I stumbled upon these Cheesy Turkey Pot Pies a few weeks ago on Picky Palate and bookmarked the recipe right away.  Now I know we’re in the dog days of summer and a pot pie is normally a hearty winter recipe, but they just looked so cute in their little ramekins!  I’m a big fan of recipes that are individual little meals.  It makes leftovers a snap.  I will say this recipe is best made after Thanksgiving when you already have many of these items leftover in your fridge/pantry.  However I was determined not to let that stop me.

To save myself some time I boiled the potatoes, steamed the broccoli, and baked the turkey in the morning.  I planned to come home and torture myself do 90 minutes of P90X Yoga, which really cuts into my meal prep time.  I baked the turkey(just a little salt and pepper on top) for about 25-30 minutes at 350 in my toaster oven and they came out juicy and easy to shred.  I put all three items in the fridge and set off to work.  The only time consuming part left was dicing the veggies, but you could have easily done that in the morning as well.

The recipe calls for 16 oz. ramekins, so I did a little experiment with half 16oz and half 8 oz.  I have to say I think I like the portion of the 8 oz. better.  I’ve started eating smaller meals lately and that way leftovers are also lunch size portions.  However this does mean I need 12 ramekins for this recipe.  I may cut it in half next time.  I also had a bit of an issue on running out of puff pastry.  Making round shapes leaves you with a lot of awkward dough pieces left over.  I tried to roll it back out to fit two of the larger ones but ended up with pieces that shrunk up on me.  Oh well, I’m sure they still taste the same.  I hope you enjoy!

Mini Turkey Pot Pies
adapted from: Picky Palate
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 1/2 cups white onions, finely chopped
  • 1 cup carrots, finely chopped
  • 1 cup celery, finely chopped
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 1 cups steamed broccoli, diced
  • 2 cups baby red potatoes, diced with skin
  • 2 cups cooked shredded turkey breast
  • 1 tbsp fresh minced garlic
  • 1/2 stick butter
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
  • 3 1/2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 2 sheets Puff Pastry thawed and cut into circular tops
Cooking Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat oil in medium dutch oven over medium heat. When hot, saute onions, carrots and celery, for 8-10 minutes or until softened. Add in peas, broccoli, and potatoes. Stir and cook for 5 minutes then add in the garlic; cook for 1 minute then add turkey breast. Reduce heat to low.

In a medium saucepan melt the butter over medium high heat; whisk in flour salt and pepper for one minute. Slowly whisk in chicken broth until thick and creamy, about 3 minutes. Once thickened, stir in cheddar cheese until melted. Pour sauce over turkey and vegetables.

Divide filling into six 16 oz. ramekins (or twelve 8 oz.) for individual pies. Cut puff pastry into 6 rounds and place over ramekins. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until puff pastry is golden brown. You can also pour all filling into a 9"×13" baking sheet and lay puff pastry sheets over top for casserole style and bake for 25-30 minutes. Make sure to place a cookie sheet under the ramekins or baking dish to catch any liquid that bubbles over. Remove from oven and allow them to cool for 10-15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!