- Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened.
- Add the thawed mixed vegetables and cooked turkey to the skillet. Stir until evenly combined and heated through.
Assemble and Bake
- Carefully pour the turkey and vegetable filling into the prepared bottom pie crust and spread it evenly.
- Place the second pie crust over the filling. Pinch or crimp the edges of the top and bottom crusts together with your fingers or a fork to completely seal the pie.
- Using a sharp knife, cut several small slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape during baking.
- Bake for 30–35 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling and the crust is deeply golden brown.
- Remove the turkey pot pie from the oven and allow it to rest for 5–10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
A combination of white and dark turkey meat provides especially good flavor, but either type can be used on its own.
Thaw the frozen mixed vegetables before adding them to the filling to prevent excess moisture.
For easier cleanup, place the pie plate on a foil-lined baking sheet before baking to catch any filling that may bubble over.
Allow the finished pot pie to rest for 5–10 minutes before slicing. This gives the creamy filling time to thicken slightly.
The listed total time of 1 hour 5 minutes includes approximately 10 minutes of resting time.
