Whether you make this Thanksgiving Shepherd’s Pie for your main Thanksgiving meal as we did or use the remains of your turkey to make leftover turkey shepherd’s pie with stuffing crust the day after Thanksgiving, you’re going to love this versatile recipe.
All the Thanksgiving flavors in bite after delicious bite! You should also make some delicious dinner rolls to go with! For another laid-back Thanksgiving option, make turkey and waffles with my potato stuffing waffles!
If you’re in need of more comforting poultry dishes, you may want to check out my chicken pot pie, which you can easily turn into turkey pot pie.
For ease of browsing, here are all of my poultry recipes in one place. Thanks for stopping by!
Watch my turkey shepherd’s pie web story here.
My husband just said this is the best part of thanksgiving weekend for him.
Reader Trisha
NOTE: This post contains a long story about my family. If you prefer, you can skip straight to the recipe.
Thanksgiving with Uncle Ray
One year, we took an early Thanksgiving meal down to Pinehurst to enjoy with Uncle Ray.
My mom made some of the food, and I made some of the food, and we all ate in Uncle Ray’s room at the nursing home.
One of the many wonderful staff people there brought in a card table from the activities room so we wouldn’t have to serve from the bed, and we all enjoyed a rather festive and tasty time.
Norman Rockwell never painted a Thanksgiving scene like that. And none of us balancing a plate on our knees as we perched on the foam mattress or one of the walkers or wheelchairs would’ve believed that image if someone had mentioned it to us just three years ago.
Time does Things to people and to families. It flows through us and around us and changes us.
It smooths out rough edges through erosion. Erosion which seems to happen more quickly the older one gets.
It leaves us breathless. It makes us more accepting. It requires that we cherish every moment. Because time doesn’t stop, even as we, one by one, fall out of its stream.
Thanksgivings Past
This has been my go to recipe for an interesting way to use up leftover turkey or chicken. It can be changed up depending on mood and ingredients on hand and always comes out great. It also tastes good the next day as left overs.
Reader Jan K.
Our family meals—the Holiday ones anyway—were always rather formal affairs. There was plenty of laughter and conversation and gravy boats dropped in centerpieces, but there was also candlelight and fine china and polished silver and white tablecloths.
There were forgotten bags of giblets left in 26-pound turkeys and stories where everyone broke something one year, but there was also prayer and ritual and nice clothes. And Auntie Ev’s Traditional English Trifle for dessert. And maybe even Angel Slices, if Auntie Ev made them early that year.
There was always room for one more at the table, but nobody ever ate until the hostess was seated.
How to Have a Relaxed Thanksgiving
Delicious! I didn’t have enough mashed potatoes so I used some leftover sweet potato casserole. Will definitely make again!
Pinner Peggy Raymond
So, since we had enjoyed A Very Happy Nursing Home Thanksgiving on Saturday, the name of the game for our meal on actual Thanksgiving was “relaxed.”
I didn’t want a bajillion serving bowls. I didn’t want to have to count out serving spoons.
What I wanted was comfort.
And having just made a pot pie a few weeks before, I figured that Something Similar would definitely fit the bill for Thanksgiving.
Enter: Thanksgiving shepherd’s pie!
Thanksgiving Shepherd’s Pie
Here’s what I like to eat at Thanksgiving: beige stuff. Potatoes. Stuffing. Gravy. Turkey. In that order.
But, to keep dinner from looking too monochromatic and institutional, I also tossed in some sweet peas, diced sweet potatoes and a big old handful of Craisins.
The beige parts played the part of the bottom crust (stuffing), top crust (mashed potatoes), and the rest of the filling (turkey chunks and gravy).
This dish is a wonderful way to use up your leftovers, so don’t feel like you must Strictly Adhere to this recipe.
But do make the stuffing crust. It was Rather Awesome.
In need of a great stuffing recipe? Try these Stuffing Cubes. If you have any leftover, they’d be great to turn into stuffing crust!
What’s So Great About This Recipe
My favorite thing about this Thanksgiving version of shepherd’s pie is that you can make it for the main event as a casual meal, or you can make it to use up leftovers from a more formal Thanksgiving spread.
