Lightened-up Turkey Pot Pie

When I was growing up, having a pot pie was a special treat. I remember having to wheedle my mother into buying things like pot pies or Swanson's fried chicken TV dinner or, my favorite of all, Chef Boyardee ravioli in the can. Yes, I confess, these were foods I loved; sadly, I didn't get to eat them too often. I've made my own potpies from scratch before, but they aren't usually Weight Watcher friendly. Not until now.

I perused potpie recipes in my cookbook collection as well as online and putting together an idea from here and there, this is what I came up with.

Servings:  6 (6 PP per serving)
Ingredients

§                1 small onion, finely chopped

§                10 oz mushrooms, chopped

§                2 stalks celery, chopped

§                1 bag frozen mixed vegetables (I like the ones with green beans, corn, peas, carrots)

§                8 oz leftover turkey (or chicken), diced

§                2 tbsp  flour

§                1 tbsp light butter

§                1 cup fat free chicken broth

§                1/2 cup fat free evaporated milk

§                1 tsp salt

§                1/4 tsp black pepper

§                1 tsp dried thyme

§                1 can reduced fat crescent roll dough

Instructions

1.             Preheat oven to 375 and spray a 10” pie plate with cooking spray (butter flavored is best).

2.             In a medium sized pot, melt butter over medium high heat. Add in onions and celery and cook     until tender, about 5 minutes. Add in mushrooms and cook for another 5 minutes. Stir in broth, chicken, vegetables, thyme and salt and pepper. Cover and simmer on medium for about 15 minutes.

3.             In a small bowl, whisk together the evaporated milk and flour. Pour into chicken and vegetable mixture and continue to cook on medium heat, stirring constantly until the sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes.

4.             Pour mixture into prepared pie plate, and arrange crescent roll slices around the outside edge, leaving the pie open in the center. Do this by lining up the long side of each roll with the edge of the pie plate. Place the first 4 triangles down, then fill in the spaces with the other 4.

5.             Place into oven and bake until the crust is golden brown, and the center of the pot pie is bubbly, about 15 minutes.

6.             Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

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TASTE NOTES

It's hard to believe that something made with so little fat could taste so good. The ratio of turkey to veggie was balanced as was the ratio of sauce to crust. My only issue with this dish is it's very difficult dividing it into servings. I'm going to buy some individual mini aluminum pie plates next time and make them up that way. They'll be easier to serve and I can pop a few into the freezer for another night.