For many families, finding time to eat together isn’t as much of a problem as it used to be. But feeling inspired to cook every single meal at home is becoming more of an issue. Not to mention, finding different ways to use up every last bit of leftovers to avoid going to the store just one more day. That’s where recipes like these dairy-free individual pot pies can save the day. These are great for families or single households, since you can freeze any that you aren’t going to eat right away.
Dairy-Free Individual Pot Pies get Personal Sized with Leftovers
This recipe calls for pre-cooked chicken, but it’s a great way to use up other holiday or any day leftovers, like peas, carrots, potatoes, fresh herbs, broth, stock, or even gravy. I’ve included a gravy substitute option with the recipe. But if you use cooked carrots, add them with the peas, instead of cooking them with the celery. If you use cooked potatoes, add them with the peas. Boil the sauce as needed to thicken the sauce.
Twelve-ounce ramekins are a good single-serve size for making individual pot pies, but you can also use similarly sized baking dishes. I’ve linked up to some great ones below.
This recipe is adapted from Family Table by Robert Irvine, and was shared with us by the Food Marketing Institute Foundation.
Special Diet Notes: Dairy-Free Individual Pot Pies
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, optionally egg-free, nut-free, peanut-free, and soy-free.
- 2 tablespoons dairy-free buttery spread or olive oil
- 1 sweet white onion or yellow onion, chopped
- 2 celery ribs, diced
- 3 carrots, diced
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons fresh tarragon, chopped (see Herb Options below)
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (see Herb Options below)
- 4 cups turkey stock, chicken stock, or broth (see Leftover Gravy Option below)
- 3 cups cooked, shredded turkey or chicken
- 2 potatoes, peeled and diced
- ½ cup green peas
- Salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
- 1 square prepared puff pastry, cut into 4 squares
- 1 egg, beaten or 2 tablespoons dairy-free milk beverage
- Preheat your oven to 375°F.
- Heat the buttery spread or olive oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and saute for 4 minutes.
- Add the celery and carrots, and saute for 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add the flour, tarragon, and parsley, and cook for 4 minutes.
- Slowly whisk in the stock or broth to keep it smooth.
- Add the turkey or chicken and potatoes, and simmer until the potatoes are fork tender and the sauce is thickened.
- Stir in the peas, and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Divide the filling between four large (12-ounce) ramekins or oven-safe soup bowls. Top each with one pastry sheet square to cover. Brush the pastry with the egg or milk beverage. Cut two slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
- Bake the mini pot pies for about 20 to 25 minutes minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.
Leftover Gravy Option: You can substitute leftover dairy-free gravy for all or part of the stock. Reduce the flour as needed. For example, if you use half gravy and half stock, and your gravy is relatively thick, you can use just 2 tablespoon flour.
More Dairy-Free Recipes for Turkey Leftovers
Dairy-Free Turkey Shepherd’s Pie
Turkey Cranberry Sandwiches
Top Chef Autumn Turkey Stew
3 Comments
Interesting! Thank you for sharing great article. Your recipe is really good. But this food is not right for me because I am vegetarian. so, can you help me how to make vegan food?
Feel free to use tofurky, cooked chickpeas, or cooked lentils. Or you can simply add more vegetables, like mushrooms, potatoes, etc.
There are many vegan puff pastry brands. Use vegetable broth or vegan chicken broth, and a chicken meat substitute. My daughter loves the Lightlife smart tenders plant based chicken. Even my meat eating husband loves those.