I also love that it’s versatile. Whatever you have that’s Thanksgiving-y, you can use.
How to Make a Turkey Shepherd’s Pie with Thanksgiving Leftovers
Below are the ingredients I used, plus I’ll give you some ideas for substitutions.
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need:
- stuffing: use your favorite homemade stuffing or start with Stove-Top. No wrong answers here
- mashed potatoes: use leftovers if you have them, or make fresh. You can even use instant potatoes if you like
- butter: butter is the fat that allows you to taste all the Thanksgiving flavors, friends
- flour: the butter, flour, poultry seasoning, and stock are for a quick gravy to bind all the filling ingredients. If you have jarred gravy or leftover gravy, you can use that instead. It’ll save you a couple of steps
- poultry seasoning: this is my go-to flavor combination for all things, well, poultry. If you don’t have poultry seasoning, use a mixture of sage, thyme, marjoram, and rosemary
- chicken or turkey stock: used in both the stuffing to make it soft enough to press into a pie pan and also to make the gravy
- onions/celery/carrot: or “mirepoix” is the flavor base of so many good things, from chicken soup to coq au vin. Sauteed in butter with some poultry seasoning, it can’t be beat.
- diced, cooked turkey: because Thanksgiving. But if you want to substitute chicken, by all means do
- diced sweet potatoes: You can put them in raw and they’ll cook just fine. If you’re using leftovers, you can add spoonsful of puree or dice up your leftover candied yams
- dried cranberries: if you have homemade or canned cranberry sauce, sub that in for sure. Maybe try my cran-raspberry jam
PRO TIP: Limit your specific vegetable/leftover add-ins to no more than 3 or 4. You don’t want to muddy up this guy with too many competing flavors.
How to Turn Stuffing Into a Pie Crust
- You’ll need about 2 1/2 cups or so of stuffing, leftover or freshly made. This is not an exact science, so use what you have.
- If using cold leftover stuffing, cut it into chunks.
- Put it in the bowl of your food processor with about 1/4 cup of chicken or turkey stock or broth.
- Pulse to break up the chunks into small pieces.
- Press some of the stuffing mixture together with your fingers to see if it holds together.
- If not, add an additional 1/4 cup of broth and pulse again. Mixture will be sticky.
- Spray your deep dish pie pan with pan spray.
- Dump the stuffing mixture into the pie pan, and then spray your hands with pan spray to keep it from getting your fingers super messy.
- Use your sprayed hands to press the stuffing into the bottom and up the sides and out onto the rim of the pie pan. You want about a 1/4″ layer across the bottom and up the sides.
- Bake at 350F for about 30 minutes until the crust is dry and starting to brown.
- Set aside until ready to fill. If the sides have slumped during baking, you can use a spatula to press them back into place. All will be well. And delicious.
And now you know. The next time someone asks you “What can I do with leftover stuffing?” tell them to make a crust for shepherd’s pie!
Jenni Says: If for some reason you don’t have any stock or broth, you can use a beaten egg mixed with 2 Tablespoons of water. The egg will give your crust a bit more structure once it bakes.
Next Up: Fill Up Your Crust with Leftovers
Once you have your crust, it really is as simple as either layering in your leftovers or gently mixing them together before topping with mashed potatoes and baking.
What can you fill your stuffing crust with? Well, what do you have leftover? You can mix and match, use my recipe exactly, or go an entirely different direction.
You can even make some of my (super good) cranberry ketchup and either drizzle it into the filling or spoon it over the top for some serious tangy cranberry flavor to accent the rich, mellow pie.
And if you’re not feeling up to making a shepherd’s pie, why not make some quick Thanksgiving Leftovers Quesadillas?!
Skillet Thanksgiving Shepherd’s Pie
For my most recent version, the one you see in many of these photos, I made my shepherd’s pie in this Lodge skillet. I also use it for cooking frittatas for the two of us.
