This turkey cobbler is a wholesome, filling family meal. It's a super flexible recipe. It's ideal for leftover cooked turkey (or chicken) or you can use fresh turkey mince. You can use whatever vegetables suit including leftover cooked vegetables. And you can easily switch the cobbler topping to a gluten free or dairy free option.
What is a cobbler (pie)?
Cobblers are a traditional British dish which can be sweet or savoury. The topping is made from a scone mixture which is cooked on top of the filling, and looks rather like a cobbled street. It's quite rustic, and is quicker and easier to make than a pie. Sweet cobblers usually have a fruit filling. This savoury cobbler has a mix of meat and veggies, in a thick gravy. It's perfect for using up Christmas or Thanksgiving leftovers.
What you'll love about this recipe
- This savoury cobbler is an easy family meal - comforting, satisfying and tasty
- Includes plenty of veggies and wholegrains
- A great way to use up leftover turkey, chicken and vegetables
- The cobbler topping is easy to make - there's no rolling out, and it's lower in fat than pastry
Ingredients
Filling
Turkey. This recipe is especially easy if you are using ready cooked leftover turkey or chicken. But you can also make turkey cobbler from scratch using turkey mince or diced turkey.
You might also enjoy this leftover coronation turkey salad recipe.
Onions, carrots and peas add veggie goodness and flavour to the turkey cobbler. You can vary the vegetables depending on taste and what you have available. Leeks add a lovely sweetness, as does sweetcorn and peppers. Cut the vegetables small so that they cook through quickly. Spinach should be added at the very end of the cooking time as it doesn't take long to cook.
You can also add a bag of frozen mixed veg instead of fresh vegetables. It's super easy and you'll get a good selection of veg.
If you've got leftover cooked vegetables, the recipe is even quicker. You can even add cooked sprouts and roast potatoes. Just cut them into even-sized pieces.
Herbs and garlic add extra flavour. Either use mixed dried herbs, or fresh thyme which goes really well with turkey.
Stock and cornflour (cornstarch) make up the gravy for the filling. I used a stock cube, if you have fresh stock that's even better. If you've got leftover gravy, you can use this rather than stock. If the gravy is already quite thick, omit the cornflour. You are unlikely to need extra seasoning with bought stock, but taste the cooked filling and adjust if necessary.
Cobbler topping
Flour and baking powder. I used half wholemeal and half white plain flour for the recipe. If you want to use self raising flour instead, just add half a teaspoon of baking powder. For a gluten free cobbler, use this GF scone recipe for the topping, and omit the sugar. Or you could use this GF cheese scone recipe.
Butter. If you want to make a dairy free cobbler, use this dairy free scone recipe for the topping.
Egg. With wholemeal flour, I find it's best to use an egg in the scone mixture as it helps to make it a little lighter.
Milk, dairy or non dairy.
Optional ingredients
- You could also add a little bacon or ham to the recipe (especially if you've got Christmas leftovers!). If you use raw bacon, fry it with the onions so that it has time to cook through properly.
- A can of cooked beans such as haricot or cannellini beans will add extra veggies and fibre to the cobbler.
- Gravy. If you'd like a turkey cobbler with a cream sauce, add 50ml of cream or creme fraiche to the sauce at the end. You can also add a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste if you'd like a richer tomato-y gravy. Or replace 100ml of the stock with a glass of white wine. You can also add some leftover cranberry sauce or a spoonful of chutney.
- It's not traditional, but if you like a cheesy topping, add a small handful of grated cheese to the cobbler topping. You could also add a teaspoon of dried herbs or fresh thyme to the scone mixture.
How to make turkey cobbler
Filling
Brown the onion in the olive oil over a medium heat. Getting a little colour on the onion will add extra flavour.
Add all the raw vegetables and garlic and continue to stir fry for 5 more minutes.
Stir the cornflour into a couple of tablespoons of cold water. Add the stock and cornflour mix to the pan. Add the cooked meat, any cooked vegetables and herbs.
Bring up to a boil, and simmer for a couple of minutes until the gravy thickens.
If you want to make a turkey cobbler with turkey mince, brown the meat with the onions. Add the remaining ingredients as per the recipe and simmer covered on a low heat for 20 minutes.
Topping
Preheat the oven to 210 degrees (190 fan)
Add both types of flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt to a large bowl. Add the cubed butter. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingers. After a few minutes, the mix should look like breadcrumbs, with no visible pieces of butter.
