The day after Thanksgiving is a challenging one. When you are still drowsy from a late night dinner or hungover because you finished a whole bottle of wine, it is difficult to move around and prepare a meal. Good thing there are easy recipes for leftover turkey that you can consider. This particular recipe, Leftover Turkey Pie, is easy to make. Most likely, the ingredients are already available in your house.
Facts About Turkey
Some people say that turkey is the culprit behind our drowsiness after Thanksgiving dinner. This is partly true because turkey contains L-Tryptophan which encourages serotonin production and makes us feel sleepy. However, it is not actually the turkey’s fault that we feel sleepy. So, don’t worry if you want to use those leftover turkey meat for next day’s meal. The amount of carbs that we consume during Thanksgiving dinner is what makes us feel sleepy.
When you’ve eaten too much carbs, it makes the amino acids and proteins in your body work double time to break down all the sugars. Thus, L-Tryptophan produces melatonin and serotonin and gives us that drowsy feeling.
In addition, over-eating can also cause feelings of drowsiness because your body is exerting energy into digesting or breaking down the food. It is better to eat small portions over time than bingeing on a large meal in one sitting because this gives your body time to rest and digest the food properly.
Recipes for Leftover Turkey
Usually, I just make sandwiches or wraps out of the leftover turkey meat. I shred them into pieces and whip up sandwich with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and mustard. Sometimes, I make chicken or turkey wraps. In a previous recipe where I made Grilled Chicken Wraps, I just substitute the chicken breasts with the turkey meat.
For a change, I wanted to try this Leftover Turkey Pie as it looks really good. It’s perfect for brunch or a light snack.
So, try this recipe and save time and effort preparing an after-Thanksgiving meal! Don’t forget to leave a comment and let us know how it went. Share this with your friends, too!
I hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving with your family!
Leftover Turkey Pie
Equipment
- Baking sheet
- round parchment paper
- Rolling Pin
- pastry brush
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp flour plus more for dusting
- freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste
- 200 ml chicken stock you can use water and chicken cube
- unsalted butter
- 2 leeks trimmed and cut into 3cm slices
- 8 mushrooms sliced (You can also use canned button mushrooms)
- 4 strips bacon cut into small pieces
- 3-4 cups leftover turkey meat shredded
- 150 ml single cream
- white wine or water
- 375 g puff pastry
- 1 tbsp milk
Instructions
- Heat some butter in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Add the leeks and cook until softened and the edges are browned.
- Add the bacon and mushrooms until softened.
- Mix flour, salt, and, pepper in a bowl. Toss the shredded turkey into it.
- Add the floured turkey to the pan and stir until it has formed a thick paste.
- Add the chicken stock. Add water or white wine and cream. Bring to a boil then let it simmer until the sauce is thicker and resembles a pie filling.
- Remove the pan from heat and set aside to cool.
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Divide the pastry block into 2. Roll it into a ball and flatten it with a rolling pin, until just the right size for the pie pan. The second half should be rolled just large enough to cover the pie.
- Line your pie tin with parchment paper. Make sure that the edges of the parchment paper do not go over the rim.
- Arrange the rolled pastry dough into the bottom of the pie tin. Spoon the pie filling into it.
- Brush the edges of the pastry with milk then lay the second pastry on top. Remove excess and seal the edges with a fork.
- Brush the top of the pie with milk. Bake for 25 minutes until the pastry is golden. Let it stand for 10 minutes before serving.
1 thought on “Easy Recipes for Leftover Turkey: Leftover Turkey Pie”
Great recipe! I made it pretty much exactly as written, except that I didn’t have leeks. Thanks for the recipe!