how to thicken ham pot pie

How to Thicken Your Ham Pot Pie for the Perfect Creamy Filling

Ham pot pie is the ultimate comfort food. Chunks of tender ham and vegetables enveloped in a creamy savory sauce all tucked into a golden brown, flaky crust. Each cozy bite is utter perfection. Well, as long as you achieve the ideal texture of the filling. An overly thin, runny pot pie is a letdown after all that pie crust crimping and baking.

So how can you ensure your ham pot pie filling has that luscious, thick consistency every time? Here are some simple tips and tricks to thickening up your ham pot pie filling for pie perfection

Start with a Roux
A classic roux is the base of most creamy pot pie fillings. By cooking equal parts butter and flour together, you create a thickening paste that lends body to the sauce as it simmers.

Typically, a ham pot pie filling starts with cooking aromatics like onion, celery and carrot in butter or oil. Then a generous sprinkling of flour (about 1/4 cup for a 9 inch pot pie) is added to coat the vegetables and cook briefly while stirring constantly. This prevents lumps from forming.

Once the raw flour taste cooks out in 1-2 minutes, broth and dairy (milk, half and half or heavy cream) get added and the sauce simmers until thickened to your desired consistency. The starch in the flour absorbs the surrounding liquids to give you that deliciously creamy sauce for your ham and vegetables to bathe in.

Whisk Well to Avoid Lumps
If your roux isn’t well blended, those pesky flour lumps can form in your sauce. Make sure to whisk vigorously after adding the flour so no clumps remain before adding the liquids. Switch to a wooden spoon and stir frequently as the pot pie filling simmers and thickens to prevent any lumps from developing.

If despite your best efforts a few lumps sneak through, simply strain the filling through a mesh sieve before adding to your pie shell. This will catch any uncooperative lumps!

Cook the Roux Thoroughly
In your rush to get that pot pie assembled, it can be tempting to cut corners on cooking the flour-butter roux. But insufficiently cooked flour leads to two undesirable outcomes: a raw taste and a thinner sauce.

Take a minute or two to cook the flour once added to the cooked vegetable mixture. It helps remove that raw, starchy flavor. And the heat gives the starch molecules time to unravel and better absorb the broth you add next, resulting in a thicker end product.

Patience pays off with a smooth, thick ham pot pie filling!

Fortify with Heavy Cream
Want to take your pot pie filling to the next level of lusciousness? Reach for the heavy cream. In place of milk or half and half, substituting in some heavy cream amps up the richness and thickness of the filling.

Start with a 50/50 split of heavy cream and milk or broth if going for an extra decadent pot pie meal. You can even use all heavy cream but the dish may become overly rich.

Finish with a Slurry
If your filling still seems a tad thin once the pot pie is cooked and ready to serve, there’s a quick fix. In a small bowl, whisk together a teaspoon of cornstarch or flour with 1-2 tablespoons of cold water until smooth.

Remove the pot pie from the oven and stir in the slurry while the filling is still hot. Pop it back in the oven for 5 more minutes to thicken up. The heat activates the starch molecules in the slurry for an instant thickening effect. Just be sure not to leave the slurry in too long or the filling can become gluey.

Pick Produce Strategically
The vegetables you choose for your ham pot pie filling can also impact the thickness. Heartier, starchy vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes, parsnips and peas will add body and texture. Whereas leafy greens like spinach will release more liquid.

Save the delicate greens for other dishes and opt for chunky, sturdy produce in your pot pie. You want heft to balance out all that lovely sauce.

Reduce Liquid Gradually
If you’re simmering away your pot pie filling and it seems a little soupy, try reducing the broth or milk in the recipe by a few tablespoons. Don’t get too carried away though or the filling could become dry.

You can also opt to thicken the broth itself before adding to the pot pie filling. Simmer it down or make an easy slurry by whisking a teaspoon of cornstarch with broth until smooth then stir into the rest of the broth. Let simmer briefly until thickened.

Bake Uncovered for Maximum Evaporation
Moisture evaporating from your ham pot pie filling while baking leads to a thicker final consistency. That’s why it’s ideal to bake your pot pie fully uncovered if your filling turned out slightly thin.

Rather than topping it with the second crust or oven-safe covering, simply bake uncovered in a pie dish or casserole pan. The direct exposure to the dry oven air helps draw out excess moisture from the filling.

Just keep an eye on the pot pie as it bakes uncovered and may require 10-15 minutes less time. You still want the filling nicely bubbly and vegetables tender before removing from the oven.

Add a Starchy Binder
Sometimes no matter how perfect your roux seems, the pot pie filling still refuses to thicken fully. Time to pull out the big guns in the form of starchy binders.

Starches like corn starch, potato starch, arrowroot and tapioca flour act as thickeners. Mix a teaspoon with a tablespoon of cold water to form a loose slurry. Stir into simmering gravy, sauce or soup and cook for 1-2 minutes until thickened.

The granules of these starches swell and absorb liquid to help give your filling a boost. Just avoid boiling the filling once added or you’ll get thinning instead of thickening.

