The Amish Cook: Homemade Turkey Pot Pie

It is Thanksgiving Day as I write this, so as you read this, the holiday will be history. Most of you are now probably thinking about Christmas.

This article is a part of "The Amish Cook Column", a weekly series of featuring a story & recipe from Gloria Yoder, Amish widow & mother of six from Flat Rock, Illinois The column is being written this week by special guest, Dorcas Raber, Gloria's Mom.

It has been a somewhat different Thanksgiving for my husband, David, and me. Unlike in past years, the two of us sat down to eat a turkey meal.

I put our ironstone “Home Sweet Home” plates on the table, and our menu was turkey, baked potatoes, carrots, peas, applesauce, and cranberry salad. I had put the turkey in a brine three days before Thanksgiving, then baked it in a turkey bag. It was delicious! And so, so easy.

Most of my day so far has consisted of food prep for the company we are having on Saturday. I’ve spent many enjoyable hours preparing for the arrival of my Mom, two sisters, brother, in-laws, and nieces.

I have scrubbed, cleaned, planned, and organized everything from cleaning neglected garage windows to making menus with long shopping lists. There is deciding who will sleep where and, last but not least, putting a quilt into frame.

Quilting is becoming a lost art, or so it seems. I am working on a log cabin quilt design pieced by my Mom. It will be a wedding gift from her to our daughter Faith and Lucas (they married a year ago, but I never did get this quilt put into frame).

My Mom has made dozens and dozens of quilts. But her eyesight doesn’t permit her to do so much quilting anymore. I told her I would love to put this quilt into frame in my house. The quilt is absolutely beautiful, with multiple grays and rose and pink colors. It fits perfectly in our “pink room,” which has 3 of the four rooms pink.

My Mom was widowed in July this year, and she misses my dad very much. They were married for 63 years, and I feel blessed to be able to talk to her often. These days she is often at her treadle sewing machine, sewing comfort blocks together, which eventually end up in the hands of someone needy.

This year, I’ve had a unique situation with my Mom and my daughter, Gloria, bidding farewell to their spouse. Nothing I can say can take the loneliness and pain away from them. But I can care and pray again and again and again. If anything, it has deepened my trust in God, who graciously cares for Mom and Gloria on their grief journey. Mom is 84 years old, and Gloria is 33, and they’ve always had a special bond. Gloria was Mom and Dad’s first granddaughter. And their bond continues even stronger as they continue their life bonded by their shared grief.

After Thanksgiving, we helped clean for Daniel’s family to arrive at Gloria’s. 11-year-old Julia was sick and feverish when I got there yesterday. She had been eager to help her Mom prepare for their guests, but instead, she was in bed all day, and I cleaned her bedroom. It was an intense time because Austin wasn’t feeling well, and the other children were being children.

But what a blessing to hear Hosanna sing songs with her clear soprano voice after supper. Gloria had asked her if she wanted to sing, and she did.

This year, thank you for your love, care, support, and prayers. Gloria and her children her richly blessed with such a large circle of friends.
For one of the meals, I want to serve mashed potatoes drizzled with brown butter, served alongside turkey pot pie. Here is the recipe!

📋Editor's Amish Turkey Pot Pie Recipe Notes & Photos

Nothing better than homemade pot pie. And this certainly beats the Swanson frozen kind. Most Amish cooks will use homegrown veggies. You can stick with this recipe by just using carrots, potatoes, green beans,and peas, but feel free to "go wild" and add corn or parsnips, parsley, bay leaf,or any other veggie you think might go well into this. Chopped celery? You can also season it more than this recipe. Add some turmeric or garlic powder for some extra flavor. For extra calories, dump in a little shredded cheese.

In this Amish turkey pot pie recipe, Dorcas doesn't pre-cook the peas, but she slightly cooks the potatoes and carrots. You wouldn't have to cook them at all, but if you cook them fully, you'll get really mushy veggies. Partially cooking them first, until they are just barely fork tender will give your veggies the best crispness as they swim in the delicious broth of this Amish turkey pot pie.