A great way to use up extra turkey after a holiday feast, this pot pie also uses up the extra veggies you have kicking around the fridge! Great fridge clean up meal.

One of my mother’s classic recipes that she would make all the time when we were kids, it is a personal favourite of our family’s.

INGREDIENTS

2 tbs olive oil or butter
2 small onions, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped*
1 green pepper, chopped*
2 celery stalks, chopped*
2 zucchini, chopped*
2 red peppers, chopped*
1 roasted chicken, shredded or 4-6 cups cooked shredded turkey
Salt and pepper to taste

For the gravy (or sub for 1 1/2 cups pre-made gravy):
3 tbs butter
5 tbs flour
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup white wine
1 tsp chicken bouillon

For the crust:
1 cup melted butter
14 sheets phyllo pastry (1 regular pack of phyllo)

Special equipment: 1 springform pan
*These are the veggies we have used, but feel free to mix it up with what you have in the fridge!

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Grease your springform pan with some pam or butter. Set aside. Note on the springform pan, my favourite has a glass bottom as it is the easiest to remove cakes or pies from, but any springform will do.

In a large skillet, sauté the onions with the oil over medium heat. Season with some salt (helps onions to release the sugars and prevent burning). Once you have sautéed for 3-4 mins and the onions are starting to turn translucent, add the carrots, peppers and celery. Sauté until soft and then add the zucchini and turkey. Sauté until the turkey is heated through and the zucchini starts to soften. Set aside.

Meanwhile, melt the flour and butter for the gravy in another saucepan over medium heat. If you don’t want to make your own gravy, you can skip this step and use 1 1/2 cups of pre-made turkey or chicken gravy. Heat the flour and butter through to make a roux paste. This should be bubbling for 2-3 mins, and then start to slowly add the wine and chicken stock while whisking quickly. Add the liquid very very slowly and constantly whisk – doing this will help to prevent lumps. The paste will thicken at first, but then as you start to add more, it will start to become thinner. Once you have added the last of the liquid, set aside.

Now, make the crust. Lay one sheet of phyllo on a large cutting board or the counter. Brush with some of the melted butter and add another sheet. Repeat until you hit 7 sheets. Place this sheet in the springform pan, making sure to push it into the little crevasses. Don’t worry about it going over the edge, we will address that in a bit.

Now, start again on a second set of 7 phyllo sheets, using the same process. Place the springform pan on top of the sheets, and trace about 1-inch outside the rim of the pan. Set aside.

Now, mix the gravy with the vegetable/turkey mixture. Dump all of the filling into the springform pan and cover with the circular piece of phyllo. Using the remaining melted butter, brush the edges of the top pastry and push it into the edges. Trim the edges that overflow the pan and slice a little X in the middle of the top to allow the hot air to vent.

Place the springform pan on a baking sheet (in case any juices leak out) and bake for 30-40 mins or until the middle is warm and the pastry is golden (everything is pre-cooked, so don’t worry there).

Serves 6-8