You can find all of our BONUS Educational Cooking Activities & Holiday Recipes right here!
The day after Thanksgiving has a vibe:
You’re tired. The fridge is full. The children are somehow hungrier than yesterday.
This year, instead of stressing about another meal from scratch, turn your leftovers into a hands-on family cooking activity:
Build-Your-Own Mini Pot Pies!
(or Shepherd’s Pies if you’re team mashed potatoes)
No measuring. No complicated steps.
Just leftover turkey, veggies, gravy, and whatever else you’ve got.
Kids love customizing their own ramekins, and you get dinner and an activity out of it.
Perfect for:
🦃 Post–food-coma laziness
🧑🍳 Hungry helpers who need a project
📦 Using up ALL the leftovers
🔥 Making a batch to freeze for later
💛 And yes, picky eaters — they build their own!
🧒 Hands On: Getting Kids Involved
Let kids choose their favorite jobs:
- Scoop + Layer: Kids can spoon turkey, veggies, gravy, or mashed potatoes into ramekins
- Customize: Add “secret ingredients” (cranberries, cheese, stuffing cubes…)
- Cut Shapes: Make leaf or star cutouts with spare pie dough
- Brush the Tops: Egg wash + a sprinkle of salt or herbs
- Taste-Test: Kids decide if it needs more seasoning
As a preview of our One Potato educational cooking activities, here’s a fun lesson for your kids to do alongside assembling the Turkey Pot Pies
🥧 Turkey Pot Pie Lab: A Mini Cooking Worksheet for Kids!
Pro Tips:
- Keep dough cold: flaky crust guaranteed
- Add cheese to get picky eaters on board
- Make extras to freeze: assemble, wrap tightly, and freeze for up to 3 months
- Microwave squash or potatoes before topping for quicker reheating
- Make it one big pie instead of individual ones if you’re short on ramekins
🥧 Turkey Pot Pie / Shepherd’s Pie (Leftovers Version)
Servings: 4-6 personal sized mini pot pies | TOTAL TIME: ~35 min.
One Potato Kitchen Tools: cutting board, 2 baking sheets, mixing bowls, rolling pin, ramekins
Ingredients (All Approximate — Use What You Have!)
- 1½–2 c. leftover turkey, shredded (skip for vegetarian)
- 1–2 c. leftover veggies (carrots, peas, green beans, corn…)
- 1–1½ c. leftover gravy (turkey or mushroom)
- 1–2 c. mashed potatoes (for Shepherd’s Pie version)
- A scoop of stuffing or sweet potatoes (optional but delicious)
- 1 sheet store-bought pie crust (or leftover dough)
- 1 egg for brushing
- Salt + pepper
- Optional: shredded cheese, cranberry sauce
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Line a baking sheet to catch spills.
2. Mix the Filling: Combine turkey, veggies, and gravy in a bowl. Season to taste.
(If the kids made it…expect enthusiasm.)
3. Assemble the Pies. Grease the ramekins and spoon in the filling.
For Shepherd’s Pie: fill only ⅔ full.
4. Add the Topping.
Pot Pie: Cut dough circles slightly larger than the ramekins. Lay on top, crimp edges, brush with egg wash, sprinkle salt.
Shepherd’s Pie: Add a thick, even layer of mashed potatoes and use a fork to make swirls.
5. Bake. Bake 15–20 min, until crust is golden or mashed potatoes are crisp (for Shepherd’s Pie), and filling is bubbling.
6. Cool + Serve. Let rest 5 minutes. Eat warm.
Upgrade with cheese if desired.
Substitutions and Dietary Considerations
These are your leftovers, customize to your heart’s content!
- Gluten-Free: Be sure to use GF pie crust or make Shepherd’s Pie
- Dairy-Free: Use dairy-free crust, and grease the ramekins with vegan butter or oil
- Vegetarian/Vegan: Skip turkey, use mushroom gravy, mashed potatoes, and vegetarian/vegan filling for your pot pies