Turkey Pot Pie

I find that two things I oftentimes have in the fridge during the holiday season, are leftover turkey and piecrust. Years ago, I discovered that a way to incorporate these two ingredients into an easy dinner was to make personal pot pies. I found a some heavy, round, 2-Cup baking dishes with fluted edges in the kitchenware section at a local gift shop and, because I was sure I would use them, I bought six. They have turned out to be so very handy! Larry and I are soup and casserole people. It is astonishing how many casseroles freeze, defrost and bake so nicely!

This is what I do...

In a large frying pan, I saute a half an onion and about 3 stalks of celery in about 2 Tbsp. of butter. Then, depending on what I have in the fridge or what I am in the mood for, I add some chopped turkey, maybe a potato chopped into small pieces, and about a cup of frozen mixed vegetables that I run under hot water for a bit. While that is heating up, I mix a cup of water with an envelope of turkey gravy ( I really like the Knorr or Pioneer brand Roasted Turkey flavor). Pour the mixture over the vegetables and heat until bubbly and the gravy thickens, then remove from the heat. Pour the mixture into two mini-casserole dishes.

Now take a handful of your leftover pie crust dough, and roll it out into a circle that is about 3" bigger in diameter than the casserole dish. (You will find that pie crust rolls out so much easier between two pieces of wax paper.) Cut 3 slits into the middle of the crust for air vents and top the hot turkey mixture with the crust, letting the crust hand over the edge of the casserole dish. Repeat for the second little meat pie. (Of course, you can use pre-made pie crust just as easily!)

Place the pies on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes, until the gravy bubbles out of the vents and the crust is a golden brown. Remove from the oven a cool for about 5 minutes. Yumm...

P.S. You can do this with leftover roast or steak and beef gravy. Experiment!