We decided to take a few of the classic flavors and ground turkey from the holiday dinner table and transform them into a delicious better-for-you-than-you-think turkey pot pie.
Why is this turkey pot pie better for you than you think? Well, we decided that in order to cut down on a few calories that are usually found in a pot pie, we would make this version in a ramekin topped with a single layer of puff pastry as opposed to encased in a full, thick pie shell. Turkey is also a much leaner choice of meat than using something like beef or pork, but we did make an exception for some of that delicious maple-smoked bacon to add flavor.
Vegetarians can substitute veggie ground round, seitan, or portobello mushrooms for the turkey and bacon, and they can also substitute mushroom or onion gravy for the turkey gravy. Vegans can also try Pilsbury puff pastry dough, as it is made with vegetable oils instead of butter or milk ingredients! Enjoy! This delicious turkey pot pie is easy to make ahead of time. All the ingredients are cooked before they go into the ramekin for baking, so while the preparation takes a little time, the actual cooking time is only about 15 minutes. It makes a perfect dish for busy winter nights – you could make individual servings or some big family-sized pot pie in a large casserole dish!
Delicious Turkey Pot Pie
Ingredients
- ½ pound ground turkey (minced turkey) - turkey breast
- 4 slices bacon - maple or smoked bacon, minced
- 1 small sweet potato - or yam, minced
- 1 medium white onion - minced
- 1 stalk celery - minced
- 1 pinch salt - added while cooking
- 1 pinch ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin - added to the gravy
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon - added to the gravy
Instructions
- Gather and prepare all your ingredients ahead of time. You will also need 2 medium-sized ramekins (for 2 individual servings) or one large ramekin or oven-safe casserole dish for a multi-serving pie.
- Brown your turkey and bacon together. They will take about the same amount of time to cook, and you can use the leftover fat for cooking your vegetables in the same pan. When you see some golden brown color forming on the turkey, and your bacon is becoming crisp, they are ready. Divide the meat between your 2 ramekins, and use the same pan for your veggies next.
- Add your vegetables all at once to the hot pan, still containing some of the bacon and turkey fat. Add some salt and pepper to your veggies as you cook them. The veggies will reduce a little, and when the onions are becoming clear, and the sweet potatoes are fully cooked through, you can then divide your veggies between the 2 ramekins. This will almost fill the bowls – make sure you leave a little room for gravy and puff pastry.
- In a separate pot, follow the instructions on your gravy packet and make the gravy. We added our cinnamon and cumin spices right in with the gravy mix – it will smell amazing as it thickens!
- When the gravy is thickened and ready, pour the gravy into the ramekins until the gravy reaches the top layer of vegetables. Give the ramekins a little tap on the counter to make sure that there are no air pockets.
- Open your puff pastry (or biscuit dough – both will do) and unroll it (or roll it out with a rolling pin if that is what the package tells you to do). You can cover each ramekin like a little pie, leaving a small amount of dough hanging over the edge. Make sure you leave a few holes for steam to escape. Place your dough-covered ramekins on a cookie sheet to bake.
- Preheat your oven to the temperature required to cook the pastry dough. This is usually somewhere between 350°F-400°F, depending on what kind of dough you are using. Bake the pies long enough for the pastry to become golden and crispy. When the “lid” is done, the pies are ready!