Freezer Friendly Turkey Pot Pies

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Ok, Brace yourself! I’m from a HUGE family, so this recipe is based on feeding a crowd.

Turkey isn’t everyones fan in my family, because it tends to be dryer then chicken if not cooked right.

This is how Turkey Pot Pie became necessary opposed to chicken. The great part though, is if your not feeding a crowd, this recipe makes for great freezer meals! 

If you DRY out your turkey this thanksgiving, save it, don’t toss it! Put those dry lushes pieces into this pot pie filling and they are going to be moist and delicious! It will be almost like having a new turkey.

You will forget all about how you dried out the turkey last holiday season! 

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This can be as homemade as you want. Totally homemade would mean using fresh vegetables and making your pie dough as well.

You could buy the dough and worry only about the filling. If you choose to want the dough homemade (which I strongly suggest!) 

No matter what you choose to do (fresh here or frozen there), this will be epic! :-D

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Back to my HUGE family for a second. My mom is #6 out of 12! All but 2 of them had children, making my childhood a blast!

In this case every holiday was like a family reunion, lol. So knowing how to cook for a crowd is a MUST. Especially, in a predominately African American family!

Usually you have to prepare enough for everyone to take a plate home for leftovers! Talk about a lot of food! Phew!

This large amount of cooking is how I learned how to cook. For some that think it’s hard to learn how to double or triple up recipes. Learning how to cook for a large amount of people is difficult.

It is equally as difficult to learn how to downsize recipes. I’ve personally struggled in the past with how to make our family recipes small enough for a single family of 4!

It wasn't easy over the years downsizing as my family has become smaller from deaths, children growing up, some members move around the country and are even having families of their own.

So this post is dedicated to large families out there! This is for you to view and not have to think about doubling or tripling the recipe. Just get your grocery list out and feel confident that you could feed everyone with just one dish!

Even if you have to give a pie to a neighbor, you WANT to make this large batch to have pot pies for a while. You will be happy to have such a dish in your freezer ready to be eaten. 

As one of my uncles would say, you have the meat, starch, vegetables, and the bread; It’s all in one delicious place!

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*This recipe makes enough filling for up to 7 Pies! If you make all the pies at one time, you will need 14 Crusts for a top and bottom pot pie.

TWO Pies Serves 14 (if you're just making one pie it will just serve 6).

Ingredients:

  • Pie Crusts* (I use 1 Top & 1 Bottom Crust for each pie)

  • 1 1/2 stick of butter

  • 2 large onions, chopped

  • 2 cloves garlic

  • 3 - 4 lbs shredded turkey, cooked

  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour

  • 1 cup white wine

  • 2 cups milk

  • 1 cup heavy cream

  • 4 cups diced and cooked potatoes

  • 6 carrots, diced and cooked (or 20oz frozen carrots)

  • 10oz frozen Green Beans

  • 10oz frozen corn

  • 20oz frozen peas

  • 1 teaspoon thyme

  • 1 teaspoon rosemary

  • 1 teaspoon parsley

  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder (adobo seasoning works as well)

  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt

  • 1 tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper

  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated (Optional)

  • 1 egg plus 1 tablespoon milk, mixed together for egg wash

Directions:

  1. Cook carrots and potatoes in water about 10 minutes. drain. Set aside

  2. Melt butter in a very large pot over medium heat.

  3. Add onions and garlic then saute until they are translucent (about 8 minutes)

  4. Shred or chop the cooked turkey into bite sized pieces, add to pot and stir

  5. Add flour and stir to combine. Continue cooking about 2 more minutes

  6. Slowly add in wine, chicken broth, heavy whipping cream, and milk. stir.

  7. Continue cooking on medium-high heat, uncovered until sauce thickens. stirring frequently

  8. Once sauce thickens, add frozen peas, carrots, and potatoes

  9. Add thyme, rosemary, garlic powder, salt, ground black pepper, Stir. Take off heat

  10. Mix in parmesan cheese and set pot aside

  11. Lay the bottom crust into you 9"x13" baking dish

  12. Pour in a portion of pie filling till there is just a pinky nail amount of room left till pan is full

  13. Roll out the top crust of the pie crust and lay it on top

  14. Press a fork down around the edges to seal the pie together

  15. Trim off any excess dough with a knife and then cut slits in the top for air to vent through

  16. Beat egg and milk together then brush top of pie with egg and milk wash

  17. Bake in a 375* oven for 30 minutes, until the top pie crust is golden browned

  18. Remove from oven and cover with foil (to prevent the top crust from burning)

  19. Return to oven for another 20 minutes then take out of oven

  20. Let pot pie rest for 15-30 minutes to firm up

TIPS:

  • If you're using store bought pie crust or pre made frozen pie dough, make sure crusts have time to thaw (about an hour).

  • If making a Top Crust Only: Skip STEP 11 and make sure you have greased your pie pan before adding filling.

  • Place on a baking sheet in case pie bubbles and leaks!

  • Herbs may be dried or fresh

FREEZING INSTRUCTIONS:

Freezing the filling: Fill in a freezer safe container/bag

Freezing the whole pie: Assemble the whole pie, wrap in foil and freeze

TO PREPARE FROZEN POT PIE:

Thaw filling in refrigerator. Stir filling to reincorporate. Assemble as described above and bake accordingly.

OR

You may bake the whole pie from frozen.

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