The sloped sides of this skillet make it really easy to serve from. I use mine not only for shepherd's pie but also for frittatas for two. Take care of it well and the non-stick properties get better and better, too.
Thanksgiving Shepherd’s Pie Q & A
As written, it is not. If you use all gluten-free components, yes. You’ll want to especially make sure your stuffing and gravy don’t contain any gluten.
Chicken is an obvious substitution, but never underestimate a good ham or even roast beef. Pretty much any meat that you had at your Thanksgiving dinner, you can put in this pie.
Yes. Just load it up with lots of vegetables and go heavy on sweet potato or butternut squash. Make sure you make a vegetarian gravy using vegetable stock, and you’ll be good to go.
What About Dessert?
This is an excellent question. Because dessert is never optional at Thanksgiving. If you’re a traditionalist at Thanksgiving, make a fabulous pumpkin pie or pecan pie.
If you are a bit less traditional, or you’re looking for some new Thanksgiving traditions, consider my roasted corn cheesecake served with cranberry sauce, caramel pumpkin mousse, or maple pumpkin pudding if you’re looking for individual desserts, or spiced apple cake if you want a “slicing dessert.”
One of my favorite desserts I’ve ever made is pumpkin caramel latte flan. Yowza, that stuff is delicious!
Anyway, whatever you put in your turkey shepherd’s pie and whatever you have for dessert, make it a memorable Thanksgiving.
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I strongly encourage you to buy and use a kitchen scale to make sure you achieve accurate and consistent results.
This is the scale that I used for years, love, and recommend, both because it is accurate and because the price will not break the bank.
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Turkey Shepherd’s Pie with Stuffing Crust
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Crust
- About 2 1/2-3 cups of stuffing/dressing made from the recipe of your choice (leftover is just fine)
- About 1/2 cup turkey or chicken broth/stock
For the Potatoes
- 2 each medium Yukon Gold and Russet potatoes (you can use all of one or the other, I’m just letting you know what I did).
- salt and pepper to taste
- about 2 ounces butter
- about 1 cup warmed milk (maybe a bit more. I just put it in a pan over medium heat until it was hot but not scalding)
For the Filling
- 3 Tablespoons fat (you can use oil, butter, coconut oil, chicken fat–whatever you like here)
- 1 medium onion finely diced
- 1 large rib celery finely diced
- 1 large carrot finely diced
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 Tablespoons flour
- 1-1 ½ cups chicken or turkey stock
- sweet potatoes in 1/2″ dice (I used about 1/2 cup or so, I guess)
- 2-3 cups diced chicken or turkey (leftover is fine. If you’re making “new,” the meat doesn’t have to be cooked all the way through since it’ll bake up in the pie)
- 1 cup frozen peas
- ½ cup dried cranberries
Instructions
For the Crust
- If you’re using cold, leftover stuffing, cut it into kind of manageable 1″ chunks.
- Put in the bowl of a food processor.
- Add 1/4 cup of stock and pulse until it still has some texture but isn’t too chunky.
- Test to see if it is still crumbly. If it is, add the other 1/4 cup of stock and pulse again.This stuff will be sticky, so look out.
- Spray a deep-dish pie pan lightly with pan spray.
- Dump the stuffing into the pan and roughly press it out with the back of a spatula. Lightly spray this with pan spray so you can work with it, then press the stuffing in the pan and up the sides trying to make it look as nice as possible. It should be about 1/4″ thick.
- Bake in a 350F oven for about 30 minutes, until the crust is dry on top and has taken on some color. If any of it has slumped, you may have to futz around with it a bit once it comes out of the oven. Just press it back in place with a spatula or something. It will be fine. Set aside.
For the Mashed Potatoes
- Peel and cut the potatoes into 1″ dice (more or less) and place them in a pan of cold water.
- Add a healthy sprinkle of salt and several grinds of black pepper to the water. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat. Let the potatoes simmer about 12 minutes until tender. Check by stabbing them with a knife. They should offer no resistance. Resistance is futile.
- Drain off all the water, put the lid on the pan and let the potatoes dry over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes.
- Mash the potatoes with your favorite masher.
