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Homemade pot pie is always delicious! Not only is it the perfect comfort food, but it’s also a fabulous way to use up leftovers. A flakey crust covering tender chunks of meat and veggies plus the perfect amount of gravy. So good! And so economical.

Even though I call this a homemade pot pie recipe, it’s really an easy method that will work with just about any ingredient, or combination of ingredients, you can imagine. By using methods, as opposed to recipes, you can get the most bang for your food buck. I can certainly give you a delicious chicken pot pie recipe, but if you don’t have any chicken on hand, is this really the recipe you need? Plus, blindly following a recipe won’t help you save the maximum possible on your food bill.

If you’re looking to make the most of your food dollars, methods are the way to go. Learn more about how I make these methods work for my family in my book Design a Dish: Save your Food Dollars!

Design a Dish is packed full of affordable, easy-to-follow cooking formulas and recipes. If you’re looking for a way to feed your family a healthy, real food diet on a small budget, this book is for you.

Homemade Pot Pie Ingredients

Vegetables

Use any combination of raw or leftover veggies. Root vegetables are a classic addition to homemade pot pie. I do find carrots and potatoes tend to turn out better if they’re precooked until soft before added to the pot pie dish. Other popular vegetables are onions, corn, mushrooms, and celery. Vegetables with a mild flavor tend to be more pleasing than stronger flavors. In a hurry? Frozen vegetables are fine! I aim for 2+ cups of vegetables.

Protein

Browned hamburger, leftover chicken, beef, venison, antelope (if you live in Wyoming!), etc., totaling ½ to 2 cups. You can also use already cooked beans or lentils as your protein if you prefer, or try a combination of meat and beans. Homemade pot pie is a great, budget-friendly way to stretch the protein and save your food dollars.

Gravy

One of the best parts about homemade pot pie is the delicious gravy. Your gravy can be a cream of *something* soup or you can take a few extra minutes and make your gravy from scratch. This could be homemade cream of whatever soup (especially nourishing when made with bone broth), homemade gravy, white sauce, tomato sauce, or even thinned sour cream. I plan on 1 ½ to 2 cups, knowing that I may need to add additional liquid if the mixture seems a bit dry. Use broth, milk, or water (¼ cup at a time) for your additional liquid.

Seasonings and Spices

I just put in whatever sounds good with the meat I’m using, plus sea salt and pepper. I think about the kind of end result I’m looking for, then spice accordingly. Do I want a taco-style pot pie? If so, I’ll use chili powder and cumin. Italian flavored? I’ll use basil and oregano. For a curry style, I’ll use lots of curry powder.

“Goodies”

These are wonderful little treat additions just to add a special touch to your homemade pot pie. They are mixed in with the pot pie. Goodies could be pimento, olives, almonds, artichoke hearts, etc.

Crust

Top it all with your favorite pie crust or biscuit dough. (Sourdough biscuits are wonderful!) You can put your pie crust or biscuit dough on as a sheet or drop them on to bake.

If doing a taco-style pot pie, you could even use tortillas. Unlike the pie crust or biscuits, which go on raw and bake as the pot pie cooks, the tortillas should already be cooked. Keep a close eye on this when baking and cover with foil if they are getting too done.

Toppers

Toppers are put on after the pot pie has been cooked. We usually just let each person put on their own toppers when serving. Great toppers are sprouts, chopped green onions, shredded cheese, avocado, salsa, cilantro, krauts or relishes, clabber cheese, sour cream, yogurt, etc.

Homemade Pot Pie Directions

Mix your combination of ingredients together in a bowl, except the crust and toppers. Remember, if it seems a bit dry, add water, milk, or broth until it’s moist. You don’t want it wet, but you don’t want it too dry either. The gravy is a big part of a pot pie!

After it’s mixed and seasoned, pour it into a buttered casserole dish. (I usually make my casserole in a 9 x 13 pan.)

Top with your raw pie crust or biscuits. Or use already cooked tortillas for a taco or enchilada style homemade pot pie.

Bake at 350 degrees for anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, or until everything is soft and warm throughout.

Allow to cool and set up for about 5 minutes before serving. Serve with your favorite toppers!

More Cooking Methods

Use leftovers, ingredients you have on hand, or items that are abundant to you to make:

• Muffins
• Soup
• Meatloaf
• Brats
• Main Dish Salad
• Casserole
• Grain-Free Clafouti

Design a Dish: Save Your Food Dollars!

Would you like to learn great methods to reduce food waste? What if you could enjoy one meal for “free” each week?

Design a Dish will teach you how to make wonderful, simple dishes you can prepare day in and day out. You’ll be amazed at how easy it is to nourish your family with these tasty dishes!

Inside Design a Dish, you’ll discover:

• How to drastically reduce food waste and lower your grocery bill
• How cooking with formulas, instead of recipes, will help you design dishes with ingredients that are abundant to you
• Simple methods for cooking nutritional meals from scratch that the whole family will love
• And much, much more!

Design a Dish is packed full of affordable, easy-to-follow cooking formulas and recipes. If you’re looking for a way to feed your family a healthy, real food diet on a small budget, this book is for you.

Click here to buy Design a Dish today, and learn how to make mealtime easier—for good!

What do you like to put in your homemade pot pie? Leave a comment below!