Tourtière, a French Canadian meat pie, is a cozy and delicious savory meal that warms your soul on a cold, wintry evening. While it’s easy enough to make and certainly a company-worthy main course, it also fits perfectly on your holiday table.

A New Tradition Is Born

I stumbled upon this dish by chance at a former, beloved local bistro that served it occasionally. I’m so grateful I tried it for the first time with my mother. She was already familiar with the satisfying pie and fondly recalled enjoying it with her grandparents, who came from the Canadian province of Quebec.

Sharing the tourtière experience with my mom inspired me to create my own recipe, a process I’ve continued to perfect over the years. I’ve been making it every year for Thanksgiving, and sometimes for Christmas, too. Now, I’m excited to share my recipe with you, so you can enjoy it with your loved ones.

This old-world pie dates back to the 1600s, originally made with wild game. Over time, it evolved to include domesticated meats like pork, beef – and even turkey! Countless recipes exist, ranging widely in ingredients. Here, I’m sharing my version, perfected over the course of a decade or so.

How to Serve Tourtière

For a dinner party or gathering, this pie makes a scrumptious slice of comfort food. Serve it with turkey or chicken gravy, mashed potatoes and a green vegetable like Brussels sprouts or green beans. And of course, you’ll want some cranberry sauce or relish on the side. In my opinion, it’s the perfect plate.

It makes for great leftover reheated for breakfast (maybe even with an egg!) or served alongside a green salad for lunch! This meat pie is very versatile.

I’m told many French Canadians enjoy their meat pie with ketchup. While that may not sound appealing to everyone, I’m not too surprised, as I remember this practice runs in my family. My great-grandfather, Pépé, was addicted to this condiment and usually kept the bottle on the table for most meals! I can imagine it would be good with a dollop of Howard’s pepper relish or piccalilli, too!

About My Tourtière Recipe

I’m sure you’ve noticed that I put a healthy twist to my cooking; so, with that said, it won’t be a surprise my version is made with ground turkey instead of pork. But that doesn’t mean you can’t make yours with the traditional ground pork, beef or even with half ground turkey and beef. Personally, I’ve found that ground turkey or chicken is quite adaptable is most recipes. Ground poultry may need a bit more spice since it’s milder in flavor than other ground meats.

The filling for this pie is cooked in one pot with meat mixed with potatoes, onions, celery, garlic, broth and spices. I like to cook it down to almost a paste-like consistency, so the meat mixture has a smooth texture rather than being overly crumbly when you slice into it.

This year, I tweaked the spice mixture and think I finally got it just right; hopefully, you’ll agree! I streamlined the ingredient list by using my homemade pumpkin spice blend. If you’re using a store-bought version, just add a good pinch of ground cardamom. My recipe may be a bit more aromatic than some traditional tourtières, so if you prefer a subtler flavor, start with half the amount of spices, taste it, and then adjust as needed.

Overall, this main course is pretty simple, especially if you use store-bought crust, like I do. I never quite mastered my mother’s pie-crust making skills, so I’ve long relied on Pillsbury pie dough. It takes the frustration out of the process, though the thought of perfecting homemade crust remains a challenge I hope to conquer someday! 😊

The pie can be made ahead and either refrigerated or frozen (uncooked). I always make two, keeping one in my freezer for a special gathering.

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Turkey Tourtière (French Canadian Meat Pie)

Tourtière, a hearty, savory and delicious meat pie, is a festive meal, especially when served with mashed potatoes, a green vegetable and gravy.

Ingredients

• 1 box Pillsbury pie dough (2 crusts)
• 1⅓ pounds turkey ground (I use Shady Brook 93% lean)
• 1 tablespoon EVOO
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1 medium onion minced
• 4 celery heart stalks, finely chopped
• 2 large potatoes cut into large chunks
• ½ cup water reserved from cooking potatoes
• 1 cup turkey or chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice (see my recipe)
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon allspice
• ⅛ teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 egg beaten (optional)

Instructions

Cook Meat Mixture

• Potatoes: Cut the potatoes into large wedges. Place them in a small pan with water, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and cook until fork-tender. Remember to reserve 1/2 cup cooking water before you drain. Set aside.
  
• Warm the EVOO over medium heat in a Dutch oven or large skillet.
• Add the garlic and onion, and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes over medium-low heat.
• Stir in the celery and sweat the vegetables for about 5 minutes.
  
• If the veggies start to stick to the pan, add a splash of turkey or chicken stock.
• Once the vegetables are softened, add the ground turkey.
  
• Cook the mixture, breaking up the meat into small pieces with a spatula, for about 5 to 7 minutes until the meat is no longer pink.
• Stir in the potatoes and use a potato masher to mash them into the meat mixture.
• Add 1/2 cup of the water from the potatoes and 1/2 cup of turkey or chicken broth.
• Cook on low, uncovered, for about 25 minutes. Add in additional broth as needed (about 1/2 to 3/4 cup).
  
• Continue cooking until the mixture thickens and the water cooks out.
• Allow mixture to cool down 30 minutes.

Assemble Tourtière

• Take the pie crust out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before preparing the pie dish.
• Remove the dough from its packaging and sprinkle flour on your surface.
• Roll out the dough to a slightly thinner consistency, enough to fit a 9- to 10-inch pie dish. Gently transfer the rolled dough into the dish, making sure it’s centered, with about 1 to 2 inches of dough hanging over the edges.
• Spoon the cooled meat mixture onto the bottom crust.
  
• Roll out the second dough and carefully place it over the top of the meat mixture.
• Trim any excess dough, leaving about 1 to 2 inches hanging over the edges of the dish.
  
• Press the dough together by folding it underneath itself, then use your fingers to create a decorative in-and-out pattern along the edges.
  

Baking the Pie

• Place the pie into a preheated 350°F oven (or 325°F for convection).
  
• You may want to cover the edges of the pie dish with foil or silicone pie crust baking covers partway through baking, so the crusts don’t get too brown.
• Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until the crust is lightly browned on top.
• About halfway through the baking process, you can the brush the dough with an egg wash to give the pie a more polished, golden and shiny finish. I usually add in about a tablespoon of milk or water with the beaten egg.

Notes

You can refrigerate or freeze the pie to have it prepared ahead of time. If freezing, be sure to defrost the pie in the refrigerator overnight. Allow the uncooked pie to come to room temperature for about an hour before baking.

If you worry about your crusts overbaking, look for silicone pie crust baking covers on Amazon. They’re worth the investment!

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