If you’re like me, you go a little overboard with your Thanksgiving meal and end up with tons of leftovers… This Turkey Shepherd’s Pot Pie is the perfect way to turn your Thanksgiving leftovers into something new and delicious!
When it comes to Thanksgiving dinner, I tend to go a little crazy. It’s my favorite meal of the year so I end up making double of everything. Yes, that means two brined turkeys, two dishes of mashed potatoes, two gravy boats… you get the drift. It’s no surprise that, without fail, I always end up with enough left over to feed an army. I have a few tricks up my sleeves for using up Thanksgiving leftovers in more interesting ways, and this Turkey Shepherd’s Pot Pie is my plan this year.
My Aunt made a mean Shepherd’s Pie when I was a kid, and my family always looked forward to it at our regular Sunday night dinners, so the idea of marrying Shepherd’s Pie with Thanksgiving dinner seemed like a no-brainer to me. After cooking for days on end and needing (and truly deserving) a break, you have to try this delectable dish that perfectly puts to use all of your holiday leftovers!
How to Make Turkey Shepherd’s Pot Pie
- Sauté the veggies: Preheat oven to 400 F, then heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook the onions for 4 minutes or until translucent. Add the celery, carrots and thyme and cook for an additional 3 minutes.
- Make the roux: Melt 3 tablespoons of butter into the sautéed vegetables and sprinkle 3 tablespoons of flour over them. Stir to make a roux. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring to coat the vegetables. Add the milk, broth, chopped turkey and peas and simmer over low to medium heat for 10-12 minutes or until thick and creamy. Add salt to taste. You’ll know the sauce is thick enough when it coats the back of a wooden spoon.
- Assemble the Shepherd’s Pie: Place the turkey mixture in an 8 x 8 inch baking dish or divide among four 10 oz ramekins. Evenly top the mixture with mashed potatoes and sprinkle cheddar cheese on top to cover. Bake for about 25 minutes (10 minutes for ramekins) or until warmed through and cheese begins to brown.
Recipe Tip
To freeze: Cover and freeze after assembling the shepherd’s pie. Make sure everything has cooled down before you put in the freezer. When ready to eat, you can defrost then bake as instructed, or bake from frozen and add 10-15 minutes to the cooking time.
Recipes for Thanksgiving Leftovers
If you’re the one who takes on the Thanksgiving meal every year, you understand. It’s part pain and part pleasure, but even with the agony that can at times come with preparing this annual feast, at least it all has a purpose – family togetherness and full bellies! And now you’ve got recipes for your leftovers have a life of their own. Let me know what you think in the comments or tag me on Instagram if you make this. Happy Thanksgiving!
Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Shepherd’s Pot Pie
Ingredients
- 4 tablepoons unsalted butter
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 stalks of celery, diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme (or ½ teaspoon dried thyme)
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cups or 1-14 oz can low sodium chicken or turkey broth
- 2 cups leftover turkey meat, chopped into ½ inch pieces
- 1 cup frozen peas
- kosher salt to taste
- 2 cups leftover mashed potatoes
- 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- Heat 1 tbsp of butter in a saucepan over medium heat and cook the onions for 4 minutes or until translucent.
- Add the celery, carrots and thyme and cook for an additional 3 minutes.
- Add the milk, broth, chopped turkey and peas and simmer over low to medium heat for 10-12 minutes or until thick and creamy. Add salt to taste.
- Divide the mixture among 4 10 oz ramekins or one 8 x 8 inch baking dish.*
- Evenly top each filled ramekin with mashed potatoes and sprinkle 2 tbsp of cheddar cheese on top to cover.
- Place ramekins on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes until warmed through and cheese has melted (25 minutes for an 8 x 8 inch dish).
- Serve.
- * Cover and freeze after this step. Defrost and bake as directed in step 7.
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I made some slight modifications. Didn’t have celery and added corn and used ground turkey. My 2 yr. old ate twice as much as me and my husband. He ate the same size serving as us, then proceeded to eat my entire portion. I don’t blame him. It was delicious! Needless to say, we are putting this into heavy rotation.