Forget sandwiches! Tuck holiday leftovers like mashed potatoes, turkey, and cranberry sauce into flaky pie crust for Thanksgiving Hand Pies.
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Are you like me and strive to end up with lots of leftovers on Thanksgiving? I find it's easily achieved by making too many dishes, too many servings of dishes, or both! I learned these methods from my parents and grandparents, who were all experts at making wayyyy too much food, no matter what the occasion!
Perhaps, like me, you feel this holiday deserves more than just that one, big meal—there simply must be leftovers. How satisfying is it to head to the fridge that night and all weekend and dig into turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, rolls, gravy, and veggies?
For those of us who consider ourselves connoisseurs, there's a delectable option instead of just the usual recipes for leftover Thanksgiving foods (i.e. microwaving them on a plate or stuffing them inside a sandwich.) Turn Thanksgiving leftovers into beautiful hand pies.
Flaky, buttery pastry pockets hold all the favorite leftovers snugly inside and make it easy to get a little of every leftover in every bite.
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Why you'll love this recipe
You worked hard to get all those Thanksgiving dishes ready for the family. (Or maybe someone else did all the work and you just get to enjoy the fruits of their labor—cool!) Turning the leftovers into hand-held turkey pies guarantees that they'll get eaten up and no one will get bored with them!
This meal-in-a-pie recipe features my Best-Loved All-Butter Pie Crust recipe. The savory version of this pie dough is made with a little dried thyme. The dough browns up beautifully once baked with a light, flaky texture. This dough pairs so well with the savory flavors of Thanksgiving leftovers.
The leftover turkey pies recipe calls for classic Thanksgiving fillings: leftover mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, leftover turkey, and cranberry sauce. You can also use other favorite leftovers like cooked sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, baked beans, and even mac and cheese.
Best of all, the Thanksgiving meat pies can be frozen, for tasty snacks or meals in the future!
Tip!
If your tradition is to roast a turkey for Christmas, consider this your recipe for Christmas leftovers hand pies!
🔪 How to make Thanksgiving Hand Pies
Ingredients:
- Pie dough: Make the recipe with my All-Butter Pie Crust Dough, which is just as delicious as the fillings inside.
- Cooked turkey: You can use cooked turkey breast, dark meat, or a combination of the two. Chop or shred the turkey before layering the meat inside the mini pies.
- Mashed potatoes: All kinds of mashed potatoes are tasty in this pie, whether made with just butter and cream, or with ingredients like cream cheese, bacon, or roasted garlic.
- Gravy: Use gravy leftover from Thanksgiving; if there isn't any, pick up a small jar or box of premade gravy or whisk some up from a dry gravy packet.
- Stuffing: Just like with the potatoes, all kinds of stuffing can be used here—like sage and onion, sausage, or cornbread. You can also cook up a little Stove Top stuffing just for these pies.
- Cranberry sauce: Just a tablespoon of cranberry sauce inside the pies gives them a lovely sweet-tartness that tastes really good with the savory fillings. You can use whole berry or jellied sauce, store bought or homemade.
- Egg: A large egg is whisked with a little water to make an egg wash for the crust. The wash gives the turkey hand pies extra color and some shine.
- Flaky salt: Use a flake salt like Maldon's on top of the pies, for a little crunch, an attractive finish, and for the flavor.
Make the pie crust dough and chill it
Use the full recipe for my Perfect All-Butter Pie Crust Dough, using the Savory Variation. You can make the dough in advance and store it in the fridge or freezer. The dough should be divided in half, wrapped, and waiting for you in the fridge.
Divide and roll out the dough
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To make eight hand pies, divide the dough into 16 pieces. Roll each piece out into a six-inch circle.
Fill and seal the pies
- Layer on some turkey.
- Add mashed potatoes.
- Next comes the gravy.
- And then the stuffing.
- Finally, cranberry sauce
- Add the top crust and seal. Chill for 30 minutes.
Egg wash and bake the pies
Put a couple of slashes in the tops of the pies and brush them with egg wash. Add coarse salt. Bake the Thanksgiving pies for 30 minutes until they're golden brown.
Here's a good veggie side!
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Rosemary and Garlic
FAQs
Yes, and this is a great option to save some of that Thanksgiving flavor for a future snack or meal. After filling and sealing the hand pies, transfer them to the freezer for up to three months. Baking instructions for the frozen pies are in the recipe card below.
Yes, these hand pies can be made with refrigerated pie crust dough from the store or with another pie dough recipe. However, I think you'll really like how these pies taste when they're wrapped in my all-butter flaky dough—give the recipe a try!
Tips:
- As you add fillings, keep them in the center of the dough circles and away from the edges. This will make it easier to fold and crimp the pies closed.
- You can swap out one of these fillings for other favorite Thanksgiving leftovers: like green bean casserole, roasted Brussels sprouts, corn, or a spoonful of sweet potatoes. Whichever fillings you choose, make sure they are't too wet.
- Don't skip the chill time for the pockets before baking—this firms up the butter in the pie dough to ensure a crisp and flaky crust once baked.
