Easy Turkey Dinner Galette

Got leftovers? Give them brand new clothes with this delicious Easy Turkey Dinner Galette. You can put it together in less than 20 minutes!

There are a zillion things I love about my daughter Cait. She's fun, kind, generous, thoughtful, smart and very honest. Her honestly reminds me a lot of my mom, who always called things as she saw them, perfectly frank. If my mom said you looked good, you could believe that you really looked good, but you could also be quite certain that if something was out of place or looked strange (to her Midwestern eyes) she'd let you know about that too. So when I was walking with Cait a few days ago and told her about this delicious Easy Turkey Dinner Galette recipe, I had to laugh at her response.

Me: "This Turkey Dinner Galette is such a great recipe! Dad went crazy over it. And it's super simple; you just take two refrigerated pie crusts, stack them on top of each other and roll them out. Then you add your leftovers; a layer of mashed potatoes, a layer of thinly sliced leftover turkey and a layer of stuffing. All that is topped with a scatter Swiss cheese and a few dollops of cranberry sauce, then it's baked until golden and melty. Fresh thyme leaves are the beautiful crowning glory!"

Cait: "Oh mom!", in a surprised (and slightly disdainful) voice.

Me: "What?" I asked innocently, knowing how delicious this recipe was.

Cait: "That sounds like a green-pea-cooker recipe"!

I have to take you back in time a ways to explain that green-pea-cooker statement. When Cait was growing up, she didn't care much for casseroles or just about anything that came from a can or a box. If she went somewhere and that type of food was served, she didn't make a big deal about it, but didn't eat it with great enthusiasm either.

For example, one year she went to an overnight church camp for a week. She came home very excited and inspired by her experience. When I asked how the food was, she wrinkled up her nose and said: "That was the only bad part mom - green pea cooking!" She had coined that phrase at some point in time for (what to her was) bland, uninteresting food. I had to laugh - a little foodie already in the making!

No green pea cookery here!

So back to my Thanksgiving Leftovers Galette. I didn't say any more about it to Cait till later that morning. Scott and I had already taken pictures of it, so I could share it with you today. I pulled out my computer and showed her the images. "Hmm... that actually looks really good!", she said. I just closed my computer. And rested my case.

Great Make-Ahead Dinner and Super Adaptable

It is really good! So good that I'm quite certain I'd make it, even when I don't have Thanksgiving leftovers. I can see myself making a chicken dinner with all the trimmings just to make this galette. It would make a nice dinner for company, as you could make the whole thing in advance and store it in the refrigerator. Pop it in the oven just in time for dinner, then serve wedges of it with a simple green salad. Add a basket of Ridiculously Easy Buttermilk Biscuits for an easy and delicious dinner.

Don't worry if you don't have the exact amounts or all of the ingredients. This Turkey Dinner Galette recipe is super adaptable. Add more or less of any of the ingredients according to your taste. Don't have any stuffing? No worries, make it without. Like more meat? Add extra turkey. Have a package of shredded mozzarella in the fridge but no Swiss? That will work just fine. Make the galette to your taste, and according to what you have!

The recipe calls for two packaged pie crusts. There are usually several options available in the refrigerator section of the grocery store. I prefer the Pillsbury crusts.

The crusts are doubled up, one on top of each other and rolled out to a large circle. The filling is then added, leaving a 3-inch border around the edge. You just fold the edges up and brush them with an egg wash to create a golden flaky crust that no-one-will-believe-is-not-homemade. It comes out of the oven pretty as a picture!

See what I mean? I hope I've convinced you (and Cait) this Turkey Dinner Galette is NOT green pea cookery! Put it together today and expect lots of rave reviews!

Café Tips for making this Easy Turkey Dinner Galette

• The recipe calls for two refrigerated pie crusts. They are stacked on top of each other and rolled out into a large circle. Don't try it with one. The filling is too heavy and the crust would be too thin to hold up.
• Adapt the ingredients and amounts in this galette to your taste and to what you have on hand.
• The instructions call for preheating the oven with a sheet pan on the lowest rack. Both preheating the sheet pan and baking the galette on the lowest rack of the oven will ensure a nice, crisp bottom crust.
• This would also be delicious with chicken and leftover chicken dinner trimmings.
• Be sure to use the egg wash on the crust. It will give that beautiful homemade appearance!
• Light or dark meat will work well in this recipe. Use whatever you prefer.
• I love these precut parchment paper sheets. They're the perfect size for sheet pans and are great for recipes like this, as well as for cookies. They save on clean up and make baking mess-free. I love the flat, easy to store package they come in and that they seem to last forever, even for a crazy cook like me. They'd make a great little gift for your cooking friends.

P.S. If you've got lots of extra turkey and need another idea, this Turkey Pasta Soup is also delicious!

5 from 4 votes

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Easy Turkey Dinner Galette

Got leftovers? Make this delicious Easy Turkey Dinner Galette; a rustic, free-form tart that you can put together in less than 20 minutes! It's like Thanksgiving revisited - in brand new clothes! 

Author: Chris Scheuer

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20 mins

Cook Time: 45 mins

Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins

Servings: 8

Calories: 461 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 14.1- ounce package refrigerated pie crust (2 crusts)
• 2 cups mashed potatoes
• 4-5 ounces thinly sliced or shredded turkey or chicken 1 ½-2 cups
• 1 ½ cups stuffing
• ½ cup cranberry sauce
• 8 ounces shredded Swiss cheese
• 1 egg for egg wash
• fresh thyme

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400˚F. Position a rack on the lowest level of the oven. Place a sheet pan on the lowest rack while oven is preheating. Place a sheet of parchment paper, about the size of your sheet pan on a large cutting board.

2. Open both pie crust packets and unroll. Sprinkle a work surface with about a tablespoon of flour and spread it out with your fingers. Place pie crusts on the prepared work surface, one on top of the other. Roll the doubled pie crusts out to a 14-inch circle. It's fine if your circle is not perfect. This is a rustic tart. Slide the pastry onto the prepared parchment paper lined cutting board. Don’t worry, it will be a little larger than your parchment paper at this point.

3. Spread mashed potatoes over the circle of dough, leaving a 3-inch border around the edge. Cover potatoes with sliced turkey, then top turkey with stuffing. Sprinkle half of the cheese over the stuffing. Fold edges of dough over the fillings to create a border, pleating as needed.
4. Combine egg with 1 teaspoon of water and whisk together till well combined. Brush egg wash over all exposed edges of the crust being careful to keep egg wash off of parchment paper. If some of the egg wash does drop onto parchment paper, just wipe it off with a damp paper towel.
5. Return pan to lowest shelf in oven and bake for 30 minutes.
6. Remove from oven and top with remaining cheese, keeping cheese off of the crust.
7. If cranberry sauce is thick, thin it out with a little water and stir well to combine. Dollop cranberry sauce over cheese, spreading it out a bit but leaving areas of cheese exposed.
8. Bake for another 10-15 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then top with fresh thyme leaves. Slice in wedges and serve.

Calories 461kcal

Fat 19g

Saturated fat 6g

Cholesterol 38mg

Sodium 529mg

Potassium 322mg

Carbohydrates 54g

Fiber 3g

Sugar 8g

Protein 17g

Vitamin A 200%

Vitamin C 12.5%

Calcium 304%

Iron 2.3%