Stupid Easy (Turkey) Pot Pie

This is so easy it's stupid. If you are a purist (what I used to be) who only uses fresh veggies and whole wheat, homemade pie crust, then this will be woefully inadequate for you. If you are a realist (what I now am) then this will make you jump for joy. Read the wording in bold for the basic recipe. Read the rest if you want to read more of my experience and advice.

INGREDIENTS:
Turkey
Cream of whatever soup (I use one can celery, one can chicken)
Can or two of mixed veggies, drained (Or you can use frozen. Be sure to thaw first.)
salt and pepper
Frozen pie crust (deep dish or regular)

METHOD:
Take out those frozen pie crust from the freezer and let them thaw while you prepare the rest of the recipe. You will be covering it, so have two crusts for each pie. (Truth be told, I only had three crusts last night and broke up the third to use on two pot pies--they still turned out great.)

Cut up the turkey into nice little bite sized pieces. (I don't measure the turkey, since I just use whatever leftovers I have on hand. Usually I have a lot leftover and can easily make two pies.) Place in a large enough bowl to mix in a couple cans of cream soup and the mixed veggies. Add a bit of salt and pepper to taste. Mix thoroughly. (If you use frozen veggies you may need to add just a bit of milk, gravy or broth to moisten the mix. Using canned, I don't have a problem. Don't add too much milk or the filling will be runny.)

You will need to eye this up. If you like more meat than veggies, only add one can of veggies. You can always add more, but you can't take them out! Same with the soups. Start with one can, and add another if desired. My basic recipe uses two cans of soup and two with the meat. It depends on how much meat you are using.

Slop into pie shells. Cover with other crust. Make a small slit or two on top to vent.

Bake at 350 for about half an hour. Since everything is already cooked you need to just heat this through. When it's done the crust will be nicely browned and the filling will be bubbling out of the vents.

These are SO good and SO easy.

BONUS INFORMATION:
This is easilty adaptable for any leftover meat you have on hand. For chicken or turkey I like to use cream of celery for sure, and then cream of chicken. If I have to I'll use cream of mushroom, but I don't prefer that taste with turkey or chicken. You could also use cream of brocolli, or a cheesey soup. You can be as creative as you like. It's really hard to mess this up.

I have made these with venison, so using extra beef would work equally as well. Shredded or small chunks--I suppose ground would work, but it doesn't sound as appealing to me. For this pie I use only cream of mushroom soup and a bit of beef broth for extra flavor. (Not too much broth, because then it gets too runny.) I'm sure there are other cream soups I could experiement with, or maybe I can just use extra gravy.

WHY YOU SHOULD MAKE THIS RECIPE:
These are GREAT for bulk cooking, as they easily freeze and can be popped in the oven while still frozen. I use a vacuum sealer for storing these in the freezer. Using a couple large ziploc baggies or two layers of aluminum foil would work too. (But a vacuum sealer is SO worth the money.)

I like to have these on hand for mothers who need meals due to sickness, births, or deaths in the family. They can have it in their freezer until they need it. I write the directions for baking on the top with a Sharpie.

If you have more filling than pie crust, freeze the filling for a later time. All you have to do is defrost it, place into thawed shells, and bake as usual.