Rustic Turkey Pot Pie

This rustic turkey pot pie uses leftover turkey (or rotisserie chicken), plus whatever veggies you have on hand, then tops them with the best flaky pie crust you’ve ever had. It’s the perfect comfort food on a cold day!

This recipe is brought to you by holiday leftovers. If you’re looking for something a little more exciting than a turkey sandwich the day after Thanksgiving, you’ve come to the right place!

Rustic Turkey Pot Pie

You guys know I have a special place in my heart for comfort food. I mean – cottage pie, beef and potato hand pies, and my world’s best banana bread only scratch the surface of the comfort food recipes I’ve shared.

But I’ve always had a thing for chicken pot pie – or, in this case, turkey pot pie. Because Thanksgiving.

I can’t say enough good things about this turkey pot pie – it’s simple, comforting, can be made ahead, has nearly 10 servings of veggies in the recipe, and that thick, buttery, flaky crust – it’s everything a good pie crust should be.

Yes, it takes a little time to prepare but, on a holiday weekend, we’ve all got a little extra time on our hands right? 😉

Plus, you can double the recipe and freeze one for quick defrosting later in the busy holiday season.

How to Make Rustic Turkey Pot Pie

Saute the onions, celery, carrots, and bell pepper in butter until soft. Add flour and broth, then continue heating until the mixture thickens. Stir in the salt, pepper, thyme, turkey meat, kale, and cream, then transfer to a casserole dish and set aside.

Prepare the pastry dough as you would any pie crust – cut the shortening and butter into the flour, salt, and baking powder mixture, then add the water and knead on a floured surface. Roll the dough out and lay over the top of the pot pie mixture.

Cut a few slits in the dough to allow steam to escape, then brush with egg wash and bake for about 45 minutes.

Time-saving Tips for Making Rustic Turkey Pot Pie

• Buy pre-chopped onion, celery, and carrots for sauteing.
• If you don’t have leftover turkey, rotisserie chicken is a great substitute.
• If you’re already prepping pie crust for your Thanksgiving pies, just make an extra batch of dough and store it in the fridge or freezer so it’s ready to roll out when you’re ready to make the pot pie. (The pastry for this recipe makes a fantastic pie crust for sweet pies too – just roll it out a little thinner to 1/4″ thickness or a little less!)
• This can be made ahead and stored in the fridge until you’re ready to bake.
• You can double the recipe and freeze one batch for a quick, defrosted meal on another night.
• The veggies in this recipe can easily be swapped others out for any you have on hand – just use between 4.5-5 cups of whatever veggies you prefer and it’ll turn out just fine.

Rustic Turkey Pot Pie

This rustic turkey pot pie uses leftover turkey (or rotisserie chicken), plus whatever veggies you have on hand, then tops them with the best flaky pie crust you've ever had. It's the perfect comfort food on a cold day!

5 from 23 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Keyword: comfort food, pot pie, turkey

Prep Time: 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Author: Dena Norton

Ingredients

Turkey Pot Pie Filling

• ▢ 6 Tbsp butter
• ▢ 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
• ▢ 1/2 cup chopped celery
• ▢ 1 cup chopped carrots
• ▢ 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• ▢ 1/4 cup asparagus tips
• ▢ 1 cup frozen green peas (no need to defrost)
• ▢ 6 Tbsp Einkorn flour (or all purpose flour)
• ▢ 2 cups turkey or chicken broth
• ▢ 1/2 Tbsp sea salt
• ▢ 1/2 tsp black pepper
• ▢ 1/2 Tbsp fresh thyme
• ▢ 1/4 cup heavy cream
• ▢ 3 cups leftover turkey meat (or meat from 1 rotisserie chicken - consider doubling the meat if you're making a double crusted pie)
• ▢ 1 cup very finely chopped curly kale leaves (remove stems first)

Pastry (This is for a single top crust - double if you want a bottom crust as well)

• ▢ 3 cups Einkorn ancient grain flour (or other all purpose flour)
• ▢ 1 tsp sea salt
• ▢ 1 tsp baking powder
• ▢ 1/2 cup palm shortening
• ▢ 1/2 cup butter (I use salted)
• ▢ 1/2 cup ice cold water
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ 1 large egg for egg wash (optional)

Instructions

Turkey Pot Pie Filling

• In a large Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the onions, celery, carrots, and bell pepper over medium heat, stirring frequently, for 15 minutes or until tender. 
• Add the garlic, asparagus tips, and green peas and continue to cook a few more minutes until asparagus is tender. 
• Turn heat down to low, add the flour, an cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the broth and simmer for 1 more minute, stirring until it thickens to about the consistency of a cream soup. Add salt, pepper, thyme, cream, turkey meat, and kale.  (The mixture may seem too runny but will thicken as it bakes)
• Transfer mixture to a casserole dish *(I used a medium sized dish - approx 8x11", but a 9x13 is fine too). Set aside until ready to top with pastry crust.

  * Note: If using a double crust, set mixture aside until bottom crust has been placed in pan.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees while you start on the pastry. 

Pastry

• Mix flour, salt, and baking powder together in a mixing bowl. 
• Add shortening and butter and cut in with a pastry cutter until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the water and egg.
• Turn dough out on a floured surface and knead  for at least a minute until it forms a very smooth ball. Use a floured rolling pin to roll out the dough into a 12x14" rectangle (or two rectangles if you're making a double crusted pie).
• Roll dough up around the rolling pin to easily transfer it to the baking dish. Starting at one end of the dish, carefully unroll the dough until it covers the turkey pot pie filling completely. 

  Note: If you're making a double crusted pie, lay the first crust in the empty casserole dish first so that it covers the bottom and the sides of the dish, then add the pot pie mixture before topping with the second crust. 
• Use kitchen scissors to trim the dough, then tuck the edges under to fit nicely in the dish. Use a sharp knife to cut small slits in the dough to allow air to escape while cooking. 
• Whisk the egg in a small bowl, then use a pastry brush to brush evenly over the crust (discard the extra egg wash). 
• Place the assembled turkey pot pie with crust into the oven and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until it's bubbly and the crust is golden brown. You may want to place a large rimmed baking sheet on the lower rack to catch any drips.

Notes

Time-saving Tips for Making Rustic Turkey Pot Pie:

• Buy pre-chopped onion, celery, and carrots for sauteing.
• If you don't have leftover turkey, rotisserie chicken is a great substitute. Use one chicken (~3 cups meat) for a single crusted pie, or 2 chickens (~6 cups meat) for a double crusted pie. 
• Extra pie crust can be stored in the freezer and saved for a future use. It's a fantastic crust for sweet pies too - just roll it out a little thinner to 1/4" thickness or a little less!
• The pot pie can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the fridge until you're ready to bake.
• You can double the recipe and freeze one batch for a quick, defrosted meal on another night. 
• The veggies in this recipe can easily be swapped others out for any you have on hand - just use between 4.5-5 cups of whatever veggies you prefer and it'll turn out just fine. 

(Adapted from Ina Garten)

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Here are a few other great leftover turkey recipes!

20 Minute Rotisserie Chicken and Rice Soup

Rotisserie Chicken Enchilada Casserole (Gluten free)

Easy Rotisserie Chicken Salad