One of the best things about Thanksgiving is the leftovers, no doubt. But this year, Bostonist roasted its own 19 pounder, leaving, oh, about 10 pounds of turkey left over. There are only so many gobbler sandwiches we can stuff into our maw, so we started to look for other ways to make sure we left no bird behind. Turkey pot pie seemed to fit the bill—we could put just about any leftovers in there, and since we opted to buy frozen puff pastry (we’ve done enough cooking from scratch this week, we thought), it took almost no work at all. We also decided to make them individual pot pies, so we could each customize our own. We made initials out of pastry scraps so we could tell them apart.

Recipe follows after the jump

Fill mini tart pans, ramekins, or any small oven-proof dish with your leftovers—we used turkey, sautéed mushrooms with parsley, and peas. We bet creamed onions, potatoes, or even tofu would also work well. Cover with some white sauce. (Melt 2 tablespoons of butter over low heat, add 2 tablespoons flour, whisking constantly, for a few minutes until golden, and slowly add about a cup of milk. Season with salt and pepper.) Top with puff pastry of your choice… we like Dufour’s, which we got at Whole Foods. Cut a few holes in it to vent steam. Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 20 minutes or until the puff pastry is golden. Photo by Lisa Scanlon