The comfort of casseroles with their multiple layers, perfectly flaky pastry, bubbly cheeses, and crispy coatings make for impressive family meal times and are very easy to pull off. This weekend, I’m creating some more easy make ahead freezer meals you can have any night of the week.

Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:

Recipe Pastry for Single-Crust  Pie or a 15-ounce package rolled refrigerated unbaked piecrust (2 crust)
2 cups cooked seasoned chicken breast, chopped
1 15-ounce can mixed vegetables, drained
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup cream cheese
1/4 teaspoon sage
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

Combine cooked chicken breast, mixed vegetables in a bowl; set aside. In medium saucepan, melt butter. Sauté onion until clear. Whisk in flour and cook until bubbly. Whisk in broth, milk and cream cheese. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened. Stir in seasonings.

Pour over chicken-vegetable mixture and stir to combine.

Cool completely if preparing for freezer. Line pie plate with bottom crust. Pour in filling.

Position top crust, crimp edges,* and bake at 375° for one hour or until crust is brown and filling bubbles. 

If you want to make this ahead and freeze. Simply wrap with foil at the asterisk*, label, and freeze. To serve: Vent top and brush with a little milk or egg wash. Bake at 450° for 15 minutes and then reduce heat and bake at 375° until crust is browned and filling bubbles, about one hour more.

Frozen peas, corn, carrots and potatoes can be used in place of the canned vegetables.

This is also yummy with beef or turkey. If you cook it the same night as you make it, you can cut the top crust into strips for a criss cross design as shown in the picture above. (I also omitted the milk and cream cheese for that one.)