Veggie Pot Pie
Written by Rachel, Posted in Baking, Dairy-Free, Dinner, Eggs, Gluten Free, Herbs, Leftovers, Legumes, Lentils, Main Dishes, One Dish Dinners, Potatoes, Potlucks, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian
Pot pie is one of my favorite foods. I think I say that a lot though. So many foods are favorites that I’m starting to lose track. I guess it depends on the season. Pot pie is one of those dishes that I don’t make all that often during the hot summer months. But, when it finally cools down, it’s all that I want to eat (that and soup, always soup). But, this pot pie can be enjoyed any time of the year, because the veggies can be changed up to suit whatever you’ve got on hand.
This is a great dish to clean out the produce drawers. That’s what it felt like today. I used mushrooms (great for adding a deep, rich flavor), summer squash (but winter squash would be great here too), carrots, turnips (don’t add too many, otherwise they may overwhelm), eggplant, potatoes, radishes (doesn’t matter what kind), onion, chile pepper, garlic chives, and garlic… It’s at least one of everything that I had on hand, minus the lettuce and tomatoes that I’ll save for another time.
I also added lentils, or you could add tofu if you’d like. They would take the place of the meat in a Chicken Pot Pie, Beef Pot Pie, or Lobster Pot Pie.
Since there were so many veggies, they took a while to cook. Once they were tender, I added some veggie stock whisked with some all purpose flour (or you could whisk the stock with some cornstarch for a gluten-free version). Once it came to a boil it began to reduce down and thicken, resulting in a nice rich gravy.
At this point, you could just top the oven-proof skillet with pie crust and pop it into the oven. But, today I wanted to do some individual pot pies, so I greased some ramekins and filled them with the hot filling.
If you’re making this ahead of time, the filling can be cooled at this point and then refrigerated or frozen. To use it, defrost in the fridge for a day, then either heat it up first, or pour it into the baking dish and top with pie crust. If your filling is cold you may want to cover your crust with tinfoil partway through the baking time if it starts to get too brown.
Pot pies can also be covered, baked, and cooled completely, then reheated at a later date. To cool quickly, remove the crust to cool separately. Stir the filling often to get cool air into it. Refrigerate once it’s cooled down (if food is too hot when it goes into the fridge, the fridge temperature may raise to an unsafe temperature).
Of course you could also just stand at the stove and eat it out of the pan… 😉
I have a favorite pie crust that I make, from Alana’s cookbook, The Homemade Pantry. One crust was perfect for four individual ramekins of pot pie. If you prefer gluten-free, there are flour blends available, or you can just buy a GF crust at your favorite market.
I can’t decide what’s more favorite, the beautifully browned crust or the savory gravy soaked veggies. Good thing I get to eat them together.
Happy Eating!
Ingredients
- 2 T olive oil
- 1 C any: potatoes, rutabagas, sweet potatoes, chopped
- 6-7 C combination of any that you like together: carrots, parsnips, turnips, beets, radishes, eggplant, summer squash, winter squash, onion, shallot, leeks, fennel, celery, greens, cabbage, bell pepper, green beans, peas, broccoli, cauliflower, corn, asparagus
- to taste salt
- 2-3 cloves garlic, diced
- 1/2 C lentils or tofu (optional), chopped, if tofu
- 1/4 C any* (fresh): garlic chives, basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, or rosemary, chopped
- 1/2 t paprika
- 1 t dijon mustard
- 2 T AP flour or 1 T cornstarch whisked with 2 1/4 C cold veggie stock
- 1 T lemon juice or vinegar
- 1 pie crust
- 1 egg (optional), whisked, for brushing
- salt
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 350F.
- Heat an oven-proof skillet (unless using individual ramekins, in which case just use a skillet). Add oil. Add veggies and salt. Cook over medium-low for about 15-20 minutes, or until veggies are tender, stirring occasionally. Add garlic through dijon and cook for 1 minute. Add flour or cornstarch and veggie stock mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes, or until sauce has reduced and thickened and all veggies are tender. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice or vinegar. Taste and adjust seasoning if desired.
- Roll out pie crust. Use it to top the oven-proof skillet, or divide the veggie mixture into 4 greased 6" ramekins and top with pie crust (1 crust should be enough for 4 ramekins). Brush with egg if desired, sprinkle with salt, and use a knife to cut some vent holes in the center.. Bake for 30 minutes, or until crust is browned and flaky.