- Add a bit of salt and pepper and the butter and mash well to combine.
- Taste for seasoning and add the milk, a bit at a time, until you like the consistency. Add more salt and pepper if necessary. Cover and set aside to stay warm.
For the Filling
- Heat a large saute pan over medium heat until hot.
- Add the fat. When it is melted and shimmering, add the onions, carrots and celery (mirepoix) to the pan along with a heavy pinch of salt, freshly ground black pepper, and the poultry seasoning.
- Stir and saute for about 5 minutes until the vegetables are softened and somewhat translucent.
- Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, for another 2 minutes or so. The mixture will seem very dry. If you want to add a bit more fat, you can. It’s your call.
- Pour in the stock and bring to a boil. The mixture will be quite thick. You can add a bit more stock if you want, if you want your final pie to have a bit more gravy in it. Personally, I think thicker is better.
- Add in the sweet potatoes and cook, stirring, for about 5-7 minutes, just to give them a head start since they’re kinda hard.
- Stir in the meat, peas and cranberries and stir everyone around for a minute.
To Assemble and Bake
- Spread the filling evenly in your stuffing crust.
- Top with the mashed potatoes, making it swirly if you want.
- Tent the pie with foil and bake at 400F for 30 minutes.
- Remove the foil and bake for 30 minutes more at 375F.
- Take the pie out of the oven, tent with some foil, and let set up about 15-20 minutes before slicing and serving.
Did You Make Any Changes?
Notes
Storing
Keep covered in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Since you are working with leftovers, it doesn't last as long. If you are making this with all fresh ingredients, you can keep it refrigerated for up to 5 days.Nutrition
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Watch my turkey dinner pie web story here.
Marnely Rguez-Murray says
Wow, this look amazing! And a stuffing crust?! Get outta here!
onlinepastrychef says
It really was sooo good, Nelly! I *thought* the stuffing might make a good crust, and it worked out great. Hooray! I hope you and M had a fantastic Thanksgiving. Thanks for stopping by:)
Camille says
I love this! We actually did something very similar last night with our leftovers: leftover pie crust, blind baked and filled with leftover Brussels sprouts, turkey, roasted parsnips (ok, I had to do those just for the pie), and gravy. I topped it with pieces of mushroom bread pudding/stuffing and baked until hot and bubbly. Delicious!
onlinepastrychef says
Wow–that sounds great too! Nothing wrong about putting Thanksgiving flavors all in one pot. And I bet the mushroom bread pudding was Amazing!
Elaine Klingbeil says
I finally had a chance to make this and I love it! My husband made me try it first, he’s always kind of leery of some of the things I make because we just don’t agree on foods, but he actually liked it and had seconds! Thanks for the recipe!
Jennifer Field says
I just saw your comment, Elaine! So glad that you guys enjoyed it!
Jamie says
This is my kind of eating and why wait for leftovers after a formal meal? I say start with this. And I think I will….make this from scratch because nothing screams comfort and family like a turkey pot pie or shepherds pie. This one is magnificent!
Jennifer Field says
Aw, thank you so much, Jamie! It was delicious, and there was something so fun and informal about eating “leftovers” on Thanksgiving instead of the day after!
Jennifer Humpherys says
I didn’t wait for leftovers either…we are rv tailgating thanksgiving weekend. I assembled the pie before we left and am just hearing it up now for our mail meal. Great idea, thanks for sharing!
Jennifer Field says
Hooray! I’m so glad you thought it worthy of a first run too! I hope you guys enjoyed it. What perfect Thanksgiving tailgating food!
Betsy @ Desserts Required says
What a beautiful and touching way of sharing your Thankgsiving experiences, both past and present.
This recipe has inspired me to do something creative tomorrow night with the leftovers still on-hand. Kind of like the swan song of Thanksgiving 2014.
Jennifer Field says
A delicious swan song, Betsy! xo
Kelly says
Looks unbelievable! Do you think it’s possible to use fresh or frozen cranberries instead of craisins?