If you love Thanksgiving leftovers, trust me—you've never loved them as much as you will when they're enclosed in flaky, buttery pastry pockets!
The Thanksgiving Hand Pies recipe is below. Here are more favorite savory recipes:
💬 Did you make and devour this recipe? Leave a comment below.
📖 Recipe
Thanksgiving Hand Pies
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Ingredients
- 1 recipe Perfect All-Butter Pie Crust, Savory Variation
- 2 cups chopped, cooked turkey, room temperature (You can use light or dark meat, or a combination.)
- ¾ cup mashed potatoes, room temperature
- ¼ cup turkey or chicken gravy
- ⅓ cup cooked stuffing
- ⅓ cup cranberry sauce (You can use whole berry or jellied sauce.)
- 1 egg
- Flake salt, such as Maldons (coarse salt may also be used, or a light sprinkle of table salt)
Instructions
Get the dough ready:
- Have the Savory Variation of the All-Butter Pie Crust Dough waiting in your fridge. It should be divided into two wrapped portions.
- Divide each chilled dough portion into eight equal pieces. (16 pieces in total.) Keep eight pieces on your work table; keep the rest wrapped and waiting in the fridge. Lightly flour the area where you will roll out the dough.
- Roll out each portion into a 6-inch circle, adding more flour underneath and to your rolling pin as needed to keep the dough from sticking.) Then, roll out the other eight dough pieces into 6-inch circles, too.
- Hold half of the dough circles covered in plastic in the fridge. Have the other six dough circles waiting at your work space.
Add the filling:
- Have all the filling ingredients ready on your work table. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Begin layering in the fillings—keep them in the center of each dough circle and leave the edges clear.
- Place ⅓ of cup of cooked turkey in the center of a dough circle.
- Place 2 tablespoons of the mashed potato on top of the turkey; flatten the potato out.
- Top this with 2 teaspoons of the gravy.
- Add 1 tablespoon of stuffing on top of the gravy.
- Finally, place a tablespoon of cranberry sauce on top of the stuffing.
- Repeat with the other five dough circles and the fillings.
Seal the pies:
- Take the remaining 8 portions of dough out of the fridge. Drape one over the top of each filled dough circle.
- Use your palm to press down on the tops slightly, then seal the edes of the dough all around each circle. Roll the edges under around each circle, then crimp the edges firmly with floured fingers.
- Place the six filled and sealed hand pies on the baking sheet. Refrigerate them for 30 minutes.
Bake the pies:
- Preheat the oven to 400° F. Move a rack in the oven to the position just below the middle.
- Remove the baking sheet with the pies from the fridge. Firmly crimp the edges one more time with your fingers. Use a sharp knife to cut a couple small slits in the tops of the pies.
- Whisk the egg with 2 tablespoons of water in a small dish. Brush the pies with this egg wash. Sprinkle the flake or coarse salt over the tops.
- Bake the pies for 30 minutes until they are deep golden brown all over.
- Serve the pies immediately.
How to store Thanksgiving Hand Pies:
- Cooled Thanksgiving Hand Pies can be wrapped on a plate or transferred to a resealable bag and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.
How to reheat Thanksgiving Hand Pies:
- Place the cold hand pies on a baking sheet and cover them with foil. Place them in a 300° F oven until they're heated through—20 to 25 minutes.
How to freeze Thanksgiving Hand Pies:
- Once the hand pies are filled and sealed, place them in a single layer on a baking sheet, and put them in the freezer. (Don't do the egg wash.) When frozen solid, transfer the pies to a resealable freezer bag with the air pressed out. Keep them in the freezer for up to three months.
- To bake them, place the still-frozen pies on a baking sheet. Add the egg wash and salt. Bake the Thanksgiving pies at 400°F for 30 to 35 minutes.
Notes
- As you add fillings, keep them in the center of the dough circles and away from the edges. This will make it easier to fold and crimp the pies closed.
- Swap out one of these fillings for other favorite Thanksgiving leftovers: green beans casserole, roasted Brussels sprouts, corn, or a spoonful of sweet potatoes. Whichever fillings you choose, make sure they are't too wet.
- Don't skip the chill time for the pockets before baking—this firms up the butter in the pie dough to ensure a crisp and flaky crust once baked.
Nutrition
Chanel says
Can you bake them, freeze them then microwave them? How long would they need to microwave for?
Nancy Mock says
Hi Chanel, This is a great question! Yes, you can freeze the baked Thanksgiving hand pies: once they're completely cool, freeze them in a single layer on a tray. Once they're solid, transfer the pies to a freezer-proof container or bag. Keep them frozen for up to three months. To reheat them: ideally, first move the hand pies to the fridge to thaw for several hours or overnight. For the microwave, wrap a thawed pie in a paper towel and zap it in the microwave for a minute or two until the pie is hot. If the pie is still frozen, microwave it for longer, about 4 to 5 minutes, until it's thawed all the way through. Be aware though that microwaving will make the crust soggy. You can fix this by crisping up a microwaved hand pie in an air fryer or toaster oven.