Looking for leftover turkey recipe ideas? Why not make individual turkey pot pies? It’s a tasty recipe with sautéed vegetables, rich mustard-flavored sauce and turkey meat. Each individual portion is topped with puff pastry and baked to perfection!
Have you ever tried a turkey pot pie with puff pastry? This winter comfort food is not only delicious but also easy to make so if you have some leftover turkey or chicken on hand, I hope you will give it a go!
The full recipe for leftover turkey pot pies is at the bottom of this post, but I recommend reading through the full post, especially if you are a beginner cook or if you are looking for useful tips, substitution ideas or serving suggestion ideas.
How to make turkey pot pies with puff pastry
Melt butter in a pot and add onion, carrots and celery and sauté these for about 10 minutes. Cut everything into small pieces so they cook quickly. Larger chunks might need more time in the oven but if your puff pastry is ready, you will not have another choice but to take them out. That is why it’s important to stick to 10 minutes (if not more).
You will need to stir the veggies from time to time, but you should not need to add more butter. Then, you add oil and flour and mix for about a minute before you pour in the stock.
The filling for these mini turkey pot pies will thicken nicely after a minute or so. Now it is time to add the rest of the ingredients: leftover turkey meat, mustard, peas and seasoning.
Transfer the mixture into 5 ramekins and cover each one with a puff pastry circle. These individual turkey pot pies will need about 20 minutes in the oven or until the pastry is puffed and golden brown.
What would you serve with turkey pot pies?
You can serve this as is or with a side dish of your choice. Irish colcannon or creamy mashed potatoes with kale are a delicious choice.
Another tasty vegetable side dish that goes well with these individual turkey pot pies is pan fried asparagus with Parmesan.
If these seem like too much trouble for you, why not just serve them with fresh French baguette or steamed broccoli instead?
Ingredient substitution:
Swap turkey for leftover chicken (or rotisserie chicken) and you can enjoy these individual potpies all year round.
Don’t like canned peas? What about using sweetcorn instead?
Liquid – you can use anything you like to make these turkey pot pies – turkey stock, chicken broth or vegetable broth. It can be regular or low sodium, store-bought or homemade (I have a recipe for instant pot turkey stock that we like so if you have some leftover bones after Thanksgiving, you can try making it from scratch). Just note that they all have different levels of sodium so season the potpie filling at the very end.
I always use regular mustard when making these leftover turkey mini pot pies, but you can experiment and use honey flavored or Dijon if you like.
Tips for making individual turkey pot pies
- If you prefer the turkey pot pie filling thinner (more liquidy), feel free to add more stock.
- Fresh flat-leaf parsley – finely chopped can be also added to the mixture if you have it on hand. It adds an extra flavor.
- Instead of making individual portions, you can also make one large leftover turkey pot pie, if you have an ovenproof dish that will fit all the mixture. You will need at least an-8 inch wide (21-centimeters) dish that is 4-inches (11-centimeters) deep. If you use a large one, it will not need to be so deep but make sure your pastry will cover the whole surface.
More Thanksgiving leftover recipes using turkey meat:
Check out our video for how to make Individual Turkey Pot Pies:
Individual Turkey Pot Pies
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter , see note 1
- 2 medium carrots , finely chopped, see note 2
- 2 celery stalks , finely chopped
- ½ medium onion , minced
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1.5 cup chicken stock , see note 5
- ½ cup canned peas (80 grams)
- 2 tablespoons mustard
- pinch of salt
- black pepper , to taste
- 2 cups leftover turkey , diced, see note 6
- 1 sheet puff pastry , thawed (8 ounces/250 grams)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400° Fahrenheit (200° Celsius).
- In a pot, heat the butter and add finely diced carrots, celery and onion. Sauté these for 10 minutes, stirring from time to time.
- Add oil and flour and cook for about a minute, stirring constantly. Add stock and stir until smooth. Let it cook until the sauce thickens. Then, add peas, mustard, salt, pepper and turkey meat. Stir well.
- Pour the mixture into small ramekins and set aside.
- Roll out puff pastry, if you haven’t bought ready rolled one. Cut out circles that are at least the same size as ramekins. Tip: Use the ramekins to cut the circles, if you don’t have a large circle cutter (before you fill them with turkey mixture).
- Bake in a preheated oven at 400° Fahrenheit/200° Celsius (see note 8) for 20 minutes or until the pastry is puffed and golden brown. The filling should ooze out and bubble at this stage.
- Let them sit for 10 minutes before serving as they will be piping hot.
- Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Butter – make sure to use real butter, not butter substitutes. You can use either salted or unsalted butter.
- Two medium carrots = 1 cup diced carrots = 130 grams
- Two celery stalks = 1 cup finely chopped celery = 120 grams.
- One small onion = 1 cup finely minced onion = 100 grams.
- I used ordinary chicken stock. You can use also vegetable broth or turkey stock if you like. If using a low-sodium one, you will need to add more than a pinch of salt.
- Either leftover turkey or chicken can be used.
- Let it sit for at least 10 minutes before serving as they will be piping hot.
- The temperature may vary. I suggest following the cooking instructions for your puff pastry so it puffs well. If they say to cook at 200°C do so. If 180°C do so. Cooking a puff pastry at the wrong temperature can cause that it will not raise properly.
- I used 5-ounce (150-milliliter) ramekins and got 5 portions out of this mixture.
- For more substitutions, tips or if in doubt, please read the full post that contains detailed information to help you when cooking this for the first time.
Jen says
My boys are going to love the idea of having their own little pot for dinner. This is such a great idea!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Thanks!
Rini says
Individual pies is such a good idea! Who would want to share such a delicious looking turkey pie!! Your recipe looks absolutely amazing and so delicious.
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Thank you, Rini!
Sarah James says
I’m always looking for leftover turkey recipe ideas and your individual pot pies look delicious. I love how easy they are to make plus they look super cute. Thanks for sharing.
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
You are welcome!
Kate says
Love the idea of using up leftovers in these pretty little pies…. great recipe!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Thank you.
Michelle says
These are so gorgeous. I can’t wait to make them with leftover Thanksgiving turkey!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
That’s great to hear, Michelle! :)