A fun take on Thanksgiving leftovers that will leave you thankful. Don't just eat them up the next day, make a whole new dish. Shepherd's Pie is a great way to combine leftover turkey, gravy, veggies, and mashed potatoes to create a whole new dish will make you want to cook Thanksgiving dinner every week!
Mini Leftover Turkey Shepherd's Pie
Happy Thanksgiving!
For the last few weeks I have been preparing my readers for the big day.
Now that it is here, it's time to shift gears and give you some ideas of what to do with your leftovers. On an episode of Giada at Home on Food Network, she shared some Thanksgiving leftover ideas that I thought were worth trying out myself.
One of them was her Thankful Shepherd's Pie. This utilizes of course leftover turkey but also leftover mashed potatoes, leftover carrots (or other veggies), and leftover gravy.
What a great way to take those leftovers and create a whole new meal. And it's something that you can freeze too. I decided to go mini with my Shepherd's Pies.
Ramekins
To make the mini Shepherd's pie I normally bake them in Ramekins. My Ramekins are 8 ounce ramekins. With this recipe you can make 3 of them. Adjust out accordingly if you want to do more or have more leftovers.
It's easy to forget but it's best for your pie crust if you "blind bake it" that is bake it empty for 7-10 minutes.
Pot Pie Disposables
If you wanted to make them and freeze them for later dinners, I have used the disposable mini or pot pie pans you can find at most grocery stores. They freeze well and are such a nice thing to have a on a cold winter night in January.
Muffin Pan
I have not tried this yet, but you certainly could do this in a muffin pan and make really mini Shepherd's pies.
The Pie Dough
I made my own very own pie dough for the recipe. You could be pre-made dough. Making your own isn't that hard. I use Alton Brown's recipe that you can look up on Food Network's site.
I found that one pie dough recipe was the right amount to fill 3 my Ramekins.
Keep in mind with Shepherd's pie as compared to pot pie, you only need half the dough because your topping is mashed potatoes, not more pie crust.
The first time I mead this I forgot to put my pies shells in the oven before adding the filling. This is done to make for more crisp crust. Remember this step, you only need to bake them for 8-10 minutes.
The Filling for the Pie
You can use whatever vegetables you have leftover. Use the recipe as a guideline.
I had buttery roast carrots that I chopped up and added to the pie along with peas and corn. You could also use leftover root vegetables or even some green beans from your casserole, chopped up.
The filling for the pies need to be cooked before adding to the pie. My gravy and milk came together with the other ingredients really fast. It all depends on the thickness of your gravy.
Review of Giada's Turkey Sheperd's Pie
My wife and I thought this was the best savory pie she has had. She liked all the flavors working together. The gravy is a wonderful touch, especially if your gravy was homemade and tasty to begin with!
We try to make them and freeze them for later use. You could easily bake these up, cover them with foil and place them in the freezer for another night when you need a quick meal. Then all you have to do is warm them up in the oven.
Easy as pie!
More Things to Do With Turkey
Make Leftover Turkey Sliders with Cranberry BBQ Sauce
Next Time Make Your Turkey Breast in the Instant Pot
Or Try a Dry Brined Butterflied Turkey
Look at All our Turkey Recipes
Giada's Mini Leftover Turkey Shepherd's Pie
Ingredients
- 1 pie crust recipe cut into three pieces
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup gravy
- 1 cup whole milk room temperature
- 3 cups leftover turkey diced
- 1 cup carrots chopped
- ½ cup frozen corn kernels
- ½ cup frozen peas
- ½ tsp fresh oregano chopped
- 2 cups leftover mashed potatoes
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees
- Cut your pie dough to fit your baking vessels.
- Roll out the pie dough and lay at the bottom of your baking vessels.
- Place in the oven for 10 mintues or until the crust begins to just brown. Set aside.
- In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add in the onions and cook until they are soft, about 5 minutes.
- Add in the garlic, salt, and pepper and cook another 30 seconds.
- Now add in the leftover gravy and milk. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer.
- Once thickened add in the turkey, veggies, and herbs. Simmer to warm everything through.
- Your filling is ready to go into your pie shells. Equally distribute the filling.
- Add the mashed potatoes on top to cover. Put the Parmesan cheese on top.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the potatoes have browned.
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