The Perfect Leftover Turkey Recipes is a Cajun-Spiced Turkey Pot Pie (2024)

  • Comfort Food
  • Turkey Leftovers
  • Leftover Turkey

A turkey pot pie made with turkey leftovers and flavored with Cajun spices, onions, celery and green pepper.

By

Elise Bauer

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Elise Bauer

Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.

Learn about Simply Recipes'Editorial Process

Updated September 29, 2023

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28 Easy and Delicious Recipes to Use Up Thanksgiving LeftoversFEATURED IN:

Turkey Pot Pie—Perfect for Holiday Leftovers

Winter took its sweet time coming to Northern California this year, but it did finally arrive, and here we are with long, chilly nights and frost-kissed mornings. Perfect weather for a warming bowl of pot pie!

There is the classic chicken pot pie of course. But with the holidays we thought we might try our hand at a turkey pot pie made with cooked turkey, a perfect dish for holiday leftovers.

How To Make Turkey Pot Pie

This turkey pot pie has a Cajun twist, starting with the trinity of onions, celery, and green bell peppers, and spiced up a bit with Cajun seasoning.

It's topped with a flaky, buttery crust, which is in my opinion, the best reason of all to make a pot pie.

You can either make it as a large casserole or in ramekins for individual servings.

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Cajun Turkey Pot Pie

Prep Time75 mins

Cook Time40 mins

Total Time115 mins

Servings6to 8 servings

You can make the turkey pot pie either in individual ramekins or in one large casserole dish.

If you can't find Cajun seasoning in your local market, you can make your own with 3/4 teaspoon each of salt, pepper, dried oregano, dried thyme, and 1 1/2 teaspoons each of paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder.

Ingredients

For the pie crust

  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose-flour

  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 3/4 cup(1 1/2 sticks) chilledunsalted butter, diced into 1/2-inch cubes

  • 3 to 4 tablespoons chilled ice water

For the filling

  • 5 tablespoons peanut oilor unsalted butter

  • 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow orwhite onion

  • 3 celery stalks, chopped

  • 1 large green pepper, chopped

  • 1 to 2 jalapeno peppers, chopped

  • 4 cloves garlic , minced

  • 3 cups diced, cookedturkey meat

  • 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning

  • Kosher salt

  • 2 1/2 cupsturkeyor chicken stock

  • 1 cup dark beer(brown ale or Guinness)

  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

  • 1 cup diced tomatoes

For the egg wash

  • 1 egg yolk

  • 1 tablespoon cream

Special Equipment

  • Food processor

Method

  1. Make the pie crust dough:

    Pulse the flour and salt together in a food processor. Add the chilled butter cubes to the food processor and pulse 5 times. The dough should resemble a coarse cornmeal, with some pea-sized pieces of butter.

    Slowly add the chilled water (make sure there are no small ice cube bits), just a tablespoon at a time, pulsing once after each addition, until the dough just sticks together when you press some between your fingers.

    Empty the food processor, placing the dough mixture on a clean surface. Use the heel of your palm to shmoosh the dough mixture onto the table surface a few times. This action will help flatten and spread the butter between layers of flour, so that the resulting dough will be flaky.

    Once you've done this a few (5 or 6) times, use your hands to mold the dough into a disk. Sprinkle the disk with a little flour, wrap it in plastic wrap, and let it chill for an hour, or up to 2 days, before rolling out.

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  2. Sauté onions, celery, green pepper, jalapeño:

    Heat the oil over medium-high heat and sauté the onion, celery, green pepper and jalapeño, stirring often, until they are soft, about 6-8 minutes.

  3. Add the garlic, turkey meat, Cajun seasoning, and salt:

    Mix well and cook another 1 minute, stirring once or twice.

  4. Finish making the filling:

    Bring the stock and beer to a boil in a small pot. Sprinkle the flour over the turkey and veggies and mix well. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring often and making sure no flour burns on the bottom of the pan.

    Slowly pour in the hot stock-beer mixture, stirring. It will seize up at first, then, as you pour in more stock and stir, will form a silky sauce for the turkey.

