Pot pie is comfort food, but a crust and a separate pot of gravy are not weeknight moves. This skillet keeps the creamy turkey-and-vegetable core and swaps the pastry for short pasta that cooks right in the sauce.

You get that Sunday leftover flavor from grocery-aisle ingredients in about 35 minutes, all in one pan.

Ingredients

Pasta and turkey

2 Tbsp (28 g) unsalted butter
1 Tbsp (15 ml) olive oil
1 small yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup / 140 g)
2 medium carrots, diced (about 1 cup / 130 g)
2 celery stalks, diced (about ¾ cup / 75 g)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb (454 g) ground turkey (93% lean) or diced cooked turkey
1 tsp kosher salt, divided
½ tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
½ tsp dried sage or poultry seasoning
8 oz (227 g) short pasta (rotini, penne, or egg noodles)
3 cups (720 ml) low-sodium chicken broth
¾ cup (180 ml) whole milk or half-and-half
1 cup (140 g) frozen peas
2 Tbsp (16 g) all-purpose flour
¼ cup (25 g) grated Parmesan, optional
Chopped parsley, for serving

Method

Melt butter with oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery; cook 4–5 minutes until softened. Stir in garlic 30 seconds.
Add ground turkey with ½ tsp salt, pepper, thyme, and sage. Cook 5–6 minutes, breaking it up, until no longer pink. (If using cooked turkey, skip browning and add it with the peas later.)
Sprinkle flour over the pan; stir 1 minute. Pour in broth and milk, scraping browned bits. Bring to a simmer.
Stir in pasta and remaining ½ tsp salt. Cover and cook 10–12 minutes, stirring once or twice, until pasta is al dente and sauce thickens.
Fold in peas (and cooked turkey if using). Simmer uncovered 2 minutes. Off heat, stir in Parmesan if using. Rest 2 minutes; sauce tightens as it sits.
Scatter parsley. Taste for salt. Serve hot.

Cook's note

Ground turkey cooks fast and stays moist if you do not over-stir once the pasta goes in. Egg noodles finish a minute sooner than penne — start checking at 9 minutes.

What to serve with it

A simple green salad or steamed green beans. Extra black pepper and a pat of butter on each bowl lean into the pot-pie vibe without more cooking.

Make-ahead and leftovers

Dice the onion, carrots, and celery up to 1 day ahead. Leftovers keep 3–4 days; reheat with a splash of broth so the pasta loosens. Not ideal for freezing — the dairy sauce can separate.

Troubleshooting

**Sauce thin?** Simmer uncovered 2–3 more minutes, or mash a few pasta pieces into the liquid. **Pasta stuck?** Stir mid-cook and keep heat at a gentle simmer, not a hard boil. **Turkey dry?** Pull as soon as it loses pink; residual heat finishes it in the sauce.