Leftover Turkey and Ham Pie

Name: Leftover Turkey and Ham Pie
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 30g Butter (+ extra to grease your tin); 2 Leeks (sliced); 375g Cooked Turkey Breast (Roughly chopped); 250g Thick Cooked Ham (Roughly chopped); 300ml Double Cream; 300ml Chicken Stock; 1 Tablespoon Wholegrain Mustard; 2 Teaspoons Tarragon; Pinch Freshly Ground Black Pepper; 320g Readymade Shortcrust Pastry; 1 Tablespoon Plain Flour (To dust your worksurface); 1 Egg

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Got leftover turkey and ham? This easy leftover turkey and ham pie is perfect for busy nights! Packed with flavour and topped with golden pastry, it’s a delicious way to turn your Christmas dinner leftovers into a brand-new family meal. Stress-free cooking for busy families at its best!

Leftover turkey meat is the bane of many people’s Christmas. The idea of using it all up before it goes bad often leaves us wondering whatever posessed us to buy such a big one in the first place.

Well, not me. I love the Christmas dinner leftovers so much that if we eat elsewhere, I cook a Christmas dinner on Boxing Day, which we never actually sit down to eat as a full dinner, so I’ve got leftovers to use up in the coming days.

Yes, I fake my leftovers so I can make things like this recipe for leftover turkey and ham pie. Entirely normal behaviour.

I drink Prosseco while I’m doing it if that helps.

Whether it’s a turkey and gammon pie, bubble and squeak, or just leftover sandwiches, I love it. My favourite Christmas meals are made up of these leftovers, and they always taste like Christmas to me, I don’t get bored at all.

I do recommend utilising your freezer if you don’t want to eat it all in a couple of days, though you can always make an Easy turkey and ham pie down the line.

Served portion of leftover turkey and ham pie on plate with roast potatoes and peas.

Why I Love Leftover Turkey Ham and Leek Pie

This Ham and turkey pie recipe is one of my favourite dinner ideas for using up leftover Christmas meat because:

You simply simmer the meat in a simple sauce, pile it into a pastry crust, cover and bake. No fuss. Perfect for Boxing Day.
If you love Gammon and leek pie recipes, you’ll love this Leftover ham and leek pie with added leftover turkey.
You can use fresh ham if you need to, it doesn’t have to be leftover Christmas ham.
It’s delicious. I use this simple tarragon and mustard cream sauce in loads of my recipes.

Ingredients For Turkey and Ham Pie

When I make my Leftover turkey and leek pie, I use:

Butter – You can use olive oil, too, but I love frying leeks in butter.

Leeks

Cooked Turkey – I use breast meat, so that’s what I’ve included in my recipe, but if you’ve only got leg left, that’s fine too.

Cooked Ham – Or gammon. This can be either leftover Christmas ham or store-bought cooked ham, but ideally, it should be thickly cut.

Double Cream

Chicken Stock

Wholegrain Mustard

Tarragon

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Readymade Shortcrust Pastry — I generally buy ready-rolled and just roll it out further to the right shape. A block of Jus-Rol is fine, too.

Plain Flour – This is just to roll your pastry out without it sticking to the work surface.

Beaten Egg – I use egg wash to glaze my pastry. Some ready-rolled pastry doesn’t need this, check the box.

Ingredients for turkey pie on table - leeks, flour, pepper, mustard, turkey, egg, pastry, stock, butter, cream, tarragon and ham.

You’ll Also Need

I make my pie filling in my large Dutch Oven. But you can use any large flameproof pan.

Then I bake it in an 8-inch round cake tin, which is perhaps ridiculous. A pie dish would almost certainly be better, but there we are.

Apart from that, you just need a spatula, a rolling pin, a large spoon, a chopping board and a sharp knife.

How to Make Leftover Turkey and Ham Pie – Step-by-Step Instructions

Full, easy-to-follow instructions and quantities are available in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Step One

Melt the butter in a large, non-stick flameproof pan or dish over medium heat on the hob.

Step Two

Add the leeks and fry for 10 minutes, stirring often. They’ll separate as they cook.

Step Three

Stir in the cooked ham and turkey.