    Add the tomatoes and cook until the mixture thickens, about 3-5 minutes.

    Pour the filling into a 2-quart casserole or, if you wish, into individual ramekins.

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  5. Prepare the crust:

    Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface to a little less than a quarter-inch thick. If you are using a casserole, roll into a sheet a little larger than the dish.

    If you are using ramekins (use 10 ounce ramekins), cut the dough into 6 rounds that are slightly larger than the circumference of the ramekins.

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  6. Top the filling with the crust dough:

    Lay the dough onto the filling. Fold the excess dough under itself and use the tines of a fork to press the dough against the edge of the ramekins. Cut a 1-inch vent into each individual pie, or several if you are making a casserole.

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  7. Brush with egg wash:

    Whisk together in a small bowl the egg yolk and cream for an egg wash. Use a pastry brush to paint the egg wash over the crust. This will help the crust brown nicely.

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  8. Bake:

    Bake at 400°F for 25 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and the filling is bubbling. Let cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
514Calories
31g Fat
34g Carbs
22g Protein

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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6to 8
Amount per serving
Calories514
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 31g40%
Saturated Fat 14g69%
Cholesterol 147mg49%
Sodium 1206mg52%
Total Carbohydrate 34g12%
Dietary Fiber 3g10%
Total Sugars 5g
Protein 22g
Vitamin C 20mg100%
Calcium 63mg5%
Iron 3mg15%
Potassium 480mg10%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

The Perfect Leftover Turkey Recipes is a Cajun-Spiced Turkey Pot Pie (2024)

FAQs

How do you reheat leftover turkey pot pie? ›

What's the best way to reheat turkey pot pie? You can cover the whole dish with foil and reheat the pot pie in a 350ºF oven. Depending on how much is left, it could take 10 to 20 minutes. Just be sure not to place your dish into the oven directly from the fridge.

Why are pot pies so high in fat? ›

High Saturated Fat: The pastry crust in chicken pot pie is often made with butter or lard, which is high in saturated fat.

Why does chicken pot pie have so much fat? ›

A significant amount of the calories and fat in traditional chicken pot pie come from the crust. Only using crust on the top of the pies made a big difference nutritionally. For this recipe, I used a ready-to-use refrigerated pie crust rather than making my own.

Does fresh turkey taste better than frozen? ›

Fresh turkeys hold their moisture better, making them more tender and flavorful than their frozen counterparts. During the freezing process, crystals form within the meat, causing fibers to break down and some of the natural flavors to escape once thawed.

How long is leftover turkey good for? ›

USDA recommends using cooked turkey within 3 to 4 days, kept refrigerated (40°F or less). Refrigeration slows but does not stop bacterial growth. Turkey can be frozen for 3 to 4 months. Although safe indefinitely, frozen leftovers can lose moisture and flavor when stored for longer times in the freezer.

What is turkey casserole made of? ›

Mix turkey, celery, pimento peppers, almonds, and salt into mushroom soup mixture; cook and stir until heated through, about 5 minutes. Pour mixture into a 2-quart casserole dish; top with bread crumbs and Cheddar cheese. Bake in the preheated oven until casserole is bubbling and cheese is melted, 30 to 40 minutes.

What's the difference between a meat pie and a pot pie? ›

And if you're wondering what the difference is between a pot pie and a meat pie—a pot pie is the American version of the European meat pie. A meat pie has both a top and a bottom crust. And who doesn't want more buttery, flaky pastry in their life?

What makes a pot pie a pot pie? ›

Today's Classics. Today's classic pot pies have a pie crust bottom and a flaky pastry top. They can be filled with just about anything, but classic fillings are made from things like chicken and beef, though some may also be made from seafood and poultry.

What's the difference between a pot pie and a regular pie? ›

If it has Top but no bottom crust, it's a Pot Pie. So a Meat Pie is a dish of Meat encased in Pastry. Generally a warm stew. But there are cold variations, picnic pies, that have cold meats, sometimes eggs, and often set flavourful gelatin poured in.

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