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17 perfect potpie recipes to make with Thanksgiving leftovers

The best use of your leftover Thanksgiving turkey probably isn't in a sandwich — it's in a potpie.
/ Source: TODAY

Potpie just might be the quintessential cold-weather comfort food — and perhaps the all-time best use of leftover turkey. These all-in-one delights not only cover the need for a rich, creamy texture, but also satisfy with a buttery, flaky, carb-y finish. While the classic filling is a savory chicken mixture, potpies can be made with anything from veggies to meat, from seafood to even fruit. The toppings are also interchangeable and can be created from crispy potatoes, pie dough, puff pastry or biscuits. It's a perfect palette for customizing and any combination is sure to be delicious. These potpies — and potpie-inspired — recipes are a warming treat for any a chilly day or frosty night.

On a brisk fall night, there's nothing better than tucking into a hot, hearty potpie with buttery homemade pie crust. The addition of sweet, seasonal roasted butternut squash adds depth of flavor and makes this an even heartier meal. And the fact that it can be thrown together in less than an hour makes it even better. This is a great recipe to use up leftover turkey and vegetables from Thanksgiving! Just sub out the turkey for the chicken and use whatever veg you have on hand.

Make-Ahead Veggie Potpies

Potpies are not only great for Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving, but they're an awesome way to utilize leftover vegetables or turkey from the holidays — or any day. Potpie doesn't have to just be a special occasion meal! Instead of making this in a large skillet or baking dish, preparing it as personal servings in cocottes or ramekins gives it an extra fancy vibe.

Dylan's Chicken Potpie

This is one of Dylan Dreyer's go-to dishes and it's 100% approved by her son, Calvin. Not only is it delicious, but it's also a great way to get kids a big serving of veggies. This deconstructed version makes it even easier to prepare and serve. Just spoon the filling over baked squares of puff pastry and enjoy!

Chicken Tot Pie

Replace a regular old crust for crispy, golden Tater Tots in this updated chicken potpie. Crunchy tots are a great substitute for a more conventional topping because they still have a wonderfully buttery flavor and provide an excellent textural contrast to the creamy filling. It's a perfect comfort food pairing and a unique dinner the whole family will love.

Individual Chicken Potpies

These buttery, golden-crusted chicken potpies from Martha Stewart have undeniable eye appeal and they make a delectable comfort-food dinner on cold winter nights.

Chicken Potpie Burgers

This burger is a sure to be a family favorite. It combines all the savory vegetable flavors of classic chicken potpie and puts it on a bun. The sweet English pea gravy takes this dish home. It's truly incredible to bite into this burger and taste all the flavors of a perfect potpie.

Melissa Clark's Chicken Potpie Casserole

This recipe transforms a traditionally individual dish into a family-friendly, shareable meal. Fresh lemon zest adds a pop brightness that lightens the feel of this robust casserole. The biscuit topping is also a unique touch that makes it all the more comforting and delicious.

The ovenproof ceramic inserts that come with most slow cookers are just right for baking this luscious chicken stew topped with fluffy, tender homemade biscuits. The stew starts off in the slow cooker to develop into a velvety sauce which softens the chicken and vegetables. Then the whole dish gets finished in the oven to bake up the fluffy biscuits — all in the very same cooking vessel!

When there's turkey leftover, forget the sandwich. Instead, make these wonderfully satisfying fritters. Each savory bite of creamy gravy, plump peas, veggies and meat tastes like the holidays. When fried in oil, the texture becomes crispy on the outside and warm and tender on the inside, just like a traditional potpie.

Chicken potpie is a classic, but it does take time to make when you start from scratch. This version saves time by using cooked meat from rotisserie chicken, frozen vegetables, cream of chicken soup and store-bought biscuit dough. The result is no less flavorful and satisfying than a potpie that took hours of effort.

The filling for these mini potpies is inspired by potato samosas, those delicious South Indian spiced dumplings that come fried in little triangular packets. Here, you bake the filling in ramekins with a puff pastry topper to create a simple and warming everyday meal.

Vegetable Potpie

Potpies stuffed with seasonal vegetables are the best. This healthier, vegan version topped with a dairy-free crust features green beans, carrots, corn, peas and hearty red potatoes in place of poultry or meat. The dish comes together quickly, has plenty of room for experimentation, is so easy to make and even easier to eat up.

Beef Short-Rib Pie

Suet is the secret to the impossibly flaky crust and meaty flavor in this deeply savory potpie. Hidden under the crisp topping is a mixture of tender short ribs, pearl onions and fingerling potatoes. Plus, there's a funky, flavorful surprise from the addition of tangy blue cheese. Make this beefed-up version of potpie on very cold nights because it is exceptionally rich and sure to provide some edible warmth and comfort.

Quinn Daly's Chicken Potpies

Carson's big sister, Quinn Daly, makes his favorite chicken potpie. "It tastes amazing and makes me feel like a rock star when my family and friends rave about how delicious it is," says Quinn.

Freeze & Bake Chicken Potpies

These single-serving potpies are easy to prepare, freeze and bake for a fast and filling dinner. Plus, your kids will love them.

This dish is the combination of two of Molly Yeh's favorite dishes: chicken potpie and Tater Tot hotdish (a super popular classic potluck dish in her region (she lives on the North Dakota-Minnesota border.). It is everything you could ever want on a cold winter's day! You've got veggies, protein and carbs in one warming dish that can feed a crowd. And it's got Tater Tots, one of the jolliest foods in the world!

Martha Stewart's individual apple potpies topped with golden, flaky crusts are the perfect finale for a cozy fall dinner. Store-bought puff pastry makes them easy, and a boozy apple filling makes them totally decadent. The vanilla and caramel notes of bourbon are a natural complement to the juicy apples and warm spices in this sweet potpie. Make sure to serve these warm and don't forget a scoop of vanilla ice cream to top it all off.