Thanks!
kelly
Jennifer Field says
Thanks Kelly–like a big wedge of Thanksgiving comfort! =) I don’t see why not. I vote chop them up a little and go for it!
Kate Paterson says
This looks amazing! My adult kids and grandson will be home for Christmas this year after almost three years not together. Could this be made in the morning of Christmas and tented and refrigerated until later and baked then so as to have more time visiting then cooking? We will only have a few hours for two days or so and want to make it delicious but have enough time to spend together as real priority , while at the same time making them wow’d at being at moms / Mimi’s for dinner. Any suggestions are so appreciated. ❤️
Jennifer Field says
Kate, how wonderful you will all be together! Yes, you can absolutely put this together early and bake later. I would suggest you take it out of the fridge a good hour before you intend to bake so it will have time to temper a bit. Just make sure it is piping hot in the center and then let it sit out for 15 minutes uses or so before serving. I wish you now an early Merry Christmas, and I’ll think of you and your family on the day.
Cathy says
I had friends over for lunch and made this. So good! Thank you for sharing. It helped me use up some of my leftovers and it is so yummy.
Jennifer Field says
Oh, I’m so happy, Cathy! Glad you and your friends enjoyed it! Happy Thanksgiving!
Kmmie says
I am make this as we speak. For the filling I used a veggie medley that I make with Velveeta ( don’t like it but if I skip it on the holidays I get talked too by almost all my guests.) That I added turkey to. I didn’t have much mashed potatoes left (I’m making two pies? So I think I’m going to add a little mac and cheese to the potatos. Thank you for the awesome idea.
Jennifer Field says
Oh, I love your adaptation! And Big Fat Yes to mac and cheese on top! Enjoy, Kmmie!
Jenny K says
Just wanted you to know – it was fantastic! The entire family gobbled it up! I didn’t have dried cranberries but I did have leftover cranberry relish, so I threw that in and it **made** the dish. Awesome! Used tons of peas to make it pretty. Yummity-yum-yum
Jennifer Field says
Oh, yay, I’m so glad! And I’m so glad you could join us for the leftover Extravaganza! Hope you’re feeling better!
Nikki Freeman says
Hi! I’m going to make everything the day before, and assemble and bake on the day- since I don’t have a deep-dish pie dish, I’m going to use a 9×13 casserole dish. Should I expand the recipe to 1.5 times the amount, or do you think I’ll be good?
This looks amazing- thank you!
Jennifer Field says
Oh, Nikki! I’m so excited you’re going to make this! I think you’ll be better off scaling the recipe up so it’ll be nice and thick. There are no real hard and fast rules, though. If you have an 11 x 7 or even a 9 x 9, I’d say keep it the way I wrote it, but honestly, it really is up to you. Make it your own and add your favorites! And please share a photo with me and let me know how you guys enjoyed it! Happy Thanksgiving! ([email protected])
Penny says
I will have this to make with my leftovers on Saturday! What a terrific idea and such a great blend of flavors. This will make my family very happy! Never would have thought of the food processor- brilliant. I’ll let you know how it goes next week. Thanks for sharing your recipe. Happy Turkey Day 2017.
Jennifer Field says
I hope you guys enjoy your leftovers and that you have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Do let me know what you think! =)
Nancy says
I made this for lunch today using only leftovers. Leftover mashed potatoes went on top easily after they were re-moistened with turkey broth. My 30 year old Oscar really brought it together. I used leftover squash and a large spoonful of cranberry sauce. I love how the flavors all come together. I started 2 hours before we sat down at the table. This recipe is a keeper.
Jennifer Field says
I am so glad you enjoyed it! And thank you so much for letting me know! 🙂
loudenise says
SO glad i found this recipe. Making it right now. I was trying to learn how to precook the stuffing crust.
Jennifer Field says
I’m so glad you found me–this is some good stuff and is a wonderful way to use up all kinds of dinner leftovers, but man is it good at Thanksgiving!
Laura says
I positively LOVE Thanksgiving leftovers! I’m not hosting this year, but I totally want to make a turkey and all the fixings just so I can have this shepards pie! YUM!
