Transform your Thanksgiving or Christmas turkey leftovers into a delicious and comforting pot pie! Flavoured with a touch of Marsala wine, thyme and garlic, then baked topped with flaky puff pastry this cozy dish is a true winner!
If a pot pie is not your thing, try our famous leftover turkey soup or stew!
Winter months come with a bit of a negative rep. Short days, long and cold nights, not a lot of sunshine. You get the idea.
However, there are also lovely things that colder nights are filled with. Soups, stews, cozy casserole dishes and all the pies!
Pot Pie Recipes
There is quite a bit of controversy that surrounds a proper pot pie definition. Some people, me included, believe a pot pie is a creamy savoury pie baked in a deep (keyword!) dish with a top crust.
Others argue that a real pot pie should have a double crust. Whichever side you are on in this argument, I believe the number of crusts shouldn’t be a point of contention but rather the taste of a said pie!
I quite like making mine with leftover roast chicken or turkey and seasonal vegetables. My chicken pot pie with roasted pumpkin, cauliflower and flavoured with rosemary is well loved by my family and readers, as is Chicken and Mushroom Pie.
The turkey pot pie recipe I am sharing today is more traditional than the chicken one. It’s filled with a mixture of leftover turkey, peas, carrots and leeks cooked together in a creamy sauce flavoured with Marsala.
It’s almost like the fabulous Chicken Marsala decided not to go out but stay in and spend the evening under a cozy puff pastry blanket! This turkey pot pie is the perfect dinner to enjoy while watching a Christmas classic like Miracle on the 34th Street!
Recipe Tips and Notes
- Use plenty fresh or dried herbs to avoid a bland pot pie
- Marsala wine adds a wonderful flavour and a touch of sweetness. Don’t skip it. If not available, substitute with Sherry.
- Creamy sauces need an acidic balance, otherwise they tend to be a bit dull. I’ve used Dijon mustard but English mustard can also be used. There is also a dash of Worcestershire sauce there.
- I prefer using puff pastry for the top crust but shortcrust (pie) pastry also works well.
- I cut the puff pastry into rectangles purely for the esthetics. A whole sheet could also be used if preferred.
- Don’t forget to brush the pastry with an egg wash for that golden look!
Serving Suggestions
I might be partial but I believe almost anything could be enjoyed with a side of creamy mashed potatoes! This pot pie will be absolutely delicious with our Herb and Garlic Mashed Potatoes or Sweet Potato and Swede (Rutabaga) Mash. The choice is yours!
Cold Weather Cozy Dishes To Try:
- Russian Sweet and Sour Beef Stew Solyanka
- Slow Cooker Campfire Stew
- Thai Noodle Soup (hot and spicy to warm you up!)
- French Chicken Casserole
Turkey Marsala Pot Pie
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 leeks
- 3 carrots, medium peeled and sliced
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh sage or ½ tsp dried sage
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves or ½ tsp dried thyme
- 85ml/1/3 cup Marsala wine or Sherry
- 3 heaped tbsp flour
- 375ml/1 ½ cups chicken or turkey stock
- salt and pepper to taste
- 750g/4 cups cooked turkey or chicken
- 145g/1 cup frozen peas
- 125ml/1/2 cup heavy/double cream
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 350/12 oz puff pastry
- 1 egg beaten
Instructions
- Melt the butter and cook the sliced leeks, carrots, thyme and sage for 5 minutes. Add the pressed garlic and stir briefly, then pour in the Marsala wine and let the alcohol reduce for a few minutes. Mix in the flour and stir until the vegetables are coated, then stir in turkey or chicken stock gradually, continue stirring until the mixture thickens for about 5-7 minutes, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add cooked turkey pieces, frozen peas, mustard, heavy cream and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil and simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes until the liquid reduces slightly and thickens. Take off the heat, cool for 30 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Transfer your pie filling into a 9X13 inch casserole dish. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 200C/400F.
- On a floured surface roll out the puff pastry to ¼ inch thick, then cut the pastry into rectangles or leave whole if preferred. Top with cut puff pastry rectangles overlapping them a bit, brush with an egg wash and bake in the preheated to 200C/400F oven for 30-35 minutes until the pastry is golden and the mixture underneath is bubbling. (If you choose not to cut the puff pastry into rectangles, make sure to cut slits into the pastry for ventilation.)
