Dorothy Dean presents: Turkey pot pie is an ultimate comfort food

There’s a handful of dishes that scream comfort food to me, and pot pie is one of them.

With a deliciously creamy filling, chock-full of meat and veggies, and tender flaky crust, it’s easily one of my favorite foods to warm both the belly and soul.

This spin on the classic dish turns the pot pie into a slab pie by making it in a sheet pan. And while chicken is typically the popular poultry used, we’re using turkey – as I’m guessing you may have plenty of it left over after Thursday’s big dinner.

Being sure not to skimp on the best part, this slab pie still has a double crust, using two 9-inch refrigerated pie crusts for the bottom, and strips of puff pastry dough for the top.

The crisp, flaky dough sandwiches a savory lush filling with bites of onions, carrots, celery, potatoes, peas and turkey.

Using premade dough and already cooked turkey makes this recipe simple to make (the most work goes into chopping veggies).

The filling starts by sautéing the veggies until slightly softened before adding in the flour, chicken stock and milk that mixes to create a creamy gravy – which gets loads of flavor from seasonings like thyme, Worcestershire sauce, garlic and lemon juice.

Turkey, peas and fresh parsley are then folded into the mixture, and the filling is ready to be spread over the pie crust, topped with pastry strips, and baked.

The contrasting flavors and textures are insanely delicious, hitting all the notes: buttery, tender, crisp, creamy, savory and flaky.

If you’re without turkey leftovers because you went smaller this pandemic year or gobbled it all up, rotisserie chicken also can be used. And the meat can be chopped or shredded, whichever you prefer.

You also can make your own pie crust. But we’re going for ease here. Actually, if you wanted to make this recipe even easier, frozen veggies can be used.

Double Crust Sheet Pan Turkey Pot Pie

1 package refrigerated pie crusts (2 9-inch crusts), room temperature

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ onion, diced

4 carrots, diced

3 celery stalks, sliced

2 small potatoes, peeled and diced

1¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon thyme

⅓ cup flour

1¾ cup chicken stock

½ cup milk

½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2½ cups cooked turkey, shredded or chopped

½ cup frozen peas

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped, plus more for serving

1 package puff pastry dough (2 sheets), thawed

Egg wash: 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of water and a pinch of salt

Preheat an oven to 400 degrees.

Remove both pie crusts from the package. Lightly flour a work surface and stack the pie crusts on top of each other. Roll out to the size of your sheet pan (mine is 9-by-13-inch). Place the crust into the pan, pressing into the corners and edges.

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add in the garlic, onion, carrots, celery and potatoes. Sauté for 8-10 minutes, or until the vegetables are crisp-tender.

Stir in the salt, pepper, garlic powder, thyme and flour. Then add in the chicken broth, milk, Worcestershire and lemon and stir until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and fold in the turkey, peas and parsley.

Pour the mixture over the prepared pie crust in the sheet pan, spreading evenly with a spatula.

Roll out the two puff pastry sheets to the width of the sheet pan and cut into 1-inch strips. Arrange the pastry strips over the filling crosswise, and cut off any excess dough hanging over the sides.

Brush the egg wash over the puff pastry strips.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the pastry dough is puffed and golden browned.

Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.