Finish with Flour
Out of thickeners and need to rally at the last minute? Don’t worry, regular flour can still save the day! Make a quick flour slurry by whisking together 1 tablespoon flour with 2 tablespoons water or broth.

Once smooth, slowly stir into simmering filling a little at a time until desired consistency is reached. Let bubble gently briefly to cook off any raw taste.

If you accidentally add too much and the filling gets overly thick, simply stir in a splash more liquid like milk to thin it out again.

Double the Dairy
Maybe your roux seems perfectly cooked and yet the filling still seems too thin. The issue may be you simply need more dairy fat. Richer dairy = thicker gravy.

Try doubling the dairy called for in the recipe. So instead of 1 cup milk or half and half, use 2 cups. You can even incorporate sour cream for extra thickness thanks to its fat content.

Just beware adding too much more liquid to the filling without also upping the thickener like flour in your roux. Otherwise you’ll end up back where you started with runny pie!

Test Consistency Pre-Bake
Revise as needed before that point of no return when the pie is baked! Test the thickness of your filling at two key points:

• After making the roux and once the dairy/broth has simmered and thickened

• After assembling the pie but before baking when you can still tweak it

If it seems thin, you have time to quickly boil down to reduce or incorporate a slurry. Pot pie perfection awaits!

Add Egg Yolks
Here’s a neat trick to thicken your filling without dulling flavor – egg yolks! For every 1 cup of hot liquid in your pot pie filling, temper in 1 egg yolk while constantly stirring.

The heat causes the proteins in the yolk to set into tender, flavorful curds that lightly thicken the filling. A great option if you want to avoid starchy thickeners.

Fold in Collagen
Collagen peptides are a popular supplement gaining attention for their health benefits. But they can also be used to add thickness to sauces and fillings!

Mix a scoop of unflavored collagen into the hot pot pie filling in the last few minutes of cooking. Remove from heat and stir until fully dissolved. The collagen acts as a binder to give a rich, silky texture and shine.

Beef up with Beans
If your ham pot pie filling seems a little sparse, plump it up with beans! White beans, cannellini beans, great northern beans and chickpeas all work well.

Beans provide additional body and bulk to fill out the sauce. Just don’t overdo it or you’ll lose that succulent hunks of ham in the mix. Aim for about 1 cup cooked beans.

Simmer Uncovered
If uncovered cooking robbed too much moisture from your filling, try the opposite next time. Cover the pot while simmering your roux and liquid ingredients. The lid traps steam to keep things moist.

Just be sure to remove lid and cook uncovered once filling reaches desired consistency to prevent it from getting too watery.

Add Finely-Minced Veggies
Skip large vegetable chunks and instead mince veggies extra-fine. The more you chop and purée produce, the more it breaks down and releases starches to thicken the cooking liquid.

Finely mincing onions or shallots is particularly effective to amp up thickness. Just take care not to lose all vegetable texture in the filling if taken too far!

Whisk in Some Metamucil
Here’s a little secret weapon hidden in many kitchens – Metamucil! The psyllium husk fiber supplement can work wonders to thicken up thin sauces and gravies.

Whisk a teaspoon of Metamucil into the hot filling, then let rest for 5 minutes off heat. The fiber absorbs liquid and binds to create a thicker consistency, no weird taste or texture. Just pure thickening magic!

Rely on Rice
Here’s a natural, subtle thickener you may already have on hand – rice! Cook up a small amount such as 1/4 cup uncooked white or brown rice.

Once tender, mash the grains and stir into your thin ham pot pie filling. Simmer briefly until desired thickness is reached.

The starch released from the rice acts as a handy binder. Gets the job done without altering the filling’s flavor!

Bulk Up with Breadcrumbs
Don’t overlook those leftover breadcrumbs in your pantry or fridge. They make a quick and easy way to add body to your pot pie filling minus heavy starches.

Stir in a handful of fresh breadcrumbs – panko style works great – in the last few minutes of simmering. They absorb liquid to lend thickness without compromising the texture.

Add an Egg
Cracking in a whole egg to your warm pot pie filling imparts thickness in two helpful ways. First, the proteins in the cooked egg act as a binder. And the fat from the yolk lends richness to create a thicker consistency.

Whisk the egg into hot (not boiling) filling and cook briefly until bubbly and thick. The egg gives body without dulling flavors of the filling.

Simmer Low & Slow
High heat causes ingredients to break down more, which leads to thinner results. For a thicker pot pie filling, keep the heat lower.

Gently simmer the filling at a lazy bubble. This allows starches to absorb liquid and achieve maximum thickening power without cooking down too rapidly. Be patient for best outcomes!

In Conclusion
Achieving the perfect thick, luxurious ham pot pie filling may seem complicated. But a combination of smart ingredients, proper cooking techniques, and a watchful eye are all it takes.

Follow the tips above and you’ll be rewarded with a luscious, creamy filling encasing hearty ham and vegetables in each steaming slice of this ultimate comfort food. Just be careful not to burn your mouth devouring that first irresistible bite! Let your pot pie cool slightly before diving in and savoring its scrumptious thickness.