This is a ground turkey pot pie baked in individual ramekins, topped with puff pastry or biscuit dough. The filling — turkey breast, bacon, sweet potato, onion, celery, and spiced gravy — is fully cooked before it goes in the oven, so the bake time is just 15 minutes. That short oven window is the real reason to make this on a weeknight.
The technique that matters
The key move here is cooking everything through before the ramekins go into the oven. Ground turkey must reach an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C) — there is no margin for pink poultry. Because the oven step is only 15 minutes (just enough to set the pastry), the filling needs to be fully cooked and hot when it goes in. Brown the turkey and bacon until the turkey shows no pink and the bacon is crisp, then cook the vegetables in the same fat until the sweet potato is completely tender when pierced. If either step is rushed, the pastry will be done long before the filling is safe or the sweet potato is soft.
Mistakes to avoid
- Overfilling the ramekins. If the filling reaches the rim, the gravy bubbles over and the pastry base gets soggy. Leave at least a half-inch of clearance below the top edge.
- Adding cold gravy to the ramekins. Pouring lukewarm or cool gravy over the filling and then baking means the center may not be hot enough when the pastry is golden. Keep the gravy hot right up until you pour it in.
- Not sealing the pastry to the ramekin edge. Puff pastry that isn’t pressed firmly to the rim will shrink and slide off during baking. Press it down all the way around — skip the garnish of extra pastry cutouts on top, not worth the extra dish.
- Skipping the fat in the pan for the vegetables. If you drain the pan after cooking the turkey and bacon, you lose the flavor base for the vegetables. Leave the rendered fat in the pan and cook the vegetables directly in it.
- Using the wrong size ramekin. A ramekin that is too wide means a thin layer of filling and a pastry-heavy bite. Aim for medium ramekins, roughly 10–12 oz capacity, so the filling-to-pastry ratio is balanced.
Storage and reheating
Once baked, cover the ramekins and refrigerate for up to 3 days. To reheat, put them in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 12–15 minutes until the filling is bubbling and the pastry has crisped back up — the microwave works in a pinch but turns the pastry soft. You can also assemble the unbaked ramekins (filling in, pastry on top, sealed) and refrigerate them for up to 24 hours before baking; add 3–4 minutes to the bake time since the filling will be cold. For freezing, freeze the assembled unbaked ramekins tightly wrapped for up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the fridge before baking.
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 packet turkey gravy - follow instructions on the packet
- 1 packet biscuit dough - or puff pastry tops the ramekin
1 pinch salt - added while cooking
1 pinch ground black pepper
1 teaspoon 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!
Nutrition
FAQ
Can I use leftover cooked turkey instead of raw ground turkey?
Yes, but add it after the vegetables are cooked, not at the browning stage. Stir the cooked turkey into the hot vegetables and gravy just before filling the ramekins so it heats through to 165°F (74°C) without drying out from overcooking.
Can I make one large pie instead of individual ramekins?
Yes — use a single oven-safe casserole dish and increase the bake time to around 25–30 minutes, checking that the pastry is deep golden and the filling is visibly bubbling at the edges. The filling is already cooked, so you are really just watching the pastry.
What if I can’t find a turkey gravy packet?
Chicken gravy packets work as a direct substitute and are easier to find. You can also make a quick pan gravy with 1 tablespoon of flour, 1 cup of chicken stock, and a splash of Worcestershire sauce — just whisk it over medium heat until thickened before adding the cumin and cinnamon.
What to cook next
- Cumberland Sausage Mince Pie
- Wild Venison Mushroom Pies
- Savory British Beef Pies
- Mediterranean Lamb Feta Pie
