Leftover Turkey Pot Pie

Leftover Turkey Pot Pie with a cheesy garlic bread topping is the recipe that saved more than a few post-Thanksgiving nights in my kitchen. I still remember the first time I made it the turkey was dry, the bread was going stale, and I had a fridge full of random vegetables that needed using up. My grandmother always said the best cooking happens when you are forced to be creative, and she was right. That pot pie came out of the oven golden and bubbling, and my kids scraped the skillet clean.

This is not a fancy dish. It is the kind of cooking that feels like a warm blanket on a cold evening. You make a simple creamy sauce, add your leftover turkey, fold in whatever vegetables you have on hand, and top the whole thing with chunks of garlic buttered bread and melted mozzarella. The bread soaks up the sauce from underneath while the top gets golden and crisp. It is everything a pot pie should be, without any pastry rolling or chilling or fussing. Your kitchen is going to smell incredible once this goes in the oven.

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What Makes This Leftover Turkey Pot Pie Worth Making

This recipe came out of real necessity, and that is exactly why it works. It does not ask you to have special ingredients or a lot of free time. It asks you to use what you have, cook it simply, and eat well.

• Uses up dry leftover turkey (or chicken) by smothering it in a rich, creamy bechamel sauce
• Cheesy garlic bread topping replaces pastry — buttery, golden, and it soaks up the sauce as it bakes
• Flexible with vegetables — use peas, carrots, mushrooms, corn, broccoli, or whatever is in the fridge
• Made start to finish in one oven-proof skillet with minimal cleanup
• Ready in about 55 minutes
• Stores in the fridge for up to 5 days, making it great for meal prep

Key Players in This Recipe

Cooked turkey or chicken is the foundation. Leftover roast turkey works perfectly here, and so does leftover roast chicken. The creamy bechamel sauce brings moisture and richness back into the meat, so even dry, day-old turkey comes out tender and satisfying. Chop it into generous chunks so every bite has substance.

Butter does two jobs in this recipe. It goes into the bechamel filling and into the garlic bread topping. Do not skimp on it — the butter is what makes the bread topping irresistible and gives the sauce its rich, velvety finish.

All-purpose flour thickens the bechamel sauce. Cook it in the pan for a full minute before adding milk. That step gets rid of any raw flour taste and sets the sauce up to thicken evenly. Skipping it is one of the most common mistakes people make with white sauce.

Milk transforms the roux into the creamy filling. Any fat percentage works, but whole milk gives the richest result. Add it in two stages — half first to dissolve the paste, then the rest — and you will avoid lumps almost every time.

Mushrooms add savory depth to the filling. Brown them separately in a hot pan before anything else goes in. If you crowd the pan or add them later, they will steam instead of brown, and you lose a lot of flavor. That extra step is worth it.

Frozen peas go in straight from the freezer — no thawing needed. They add a little sweetness and a pop of color, and they cook through perfectly in the oven.

Mozzarella is the melting cheese of choice for the topping. Shred it yourself from a fresh block if you can. Pre-shredded cheese has a coating that slows melting and leaves a slightly grainy texture. Freshly grated goes on smooth and bubbly.

Everyday bread is the secret to the topping. Soft sandwich bread, dinner rolls, or hamburger buns all work well. Cut them into rough 1-inch chunks and toss them in the garlic butter before layering on top. Avoid dense artisan sourdough with a tight crumb and thick crust — it stays too tough and does not absorb the sauce the way softer bread does.

How to Make Leftover Turkey Pot Pie Step by Step

Step 1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Start here so the oven is ready when the filling is done.

Step 2. Melt the topping butter and stir in the minced garlic. Add the bread chunks to a bowl and pour the garlic butter over them. Toss until every piece is coated. Set aside.

Step 3. Heat the olive oil in an oven-proof skillet over high heat. Add the mushrooms in a single layer and let them cook without stirring for about 2 minutes, then stir and cook for another 2 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the skillet and set aside.

Step 4. Reduce the heat to medium-high. Add the filling butter to the same skillet. Once it melts, add the onion and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring, until the onion softens.

Step 5. Add the carrot pieces and cook for 1 more minute, stirring to combine with the onion and garlic base.

Step 6. Sprinkle in the flour and stir constantly for 1 full minute. The mixture will look thick and pasty. That is correct — do not rush this step.

Step 7. While stirring, pour in half the milk and mix quickly to dissolve the paste into the liquid. Once smooth, add the remaining milk, stock powder, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.

Step 8. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring regularly, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Draw your finger across the spoon — if the line holds clean, the sauce is ready. If the sauce seems too thin at this stage, keep it on the heat a little longer. It will not thicken much further in the oven.

Step 9. Add the chopped turkey, frozen peas, and browned mushrooms. Stir everything into the sauce until the filling is well combined.

Step 10. Spread the filling flat in the skillet. Lay the garlic butter bread chunks on top, covering the surface. Sprinkle over the parmesan if using, then add the mozzarella.

Step 11. Bake uncovered for 12 to 15 minutes until the cheese has golden-brown spots. Tent loosely with foil — keep it from touching the cheese — then bake for another 10 minutes until everything is hot and bubbling.

Step 12. Serve immediately from the skillet, with extra grated parmesan if you like.

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Keeping This Pot Pie Fresh

Leftover turkey pot pie stores well in the fridge. Transfer leftovers to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days. Because the turkey was already cooked once and then fully reheated through during baking, the freshness clock resets from the time you made the pot pie.