Anonymous says
Anonymous says
Dani S. says
Great recipe!! I made this for the first time with leftovers last year, and it was such a hit I’m doing it again this year! I will be using green beans instead of peas since I forgot them at the store. And being gluten free, this recipe was easy to convert. My thanksgiving stuffing is a cornbread sausage stuffing made with gluten free cornbread mix. And I use a gluten free flour mix for the gravy portion. Delicious!! A total comfort meal!
Jennifer Field says
I love that it converts so easily to gluten free so you can still enjoy it, Dani! Thanks so much for letting me know–hope you guys had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Anonymous says
Anonymous says
Deb says
Looks like a cross between a shepherds pie and a pot pie. I’m not gonna bake the stuffing crust, though,
I like it moist, not crunchy. This will be interesting cuz I have very little potatoes, no peas, and enough sweet potatoes! So I’ll tweak it!
Jennifer Field says
Tweak away! I hope you enjoy your version!
Martha Nichols says
So glad I found this recipe. I’m going to try it today. Thank you!
Jennifer Field says
Wonderful! Please let me know how you like it! Enjoy!
Jan K. says
This has been my go to recipe for an interesting way to use up leftover turkey or chicken. It can be changed up depending on mood and ingredients on hand and always comes out great. It also tastes good the next day as left overs.
Jennifer Field says
Yay! Thanks so much for letting me know. I love how so many folks use this recipe as inspiration and then do their own thing. That’s what cooking is all about!
Az says
DELICIOUS!
My Shepherd’s Pie is usually crustless, so I mixed up all my leftovers (turkey, stuffing, and gravy), along with some hot turkey broth and frozen veggies – then topped with my leftover roasted garlic mashed potatoes that I whipped with some hot turkey broth in my stand mixer to make it a tad more fluffy.
I had enough to fill two casserole dishes, so one was well-wrapped and tossed into the freezer for a simple meal next week!
Thank you for this great idea! Merry Christmas and a Happy 2021 to you… GOOD RIDDANCE to 2020!
Jennifer Field says
Ooh, I love the idea of whipping the potatoes on the mixer! Excellent! Thanks so much for letting me know. And you said it, bye, 2020. Ugh.
Henrietta says
Used stovetop dressing and instant butter potatoes. Super easy and super delish. A perfect use of leftover turkey.
Jennifer Field says
Hey, Henrietta! Thanks so much for letting me know, and I’m so glad you enjoyed the pot pie!
Valerie Vanbergejik says
First of all, I loved your story about taking Thanksgiving to your family member in the nursing home. That brought tears to my eyes. My 104 year old mother in law used to help me cook Thanksgiving in years past. What you said about time doing things to families is so true. She is now in a nursing home and wheelchair bound but God willing she will be with us for her favorite meal of the year.
Now, a question, do you think the crust would work out with cornbread dressing instead of stuffing?
Jennifer Field says
Thank you for that. I hope for you to have one more lovely Thanksgiving together. And yes to the cornbread stuffing, 100%. ❤️
Gina says
Could the finished pie be cut into sections and frozen successfully? I have a deep freezer. Small family here and lots of leftovers.
Jennifer Field says
Yes, absolutely! Great idea to keep it fresher longer. Defrost and heat within a couple of months for best flavor and texture. Enjoy, Gina!
Lelah says
I really like mixing mashed sweet potatoes with regular mashed potatoes. I think I’ll do 1/2 and 1/2 for the top or maybe all sweet potatoes on top with some cubed Yukon golds in the pie! Thanksgiving is far away, but I’m already looking forward to the leftovers. Thank you for the recipe.
Jennifer Field says
Hi, Lelah! I like the sound of your variation, and it’s never to early to start thinking about Thanksgiving Goodies!
Rod says
This was a little work but the final product was delicious. Left over pie was great the next day. I had a little turkey gravy on it .
Jennifer Field says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Rod, and I appreciate your leaving a review!
Suzanne says
This looks so good! What a great way to use up leftovers!
Jennifer Field says
Thanks! It really is a fun and kind of unexpected way to serve leftovers!