Carolina Gelen’s Cosy Veggie Pot Pie
Carolina Gelen proves a delicious pie doesn't have to contain meat in this hearty vegetarian pie packed with plenty of veg and lentils. Looking for a vegan pie? Look out for the easy swaps to make this recipe vegan friendly.
Introduction
Nothing screams comfort food like some sort of saucy, hearty stew covered in a buttery, flaky puff pastry. The best part is this delicious ‘pot pie’ is the epitome of a clean-out-the-fridge type of dish. Don’t be afraid to make it your own. Play around with spices and use those veggie scraps! The leftovers are amazing with a fried egg on top for breakfast. I like to reheat it in my toaster oven while my egg is frying.
Ingredients
| For the filling: | |
|---|---|
| 4 tbsp | extra-virgin olive oil |
| 1 medium | brown onion, chopped |
| coarse salt | |
| 3 sticks | celery, chopped |
| 3 medium | carrots, chopped |
| 1 medium | red pepper, chopped |
| 2 tbsp | chopped fresh rosemary |
| 4 cloves | garlic, chopped |
| 1½ tsp | sweet paprika |
| ½ tsp | ground cumin |
| ¼ tsp | cayenne pepper |
| 2 × 400g cans | brown lentils, drained and rinsed |
| 2 tbsp | cornflour |
| 250ml | full-fat milk or unsweetened non-dairy milk |
| 4 tbsp | chopped fresh parsley, plus more for serving |
| For the pastry: | |
| 1 medium | egg or 1 tablespoon unsweetened non-dairy milk, for brushing |
| plain flour, for dusting | |
| ½ × 500g block | puff pastry, thawed overnight in the fridge if frozen |
Essential kit
You will need: a large flameproof casserole dish or heavy-based pot.
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6.
Make the filling: in a large flameproof casserole dish or heavy-based pot, heat the oil over a medium heat. Add the onion and a big pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and translucent, 4–5 minutes. Add the celery and carrots and cook, stirring, until the carrots are softened slightly, 6–8 minutes. Add the red pepper and rosemary and cook, stirring, until the pepper is softened, 3–4 minutes. Add the garlic, paprika, cumin and cayenne and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, 1–2 minutes. Stir in the lentils.
Add the cornflour and use a wooden spoon to toss and coat the vegetables. Stirring constantly, add 250ml water, followed by the milk. Cook, stirring occasionally, until visibly thickened, 4–5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the parsley. Taste and adjust the salt as needed.
Carefully transfer the mixture to a 23–25.5cm cast-iron frying pan or a deep casserole dish.
Prepare the pastry: in a small bowl, whisk together the egg and 1 table-spoon water to make an egg wash. If using non-dairy milk, simply add it to a small bowl.
Dust a work surface with flour. Working quickly to keep the pastry cold, roll it out into a sheet 5mm thick. Use a glass or round biscuit cutter to cut out as many rounds as you can in the dough. Place the dough rounds in an even layer on top of the vegetable filling, avoiding overlap as much as you can (a little is okay). Lightly brush the pastry rounds with the egg wash or non-dairy milk.
Bake until the pastry is puffed up, golden and firm, about 25 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Divide the pot pie among plates or bowls, top with more fresh parsley and serve.
Note: this recipe uses celery, carrots and pepper, but you can make this pie out of any veg looking rough or going mushy in your kitchen. I’m talking broccoli stalks, half a cabbage, dry cauliflower florets and old courgettes – all good.
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