This idea was born out of Thanksgiving leftovers. After a few days of eating the same-old, I made a pot pie filling and threw in the turkey with the roasted butternut squash and spinach I had served on the holiday table, then topped it with pie dough and baked. Sounds weird, I know, but it's incredibly good. So good that I've roasted whole chickens and butternut squashes a few times since just to have the pie all over again.
The squash is a nice change from the carrots that often feature in pot pies. And the idea of spinach in the filling may wrinkle noses, but it's a nice contrast for the richness, and the taste and texture are surprisingly mild. Joe really loved it. After this, I'm not sure we'll ever go back to ol' peas-and-carrots chicken pot pie again.
Flour is stirred into the cooked onions, carrot, and celery, and then chicken stock is added to make the creamy sauce. The chicken, butternut squash, and spinach are added. Rounds of dough are cut for the pie tops, and holes are made in the top to let steam escape.
This thrown-together recipe makes a lot. As in a 10-inch deep-dish pie plus two individual pies. You can eat them for days, freeze them, or halve the recipe. It's nice to be able to pull a homemade pot pie out of the freezer on a hectic day, far better than anything you can buy from the frozen section.
