A mash-up of two of my favorite comfort foods, Turkey Pot Pie and Mac and Cheese. Could life be any better?
This is one of those recipes that I couldn't wait to post. I'm beginning to see the internet fill up with ideas for leftover Thanksgiving dinner items, and we all know that leftovers are sometimes just as important as the dinner itself, right?
Making turkey pot pie came to my mind and then abruptly left because there are a million turkey pot pie recipes out there. But what if I added pasta to it, wait...what if I added cheese?
And that's how this dish appeared in front of you now. You can even make it all year long with chicken when your turkey is gone!
I had to be careful though because when you're mashing two super-loved and crazy tasty recipes together, you don't want one of them to overpower the other. I wanted to keep that creamy turkey pot pie flavor, and if I was going to add mac and cheese to the title, it better taste like it too!
Making my turkey pot pie pie recipe
Both recipes always start with a flour and butter roux, so no changes there. Mac and cheese only uses milk as the liquid but I usually use half milk and half chicken stock for my turkey pot pie.
I went with that and then added some sharp cheddar but not nearly as much as I'd have added if it was mac and cheese I was making. With the sauce complete, I just had to add the mixed veggies and the shredded turkey along with the elbow macaroni.
The final part of my mash-up had me thinking hard. Turkey pot pie has flaky pastry involved.
I thought about laying it on top like the traditional way but didn't love the idea. I ended up baking a frozen pie shell, then crumbling it and mixing it with more shredded cheddar.
The result is a creamy, cheesy pasta bake with a buttery, crunchy cheesy topping!
I think when you make it you'll email me and send me all sorts of love and internet high fives. There's just no way you're not going to love it, guaranteed!
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