For reheating, cover the dish loosely with foil and warm it in the oven at 325 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes depending on portion size. This keeps the bread topping from turning soggy while getting the filling piping hot all the way through. The microwave also works fine — cover to trap steam and heat in 90-second intervals, stirring the filling between rounds.

Freezing the finished pot pie is not ideal because the garlic bread topping loses its texture after thawing. If you want to get ahead, make the creamy filling on its own and freeze it for up to 2 months. When ready, thaw it overnight in the fridge, reheat on the stovetop, and assemble with a fresh garlic bread topping before baking.

What to Serve with This Pot Pie

This dish is rich and filling on its own, but a simple side pulls the meal together. Here are a few pairings that work well:

• Simple green salad with lemon vinaigrette — the acidity cuts through the richness of the bechamel filling and keeps the meal feeling balanced
• Lemon Garlic Butter Chicken and Green Beans — if you are stretching the meal for a larger group, this simple green bean side rounds out the table without any extra fuss
• Roasted green beans or asparagus — a quick toss in olive oil and 15 minutes in the oven gives you a crisp, fresh contrast to the soft, creamy filling
• Cranberry sauce — if you have holiday leftovers, a spoonful alongside this pot pie is a genuinely good combination
• Roasted Autumn Vegetables with Balsamic Glaze — hearty roasted vegetables pair beautifully with the creamy filling and add color to the plate
• Easy Honey Glazed Carrots and Green Beans — a sweet, simple side that kids and adults both love alongside a savory pot pie

Recipes You Might Also Like

If you enjoyed this leftover turkey pot pie, these recipes use similar ingredients or the same comfort-food approach:

• One Pot Gnocchi Chicken Pot Pie — a creamy, hearty pot pie filling with pillowy gnocchi instead of pastry
• Easy Chicken Pot Pie Soup — all the flavors of a classic pot pie in a cozy, spoonable soup
• Creamy Chicken Pot Pie Orzo — a one-pot weeknight spin on pot pie using orzo to soak up the creamy filling
• Turkey Spinach Mushroom Skillet — another great way to use up leftover turkey with mushrooms and a savory sauce
• Chicken Wild Rice Casserole — a hearty, crowd-pleasing casserole with the same cozy, creamy energy as this pot pie

FAQs

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Garlic Bread Topped Leftover Turkey Pot Pie

A creamy, comforting pot pie made with leftover turkey smothered in a rich bechamel sauce and topped with buttery cheesy garlic bread. Ready in under an hour using simple pantry staples.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Servings: 6 portions

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: American, Western

Calories: 589

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 5 oz mushrooms sliced 0.5 inch thick
• 4 tbsp butter for the filling
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 carrot peeled and chopped into 0.5-inch pieces
• 4 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2.5 cup milk any fat percentage
• 4 cup cooked turkey or chicken chopped, about 1.25 lbs
• 1.5 cup frozen peas no thawing needed
• 1 tsp chicken or vegetable stock powder or 1 cube
• 0.25 tsp salt
• 0.5 tsp black pepper
• 4 tbsp salted butter for the garlic bread topping
• 2 garlic cloves minced, for the topping
• 5 cup bread chunks about 1-inch cubes, use soft everyday bread such as rolls, sandwich bread, or hamburger buns
• 2 tbsp parmesan cheese grated, optional
• 1 cup mozzarella shredded or sliced, enough to cover the top

Equipment

• 10 to 10.5 inch oven-proof skillet (cast iron preferred)
• Large mixing bowl
• Wooden spoon
• Garlic press

Method

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Melt the topping butter and stir in the minced garlic. Add bread chunks to a bowl and pour the garlic butter over them. Toss until every piece is coated. Set aside.
3. Heat olive oil in an oven-proof skillet over high heat. Add mushrooms and cook for about 4 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
4. Reduce heat to medium-high. Melt the filling butter in the same skillet. Add onion and garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring, until softened.
5. Add the carrot and cook for 1 more minute, stirring to combine.
6. Add flour and stir constantly for 1 full minute until a thick pasty mixture forms.
7. While stirring, pour in half the milk and mix quickly to dissolve the paste. Once smooth, add the remaining milk, stock powder, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.
8. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring regularly, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. The line drawn across the spoon should hold clean.
9. Add the chopped turkey, frozen peas, and browned mushrooms. Stir everything into the sauce.
10. Spread the filling flat in the skillet. Top evenly with the garlic butter bread chunks. Sprinkle over the parmesan if using, then add the mozzarella.
11. Bake uncovered for 12 to 15 minutes until the cheese has golden-brown spots. Tent loosely with foil without touching the cheese and bake for another 10 minutes.
12. Serve immediately from the skillet with extra grated parmesan if desired.

Notes

Bread: Use soft everyday bread such as sandwich loaves, dinner rolls, or hamburger buns. Avoid dense artisan sourdough. If using sliced bread, cut into 1.5-inch squares and layer overlapping, drizzled with garlic butter.

Sauce: Get the sauce to the right thickness on the stovetop before baking. It will not thicken much in the oven. If too thin, cook longer or stir in a little cheese to thicken.

Skillet: A 10.25-inch cast iron skillet is ideal. Without one, use a 2.5-quart oven-safe casserole dish.

Storage: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat covered in the oven at 325 degrees F or in the microwave.