I grew up with four brothers. We loved store bought frozen pot pies because we could pick whichever flavor we wanted. From turkey and chicken to tuna and beef, we could have had a different one every night. All you had to do was pop them in the oven, and you’d have an all in one meal. Now, you can make your own pot pies that you can freeze before baking. These recipes for turkey, chicken and beef pot pies offer a nice variety of flavors for you and your family or friends. Each recipe yields four pot pies in 2-cup sized ramekins. Once you’ve tried these recipes, experiment with fillings of your own and create even more flavorful options.
Basic Pie Crust For Four 2-Cup Sized Ramekins
Ingredients
2 1/2 cu All Purpose Flour
3/4 cu Cold Margarine or Butter, diced into small cubes
6 oz Cream Cheese, cut or torn into small pieces
Method
Cut the butter and cream cheese into the flour in a large bowl and mix until ingredients come together to form a dough. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead it a few times to make sure all ingredients are fully incorporated. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Once the dough is chilled, divide it into four equal portions. With each portion, separate about 1/3 of the dough and set it aside for the top crust. Roll the remaining 2/3 of the dough to a diameter about 2" wider than your ramekin. Transfer the dough into the ramekin and, using your fingers, press it into the bottom and side leaving about 1/2" above the rim. If the ramekin is deep, there will be a lot of overlapping crust as you put it into the sides and bottom. Simply use your fingers to press and seal the dough into itself and push it slightly above the rim.
Spoon about 2 cups of filling into each ramekin. Roll out the remaining 1/3 of the dough to a diameter about 1" wider than your ramekin. Place the dough over the filling and seal the edges with the bottom crust. Crimp the edges with a fork. Pierce the top with a sharp knife to allow steam to escape.
Baking The Pot Pies
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the pot pies on a baking sheet in the center of the oven. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the crust is golden brown. If the crust is browning too quickly, tent the pie with a piece of aluminum. Serve warm.
Turkey Pot Pie
Ingredients
3 slices Bacon, chopped
1 cu Onion, chopped
1 cu Celery, chopped
1 cu Carrots, quartered lengthwise and chopped
1 1/2 tsp Fresh Sage Leaves, chopped
4 cu Smoked Turkey, chopped into 1/2" cubes
2 tbl All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 cu Chicken Stock
1 1/2 cu 2% Milk
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
1 cu Frozen Peas
Method
Cook the bacon in a large saucepan over medium high heat until crispy. Add the onion, celery and carrots and sauté until onions are translucent and tender for about 10 minutes. Add sage and stir to combine. Add turkey and sauté until meat is hot for about 3 minutes. Add flour to the mixture and stir until it has coated vegetables and turkey. Pour chicken stock and milk into mixture and bring to a boil. Stir until mixture thickens for about 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in peas. Allow mixture to cool and then spoon into four prepared ramekins as described above.
Chicken Pot Pie
Ingredients
1 tbl Olive Oil
1 lb Chicken Breast, boneless and skinless, cut into 1/2" cubes
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
1 cu Onion, chopped (about 1 medium onion)
1 cu Celery, chopped (2 stalks)
1 1/2 cu Red Pepper, diced (about 1 large pepper)
2 cu Broccoli Florets, broken into bit sized pieces
2 tsp Dried Oregano
2 tbl All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 cu Chicken Stock
1 1/2 cu 2% Milk
1 1/2 cu Frozen Peas
Method
In a large saucepan, sauté chicken pieces in olive oil over a medium high heat until opaque for about 3 minutes. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add onions, celery and red pepper and sauté until onions are translucent and tender for about 10 minutes. Add broccoli and sauté for an additional 3 minutes. Add oregano and sauté for about 1 minute. Add flour to the mixture and stir until it has coated all the ingredients. Add chicken stock and milk and bring to a boil. Stir until mixture thickens for about 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat a stir in peas. Allow mixture to cool and then spoon into four prepared ramekins as described above.
Beef Pot Pie
Ingredients
1 lb Beef Stew Meat, cut into 1/2" cubes
1 cu Onion
1/2 cu Carrots
1/2 cu Celery
1 1/2 lb Red Potatoes, Skin on diced into 1/2" cubes
1 1/2 tsp Fresh Rosemary
2 tbl All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 cu Beef Stock
1 1/2 cu 2% Milk
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
1 cu Frozen Peas
Method
In a large saucepan, sauté beef in olive oil over a medium high heat until opaque for about 3 minutes. Pour off excess fat. Season beef with salt and pepper. Add onions, celery, carrots and potatoes and sauté until potatoes are tender for about 15 minutes. Add rosemary and sauté for an additional 1 minute. Add flour to the mixture and stir until it has coated all the ingredients. Add beef stock and milk and bring to a boil. Stir until mixture thickens for about 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in peas. Allow mixture to cool and then spoon into four prepared ramekins as described above.
Freezing Pot Pies
These pies can be prepared ahead of time and frozen prior to baking. Once you've crimped the edges, wrap them in plastic and place them in the freezer for 1 hour. Remove them from the freezer and cover the pie and plastic wrap with aluminum.
Return them to the freezer until ready to bake. To bake, remove pies from freezer and remove aluminum and plastic wrap. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Tent the pies with a piece of aluminum and bake for 60-65 minutes. Remove the foil after 45 minutes.
If you have any questions or comments, please send me an email a wayne@waynesweekend.com or follow me on Facebook.