Crack the egg into a small bowl, and mix with 3 tablespoons of the milk. Add the egg to the flour mix, and use a knife blade to gently mix together. It will start to form clumps. You may need to add a splash more milk if the mixture still looks too dry.
Bring the mixture together with your hands and flatten it out to a circle about 2cm thick. Cut into triangles.
Transfer the cobbler filling to an ovenproof dish. Add the scones on the top, it doesn't matter if there are gaps between the topping. Sprinkle on cheddar if using.
Bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes, turning partway if necessary. It's important that the oven is hot when the cobbler goes in so that the scones rise properly.
Serving and storage
Serve the turkey cobbler with an extra helping of veggies or salad.
If you've used cooked leftovers to make your turkey cobbler, it's best not to reheat it again.
If you've made the cobbler with freshly cooked meat, you can store leftovers in the fridge for 2-3 days. However, you may find that the topping starts to dry out a little when you reheat it. I find it best to lift off the scones, heat the filling through in a pan, and pop the scones under the grill for a couple of minutes, maybe with a little grated cheese to keep them moist.
It's best not to make the cobbler topping ahead of time as the baking powder won't be so active and the topping might not rise so well.
Frequently asked questions
In the UK, a cobbler and crumble are not the same. With a crumble, the mixture is not blended together with egg or milk, and is sprinkled over all of the filling. The result is like a streusel texture. With a cobbler, large cobbles of mixture are spooned onto the filling, like scones.
Cornflour (or cornstarch) is the easiest way to thicken a cobbler. Remember, cornflour must always be mixed with a little cold liquid before being added to a hot mixture. You can use cornflour to thicken the juices in both a sweet or savoury cobbler.
You can keep leftover turkey in the fridge for 3-4 days. If you want to make a turkey cobbler from leftovers at a later date, you can freeze the cooked meat.
Other family meals you might like
You might also like to browse other healthy meat recipes.
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Recipe
Turkey Cobbler
Equipment
- frying pan
- mixing bowl and fork
- small mixing bowl
- oven proof baking dish approx 30 x 20 cm
Ingredients
Filling
- 500 g cooked turkey or chicken, or turkey mince
- 1 onion peeled and chopped
- 200 g carrots washed and diced finely
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoon mixed dried herbs or thyme
- 1 clove garlic peeled and very finely chopped
- 400 ml chicken stock or leftover gravy
- 2 tablespoon cornflour
- 150 g frozen peas
Topping
- 75 g wholemeal plain flour
- 75 g plain flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 35 g butter cut into cubes
- 3-4 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Heat a large pan over a medium heat. Add the olive oil and the onion. Fry for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onion is starting to brown.
- Add the uncooked vegetables and garlic. Stir fry for 5 minutes.
- Add the stock. Stir the cornflour into a couple of tablespoons of cold water, and mix into the pan. Add the cooked meat, herbs and any cooked vegetables. Simmer for a couple of minutes until the sauce thickens.
Cobbler topping
- Preheat the oven to 210 degrees (190 fan)
- Add the flour, baking powder plus a pinch of salt to a large bowl.
- Add the cubed butter. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips. After a couple of minutes it will look like breadcrumbs and all the butter will be mixed in.
- Beat the egg in a small bowl and mix in 3 tablespoons of the milk. Add the egg/milk to the flour mix. Stir together with the blade of a knife. It will clump together. If it still looks dry, add a splash more milk until it forms clumps.
- Bring the mixture into a ball with your hands. Flatten the scone mixture into a circle 2cm thick. Cut into triangles.
- Spoon the filling into an ovenproof dish. Add the scones to the top of the dish.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes. If necessary, turn partway through to ensure the topping browns easily.
Notes
- You could also add bacon or ham. If you want to use raw bacon, fry it with the onions at the start of the recipe.
- Other veggies can also be added. Cut them into small dice to make sure that they cook through. Raw spinach can be added at the end of the cooking time.
- Cooked leftover vegetables can also be added to the filling at the same time as the meat.
- For a richer gravy, add either 2 tablespoons tomato puree, 50 ml cream/creme fraiche, or replace 100 ml of the stock with a glass of wine.
- If you want to use raw turkey mince in the recipe, brown it with the onions. Add the remaining ingredients as per the recipe and simmer covered on a low heat for 20 minutes.
Nutrition
Please note nutritional information is for guidance only
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