Ever wonder what to do with all your turkey leftovers after Thanksgiving? Lauren Brittain is here to help with her Mini Turkey Pot Pies Mini Turkey Pot Pies recipe, the perfect recipe for using up your Thanksgiving leftovers!
Thanksgiving is right around the corner and it’s one of my favorite holidays. I don’t know about you, but the weather, the smells, baking and cooking, spending time with the people you love most – it’s all part of what makes Thanksgiving so special to me! Food is 100% my love language, so this is my time to shine with one of my favorite healthy Thanksgiving recipes. I’ve created a not-so-traditional, easy and nutritious Mini Turkey Pot Pies recipe to share with your loved ones this year. If you can’t figure out what to do with all that turkey, this Thanksgiving leftover recipe is here to save the day!
While Thanksgiving is known for all the indulgent foods, take it from me: you don’t have to sacrifice nutrition. In this pot pie recipe, I’ll show you how to make small changes to so you can enjoy healthier options on Thanksgiving while still enjoying a traditional meal that feels (and tastes) indulgent.
I decided to use a jumbo muffin pan, but if you don’t have one you can grab a 9-inch pie dish or a regular 12 count muffin pan for an even smaller serving size. The pie dish will call for a longer cooking time and the regular muffin tin will call for a shorter cooking time by about 20-30 minutes, so make sure you check often to see how they’re baking in the oven.
After cooking all day for Thanksgiving, you’ll want a quick and easy leftover recipe, so forget the home-made pie crust and grab a box from the store! Luckily, there are some good brands out there that offer nutritional options, including whole wheat. Although there is nothing wrong with traditional all-purpose flour, whole wheat is a better option that offers more antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
Let’s get to the good part already: the pot pie filling. I made this creamy filling with all dairy free ingredients. The best part is that you would never know there is no dairy in here.
I start with chopping all of my veggies: golden potatoes, carrots, celery, cranberries, and Pure Flavor® Cloud 9® Bite-Sized Tomatoes. These tomatoes are a tiny taste of heaven® (yes, they are that good)!
Each of these ingredients add to the flavor of the pot pies in their own way. Potatoes are an amazing source of vitamins B6, C, potassium, and fiber. My family LOVES potatoes, so they are a must in my pot pies. Carrots are also a great source of vitamins, minerals, and the antioxidants alpha and beta carotene, which are a great support to immune health – something that’s on everyone’s mind this time of year, and especially in 2021. Celery is another vegetable that is loaded with antioxidants, known for its anti-inflammatory properties, and cranberries are one of my favorite superfoods that are known to boost heart health. I absolutely love Fall because this is when cranberries are available fresh and in abundance.
Without a doubt, the star of the show here is the Cloud 9® Tomatoes. These are sweet and juicy grape tomatoes that are packed with vitamins, minerals, and the antioxidant lycopene, which is also known for its boost to heart health. Lycopene absorption is increased when tomatoes are cooked and eaten with healthy fats, which is where my sauce comes in!
The secret to a creamy and thick dairy-free pot pie sauce is canned coconut milk. It’s a healthy, fat-rich food that includes medium chain triglycerides (MCTs). MCTs are some of the most beneficial fats found in nature, known to boost energy and fight yeast and bacteria growth. My children are dairy sensitive, so we use a lot of coconut milk for substituting dairy. With the increased health benefits, you can see why!
The other powerhouse ingredient used in making this sauce is bone broth. Pretty much any savory sauce recipe that calls for water – soup, stew, chili, you name it – is improved when you substitute broth instead of water. It is extremely easy to make yourself and I would highly recommend saving your turkey bones on Thanksgiving if you want to make some bone broth of your own! Bone broth is highly nutritious, high in the protein gelatin, which is known to break down as collagen in the body to support your joints, skin, nails, hair, and gut health.
Who would have thought a Thanskgiving leftovers Turkey Pot Pie could be such a healthy meal? When it comes to making healthy meals, the best tip I have is to keep it simple. You can transform any classic recipe into an incredibly nutritious meal and, rest assured, you will never have to sacrifice flavor!
This Thanksgiving recipe is incredibly easy to make from scratch. Start by adding chopped potatoes and carrots to a large pot with bone broth. Bring it to a boil and cook for 10 minutes before adding celery and cranberries for another five minutes.
In a bowl, whisk together coconut milk and cornstarch. Add the Cloud 9® Tomatoes, leftover turkey, and coconut milk mixture to the pot. Spray your jumbo muffin pan with cooking spray. Cover your countertop with flour so the crust doesn’t stick and roll out your pie crusts. Cut the crust into circles that fit the muffin pan and press one into the bottom of each, ensuring the crust covers the inside of the pan.
Fill the crust with your pot pie filling all the way to the top and cover with another circle of pie crust. Seal around the edges to lock in the flavor while the pies bake and cut small slits into the top so each pie can vent steam. Bake at 375 °F for 35 to 45 minutes.
When you’re ready to enjoy your healthy Thanksgiving leftover recipe, serve your Mini Turkey Pot Pies with cranberry sauce and extra Cloud 9® Tomatoes.
For my full recipe, click here.
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