This is hands down my favorite thing to make with leftover turkey and it comes with a story. The year I got married also happened to be the year I got my very first cooking job. Over the next ten years, I worked most holidays and on Thanksgiving mornings we would pop open a split bottle of champagne and have turkey pot pie I had prepared the night before for breakfast before I headed off for work and he headed out to visit family. It was the perfect way to celebrate. To this day it’s one of my favorite memories of those years.
Dutch Oven Magic
To keep things simple I make this in my Le Creuset Dutch Oven. The recipe for pie dough makes twice as much as you will need so you can just freeze half for a single-crust pie or pie dough cookies later. You could also use store-bought pie dough or add other leftover veggies like sweet potatoes or green beans.
PrintThanksgiving Leftovers: Dutch Oven Turkey Pot Pie
This comforting Dutch Oven Turkey Pot Pie is a delicious way to use leftover turkey. Packed with flavor and made with a flaky homemade pie crust, it’s the perfect weeknight meal!
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 6-8 servings
- Category: Thanksgiving, Fall, Dinner
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
For the pie dough:
- 1 T. (12 grams) Apple Cider Vinegar
- 3/4 c. (118-177 g) ice water, depending on need
- 1 3/4 sticks (196 grams) of unsalted butter, cold
- 2 1/4 c. (333 grams) All Purpose Flour or Whole Wheat flour
- 2 1/2 t. (15 g) Kosher salt
- 2 T. (25 g) sugar
For the turkey stew:
- 2 slices of bacon, diced
- 1 T. Butter
- 1/2 lb. mushrooms, diced
- 3 large carrots, peeled and diced
- 3 celery stalks, diced
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 1 green apple, diced
- 2 fire-roasted chiles, seeded and diced
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 2–4 t. red chile powder (depending on heat preference and heat of Chile powder)
- 1 t. Dried rosemary
- 1 t. dried thyme
- 2 c. leftover mashed potatoes OR,
- 1/4 c. all-purpose, whole wheat, corn, or rice flour
- 5 c. turkey, chicken, or vegetable broth
- 4 c. shredded cooked turkey meat
- 2 c. frozen peas
- 2 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- Salt & pepper to taste
For the egg wash:
- 1 egg
- 2 T. milk
Instructions
Make the pie dough
Cut butter into small cubes and put in the freezer. In a cup mix the ice water and vinegar and set aside (to keep the water icy cold sometimes I throw in an ice cube if my kitchen is warm). In a large bowl whisk together the flour, salt and sugar. At this point the butter should be super cold but not frozen. Remove butter from the freezer and add to your flour mixture. Using your fingers (or a food processor) squeeze the butter pieces into the flour until the butter is incorporated into the flour and resembles small peas. Add ½ cup of the vinegar and water mixture. Stir with a rubber spatula. At this point, the dough will probably be crumbly. Continue adding and mixing in a tiny bit of vinegar-water at a time just until the dough comes together. Cut into two pieces, shape into round discs, wrap each piece in plastic wrap or parchment paper, and cool one disc in the fridge for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days. Freeze the other disc you won’t need now.
Make the stew
In a large heavy bottomed, oven safe dutch oven or pot over low heat add the bacon. Let the bacon render slowly while you’re preparing the other vegetables. Once the bacon is fully cooked and crispy, reserve bacon in a small bowl with a slotted spoon for later use. We want to leave as much bacon fat in the pot as possible to help cook the vegetables.
Building the Savory Stew Filling
Add the butter and turn the heat to medium-high. Add the mushrooms and stir every few minutes until they are caramelized. Add the carrots, celery, onion, apple, fire-roasted chiles, and garlic. I usually cut up one vegetable at a time and throw it into the pot as I go. Let cook for a few minutes stirring frequently. Stir in the chile powder, rosemary, thyme, and mashed potatoes (or) flour. If you use flour here let the mixture cook a few minutes more. Add the broth and bring the stew to a simmer.
While the stew is coming to a simmer, prepare the pie dough
On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough into a large round, big enough to easily sit inside your pot. If your pot has a lid, use the lid as a guide and trim around it with a knife to make a circle. Cut a few slits in the middle and place the pie dough round on a floured plate and keep in the freezer until ready to use.
Assembling the Pot Pie
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Let the stew cook for around 20 minutes or until the carrots are tender. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Very carefully blend around a quarter of the soup and stir it back into the pot. Stir in the turkey meat and cooked bacon. Add the frozen peas in a layer on top. Now add the shredded cheese in another layer. Gently place your pie dough round on top.
Baking the pie
Make the egg wash by whisking the egg and milk together. Brush egg wash over the top of the pie and crack pepper and sea salt on top. Bake pot pie for 1 hour or until the top of the pie is a deep golden brown. Let cool for ten minutes before scooping into bowls.