Fried leeks, cooked turkey and cooked ham in Dutch Oven.

Step Four

Pour in the cream and stock. Stir.

Step Five

Add the mustard, tarragon and a good pinch of freshly ground black pepper. Ham’s pretty salty, so I don’t add any extra salt, you can if you want to.

leeks, ham, turkey, tarragon, mustard, cream in Dutch Oven.

Step Six

Bring to a simmer. Reduce the temperature if necessary, you just need a gentle simmer.

cooked turkey and ham pie filling in Dutch Oven.

Step Seven

Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Cooked Turkey Ham and Leek Pie filling in Dutch Oven.

Step Eight

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (fan-assisted).

Step Nine

Grease an ovenproof tin or pie dish.

Step Ten

Roll out the pastry into two pieces on a lightly floured surface. One big enough to fill the bottom and sides of the tin with a little hanging over it. The other big enough to comfortably cover the top.

They should be about as thick as a pound coin.

Step Eleven

Place the larger pastry piece into the tin and press into the bottom and sides, leaving a little hanging over the edges. If any rips, just tear off some of the overhangs to patch it. It’s the inside, so don’t worry about it being neat.

Step Twelve

Spoon in the pie filling. You want it really full, even doming a little.

Step Thirteen

Cover with the other piece of pastry.

Step Fourteen

Press the edges together by firmly pinching around the tin.

Step Fifteen

Trim away any excess. It doesn’t need to be super flush with the tin. A little excess will stop it from shrinking and pulling in.

Step Sixteen

Whisk the egg in a small bowl.

Step Seventeen

Use a pastry brush to brush liberally on the top of the pie.

Step Eighteen

Use a knife to stab two holes into the middle of the pastry.

Step Nineteen

Place into the preheated oven and cook for 30 minutes until golden brown. I recommend using a food thermometer to make sure the meat is over 75 degrees C. Cook for a little longer if needed.

Step Twenty

Remove from the oven and rest for a few minutes before serving.

Serving Suggestions

I usually just serve pie with peas. Often mushy, sometimes garden.

If you’ve got leftover roast potatoes, warming them up as a side (like in my photos) is a great option, and you can always add some mashed potatoes, too, if you want to.

Gravy can be a welcome addition, too, especially if you are serving it with potatoes. I tend to make a small jug to take to the table so people can help themselves if they want to.

I typically stick to your traditional pie side dishes.

Variations

As always, when you make a pie, there are loads that you can do differently.

Make Your Own Pastry

I can make pastry, but I choose not to. Ready-made is so good and a fantastic time saver.

If you want to, though, please do.

Use Puff Pastry

I favour a shortcrust pastry pie, but puff (either store-bought or homemade) is fine if that’s what you prefer.

Another pastry option is just having a pastry lid on top of the filling in a pie tin instead of a fully encased pie.

Add Leftover Vegetables

If you have any veggies (think carrots, sprouts or parsnips, as opposed to softer options) left over, throw them in just before baking, making sure they are covered in sauce.

Add Bacon

Turkey and bacon pie is yummy, and bacon is a great addition or alternative to ham. Fry it with the leeks if it’s not cooked.

Add Mushrooms

If you love mushrooms or just want to bulk your filling out, perhaps because you don’t have much meat, adding some mushrooms with the leeks is a great idea.

Other things that you can add include peeled and diced white potatoes and onion.

baked pie in tin. Peas and Roast potatoes to the sides.

Leftovers

Because this recipe is made using leftover ham and turkey, I don’t recommend saving leftovers or warming it up more than once.

Read this article for more guidance on keeping leftover meat.

FAQ

How long can you keep leftover turkey?

I only recommend keeping leftover meat for a day, two at the most. So, if you don’t want to eat a pie like this on Boxing Day, consider freezing the turkey.

Can you put ham and turkey together?

Yes, ham and turkey is a great combination.

Is it safe to reheat cooked turkey?

As long as it is in date, has been cooled and stored correctly, you only keep it for a day, and it’s heated to over 75 degrees C, yes, it should be safe. But read some professional advice, and trust your instincts. Don’t reheat if you are worried your turkey is off.

Other Recipes

If you need more ideas for using up leftovers, try these: