Second Day Beef Pot Pie

Happy Thanksgiving!  I know most of us are eating Turkey today & you are going to want recipes for those leftovers by tomorrow, which you are in luck!  I did a Leftover Thanksgiving Food Recipes Round-Up last week, so check it out if you need some ideas.  Today is a second day, or leftovers recipe for Beef Pot Pie.  Pot pie is one of those dishes that are so good in the cold fall & winter months!  So comforting & warm, with chunks of hearty vegetables & beef to fill you up.  

When my young family has a pot roast for Sunday dinner, there is no way we can eat a three pound roast all to ourselves.  We always have leftovers.  So this time, I planned ahead, bought that bigger roast (3-4lbs), got lots of carrots, & cut up extra potatoes, just so we could have a nice meal the next day.  We actually skipped a day between making the Sunday Roast & the Pot Pie, but "second day" sounds better than leftovers.  We'll start with my pot roast recipe.

Simple Sunday Pot Roast

Recipe from Amber (Dessert Now, Dinner Later!)

• 3-4lbs beef roast/chuck, trimmed of most of the fat
• 1lb baby carrots
• 5 medium red potatoes, scrubbed, & cut into 1" cubes
• 1 packet brown gravy
• 1 packet onion soup mix
• 1 Tbsp Weber Chicago Steak Seasoning
• 1 cup water
• salt & pepper as needed
• cornstarch & water to thicken juices for gravy

1. Place the majority of the cubed potatoes & baby carrots in the bottom of an 8QT slow cooker.  Sprinkle brown gravy packet over the top.  Pour 1 cup of water on top of the veggies.
2. Salt & pepper roast & place it on top of the veggies.  Place any remaining vegetables on the sides of the roast.  Sprinkle the top with an onion soup mix & steak seasoning.
3. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or until vegetables are done.  Remove meat & let rest on a cutting board before slicing & serving.  Scoop out vegetables into a serving bowl.  
4. Drain liquid through a mesh strainer into a saucepan.  Heat mixture on the stovetop until boiling.  Make a cornstarch slurry (about 3 Tbsp cornstarch to about 1 1/2 Tbsp COLD water) and whisk it into the boiling liquid.  Stir until thickened.  Season with additional salt & pepper or steak seasoning.  Serve over beef & veggies.

If you want to make pot pie from the leftovers, you need to cut up about 1 1/2 cups of beef chunks, & have 3 cups of the potato/carrot mixture leftover.  Also if you have 1 cup of gravy leftover that's fabulous too.  Put all of the beef chunks, potatoes, carrots, & gravy into a container in the fridge until you are ready to make your pie.  And this is how you make the pot pie:

Second Day Beef Pot Pie

Recipe from Amber (Dessert Now, Dinner Later!)

• 1 1/2 cups cooked beef roast, cut into 1" or smaller chunks
• 3 cups of cooked red potatoes & baby carrots
• 1 brown gravy packet (double this if there was no leftover gravy)
• 1 cup water (double this if there was no leftover gravy)
• 1 tsp Weber Chicago Steak Seasoning (double this if there was no leftover gravy)
• Pie Crust (enough for 1 bottom & 1 top crust)

1. Heat brown gravy packet & water in a small saucepan.  Add steak seasoning & heat until it comes to a boil.  Set aside. 
2. Roll out pie crust & fit it into a 9" or 10" pie dish.  Trim excess crust.  Fill the center of the pie crust with the leftover beef, potatoes, & carrots.
3. Pour the gravy on top.  Roll out the second pie crust & lay it over the top.  Trim excess crust.  Pinch & crimp edges.  And cut a couple slits into the top for ventilation.
4. Bake at 350˚F for a minimum of 1 hour.  Use a thermometer to check if the filling has reached 165˚F.  If the crust is getting too done, cover it with foil as it finishes baking.  

*It's IMPORTANT that the mixture is re-heated to 165˚F.  And everything needs to be consumed in one sitting, since this is a leftovers dish.  Having been ServSafe Certified, I know the importance of reheating food ONLY ONCE.  If you can't eat the whole pie, bring dinner to your neighbors while it's hot.

**If you have extra pie crust, cut out fun shapes like leaves to decorate the top.  Just rub the bottom of the shape with water so it adheres to the top of the pie crust.  Make sure you still have slits for ventilation as well.

Happy Thanksgiving!  I know most of us are eating Turkey today & you are going to want recipes for those leftovers by tomorrow, which you are in luck!  I did a Leftover Thanksgiving Food Recipes Round-Up last week, so check it out if you need some ideas.  Today is a second day, or leftovers recipe for Beef Pot Pie.  Pot pie is one of those dishes that are so good in the cold fall & winter months!  So comforting & warm, with chunks of hearty vegetables & beef to fill you up.  

When my young family has a pot roast for Sunday dinner, there is no way we can eat a three pound roast all to ourselves.  We always have leftovers.  So this time, I planned ahead, bought that bigger roast (3-4lbs), got lots of carrots, & cut up extra potatoes, just so we could have a nice meal the next day.  We actually skipped a day between making the Sunday Roast & the Pot Pie, but "second day" sounds better than leftovers.  We'll start with my pot roast recipe.

Simple Sunday Pot Roast

Recipe from Amber (Dessert Now, Dinner Later!)

• 3-4lbs beef roast/chuck, trimmed of most of the fat
• 1lb baby carrots
• 5 medium red potatoes, scrubbed, & cut into 1" cubes
• 1 packet brown gravy
• 1 packet onion soup mix
• 1 Tbsp Weber Chicago Steak Seasoning
• 1 cup water
• salt & pepper as needed
• cornstarch & water to thicken juices for gravy

1. Place the majority of the cubed potatoes & baby carrots in the bottom of an 8QT slow cooker.  Sprinkle brown gravy packet over the top.  Pour 1 cup of water on top of the veggies.
2. Salt & pepper roast & place it on top of the veggies.  Place any remaining vegetables on the sides of the roast.  Sprinkle the top with an onion soup mix & steak seasoning.
3. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or until vegetables are done.  Remove meat & let rest on a cutting board before slicing & serving.  Scoop out vegetables into a serving bowl.  
4. Drain liquid through a mesh strainer into a saucepan.  Heat mixture on the stovetop until boiling.  Make a cornstarch slurry (about 3 Tbsp cornstarch to about 1 1/2 Tbsp COLD water) and whisk it into the boiling liquid.  Stir until thickened.  Season with additional salt & pepper or steak seasoning.  Serve over beef & veggies.

If you want to make pot pie from the leftovers, you need to cut up about 1 1/2 cups of beef chunks, & have 3 cups of the potato/carrot mixture leftover.  Also if you have 1 cup of gravy leftover that's fabulous too.  Put all of the beef chunks, potatoes, carrots, & gravy into a container in the fridge until you are ready to make your pie.  And this is how you make the pot pie:

Second Day Beef Pot Pie

Recipe from Amber (Dessert Now, Dinner Later!)

• 1 1/2 cups cooked beef roast, cut into 1" or smaller chunks
• 3 cups of cooked red potatoes & baby carrots
• 1 brown gravy packet (double this if there was no leftover gravy)
• 1 cup water (double this if there was no leftover gravy)
• 1 tsp Weber Chicago Steak Seasoning (double this if there was no leftover gravy)
• Pie Crust (enough for 1 bottom & 1 top crust)

1. Heat brown gravy packet & water in a small saucepan.  Add steak seasoning & heat until it comes to a boil.  Set aside. 
2. Roll out pie crust & fit it into a 9" or 10" pie dish.  Trim excess crust.  Fill the center of the pie crust with the leftover beef, potatoes, & carrots.
3. Pour the gravy on top.  Roll out the second pie crust & lay it over the top.  Trim excess crust.  Pinch & crimp edges.  And cut a couple slits into the top for ventilation.
4. Bake at 350˚F for a minimum of 1 hour.  Use a thermometer to check if the filling has reached 165˚F.  If the crust is getting too done, cover it with foil as it finishes baking.  

*It's IMPORTANT that the mixture is re-heated to 165˚F.  And everything needs to be consumed in one sitting, since this is a leftovers dish.  Having been ServSafe Certified, I know the importance of reheating food ONLY ONCE.  If you can't eat the whole pie, bring dinner to your neighbors while it's hot.

**If you have extra pie crust, cut out fun shapes like leaves to decorate the top.  Just rub the bottom of the shape with water so it adheres to the top of the pie crust.  Make sure you still have slits for ventilation as well.