Southwest Turkey Cornbread Pie

Thanksgiving Leftovers

Spending several hours on the couch, feeling uncomfortably full after our Thanksgiving feast (insert feast)

I managed to make my way back to the kitchen to take care of the turkey carcass sitting decimated in the roasting pan. Grabbing my large pot I placed all the bones and drippings left at the bottom and put in enough water to just cover the bones. Bringing it up to a boil I then turned it down and let simmer for about 40 minutes. Straining it out I set the bones aside to pick off the little bits of meat once they’ve cooled. I continued simmering the stock until it was reduced by about half. It came out amazing and is one of the richest most flavorful turkey stocks I’ve made in years. I think this may have something to do with the auspicious blooming of our Christmas cactus today. It’s been three years since its produced any flowers and on Thanksgiving no less.

My job was done for the night. Placing it in the frigg to cool I returned to my spot on the couch to contemplate what yummy goodness I could turn the stock into tomorrow. Most years I make a brothy turkey soup with rice or last year I made a classic turkey pot pie. I wanted to go a little different route this year and landed on this Southwest Turkey Cornbread Pie.

You may be surprised, but as a chef sometimes I just want to make simple food that doesn’t require a whole lot of cooking skill. I sauté some onions, peppers and garlic, toast some spices and add a can of corn, black beans, sliced black olives and a small can of Rotel (fire roasted tomatoes & chilis), mix up a box of corn bread with some fresh minced jalapeños in it and viola!!

With the addition of turkey meat, leftover gravy and a touch of cream its rich, satisfying comfort food that my teenage boys will devour this weekend. This took me about 30 minutes to get in the oven.

Ingredients:

2 cups shredded cooked turkey

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

1 red or green bell pepper, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 can corn

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can (14 oz) Rotel diced tomatoes, drained

1/2 cup black olives, sliced

1 cup turkey gravy

3 cups diced turkey meat

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend

Salt and pepper to taste

For the cornbread layers:

1 box cornbread mix (or homemade cornbread batter)

Ingredients required for the cornbread mix (usually milk, egg, etc.)

1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend (optional)

1/4 cup chopped jalapeños (optional)

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).

Prepare the filling by heating olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté onion and bell pepper until softened. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika. Add turkey, corn, black beans, tomatoes, black olives, and turkey gravy. Simmer for 2–3 minutes. Stir in heavy cream and cook for another minute. Reduce a bit longer for a thicker mix.

Mix the cornbread batter according to package instructions or your homemade recipe. Stir in jalapeños if using.

Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish. Spread half of the cornbread batter evenly across the bottom of the dish. Bake the bottom layer for 8–10 minutes, or until it just begins to set (not fully baked). Remove from the oven and spoon the turkey filling evenly over the partially baked cornbread. Spread the remaining cornbread batter over the top of the filling. I sprinkled cheese of the top but you can also mix it in to the filling and the corn bread.

Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until the top layer of cornbread is golden brown and cooked through.

Let the pie cool slightly before slicing and serving. Garnish with sour cream, fresh cilantro, or diced avocado if desired.

Enjoy and let me know what are you making with your leftovers today