I had a quantity of leftover cooked turkey left over from the holiday meal along with an assortment of veggies, stuffing and gravy. One thing which we always loved when we were growing up was that our mother would make dinner sized pot pies from the leftovers of most holiday meals.
My father was not fond of leftovers of any kind, so if she could present them as something completely different, he was happier about it, and, like all of us, he loved a savory pie more than anything else.
The nice thing is that you can make a pot pie out of just about any leftovers that you have in the kitchen. Any kind of protein, vegetables, gravy, etc. And if, like me, you always keep ready rolled puff pastry in the freezer, this automatically becomes even easier to do!
This pot pie recipe I am sharing with you today is for a single crust pot pie. Everything just gets layered in the pie dish and the puff pastry lid goes on top. Baked for a short in a hot oven, you end up with a pie that everyone will love and that you can just spoon out to serve, making sure that everyone gets a nice piece of that lovely flaky puff pastry topping!
No puff pastry? Make a simple biscuit/scone topping. You can even use Bisquick. I have also used a box of corn muffin mix, stirred together as per the recipe and poured that over top. This is especially nice with pork or ham.
The important thing is that this is easy to make and tastes delicious. Nobody will be complaining about having leftovers!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE A POT PIE OUT OF ANY LEFTOVERS
Essentially some pastry and some leftovers!
- 1 sheet of all butter puff pastry
- 1 mug of leftover gravy, heated through
- 2 mugs of leftover protein, cubed into bite sized pieces
- 2 mugs of leftover cooked vegetables (see notes)
- salt and pepper to season
- 1 egg yolk beaten together with1 tsp water
I used one sheet of frozen all-butter puff pastry, thawed. They come two sheets in a box here. Presidents' choice is the brand I use.
The mug that I used held about 1 cup of ingredients, cubed, or cut into small pieces. I cannot tell you the grams. Just use a decent sized coffee mug.
My pie was a turkey pie and so I added a layer of stuffing to the bottom. This actually crisped up very nicely on the bottom of the pie and tasted really good. It did not get soggy.
This was topped with a layer of cubed potatoes, then the turkey and finally some mixed cooked vegetables.
If you don't have any gravy left, you can use instant gravy powder to make 1 cup of gravy.
With ham you could use a white sauce. This also works for leftover fish, tuna, salmon, etc.
HOW TO MAKE A POT PIE OUT OF ANY LEFTOVERS
So simple you could do this with your eyes closed. Use the same mug to measure out all of your ingredients. Mine was a coffee mug which held a generous cup.
Preheat your oven to 375*F/190*C/ gas mark 5. Have ready an 8-inch round deep pie dish with a lip.Butter the pie dish.Layer in your ingredients as follows. Half of the vegetables. All of the protein. The remaining half of the vegetables. You can season as you go.
Pour the warm gravy over top of everything in the pie dish.
Cut an 8-inch round out of the pastry and two strips, each about 1/2 inch wide. Yu can cut shapes out of the remainder of the pastry to decorate, using small cookie cutters if desired.Brush some egg wash around the lip of the pie dish. Affix the pastry strips to the lip. Brush the strips with some of the egg wash.
Place the pasty round on top of the pie dish, pressing it gently around the edges to stick it to the pastry covered rim.
Vent the dish in the center and then brush with some of the egg wash. Stick on any pastry trimmings you wish to use. Brush them with the egg wash also.Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes until the filling is bubbling up through the vent in the center and the pastry is golden brown.Serve warm. Spoon out to serve.
Notes
If you have leftover turkey, it is nice to also have a layer of stuffing in the bottom of the pie dish. I used a mug of diced cooked potato on top of the stuffing layer, then the turkey and then mixed vegetables on top.
This really is delicious. I always manage to make good use of all of my leftovers. It is quick and easy to throw together as well.
It is also very adaptable to a variety of fillings and ingredients. You can use your imagination in however you wish to put it together.
I served with some cranberry sauce (because it was turkey) and coleslaw on the side. In the U.K. it would be common to have chips with a pie like this, or even mashed potatoes.
Here are some other genius ways to use up some of the leftovers after your holiday dinners, or even Sunday lunch!
LEFTOVER MEAT ESCALLOPE - This delicious casserole makes great use of leftover bits of meat or poultry, vegetables, gravy, etc. A nice, tossed salad on the side, and you have a delicious meal that everyone will enjoy, and nobody will care if it is leftovers or not! I guarantee!
CHICKEN AND HAM PIE - This lush pie makes great use of cooked chicken (turkey) and ham. In a beautiful lard/butter pastry, that is in three layers rather than two. (Yes there is an extra layer of pastry in the middle dividing the chicken from the ham.) This always goes down a real treat and nobody minds that they are eating leftover at all!
Yield: 4 servingsAuthor: Marie Rayner
How to make a Pot Pie out of Just About Anything
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 35 MinTotal time: 50 MinThis delicious recipe makes a fabulous pot pie that is adaptable to whatever leftovers you happen to have in the refrigerator. It's very simple to make and uses only a few ingredients. Nothing is wasted. Use one of your coffee mugs to measure the filling.Ingredients
- 1 sheet of all butter puff pastry
- 1 mug of leftover gravy, heated through
- 2 mugs of leftover protein, cubed into bite sized pieces
- 2 mugs of leftover cooked vegetables (see notes)
- salt and pepper to season
- 1 egg yolk beaten together with1 tsp water
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375*F/190*C/ gas mark 5. Have ready an 8-inch round deep pie dish with a lip.
- Butter the pie dish.
- Layer in your ingredients as follows. Half of the vegetables. All of the protein. The remaining half of the vegetables. You can season as you go.
- Pour the warm gravy over top of everything in the pie dish.
- Cut an 8-inch round out of the pastry and two strips, each about 1/2 inch wide. Yu can cut shapes out of the remainder of the pastry to decorate, using small cookie cutters if desired.
- Brush some egg wash around the lip of the pie dish. Affix the pastry strips to the lip. Brush the strips with some of the egg wash.
- Place the pasty round on top of the pie dish, pressing it gently around the edges to stick it to the pastry covered rim.
- Vent the dish in the center and then brush with some of the egg wash. Stick on any pastry trimmings you wish to use. Brush them with the egg wash also.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes until the filling is bubbling up through the vent in the center and the pastry is golden brown.
- Serve warm. Spoon out to serve.
Notes
If you have leftover turkey, it is nice to also have a layer of stuffing in the bottom of the pie dish. I used a mug of diced cooked potato on top of the stuffing layer, then the turkey and then mixed vegetables on top.
Did you make this recipe?
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