Vegetarian Skillet Pot Pie With Puff Pastry

Every vegetarian recipe created by Evergreen Kitchen‘s Bri Beaudoin is delicious.  Beaudoin is also skilled at creating easy weeknight dinners packed with vegetables and protein. This vegetarian skillet pot pie delivers everything you want from a comfort-food classic — rich, hearty and deeply satisfying — but without the meat. Made entirely in one skillet and ready with minimal effort thanks to store-bought pastry, it’s an approachable yet impressive dinner perfect for weeknights or relaxed entertaining.

This veggie skillet pot pie is featured in Beaudoin’s recent book, Evergreen Kitchen: Weeknight Vegetarian Dinners For Everyone. In her book, Beaudoin explains what makes this dinner so special. “This dish is the ultimate comfort food. It’s a stick-to-your-ribs meal that won’t leave you needing to take a nap afterwards. The base is made with potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, and green peas coated in a delicious gravy. We even sneak some beans in for extra protein. Everything gets topped with a shatteringly crisp golden-brown pastry. Store-bought puff pastry saves the work of fussing around with a traditional crust. Better yet, this entire dish comes together in a single pan, which can also be brought directly to the table.”

Vegetarian Pot Pie

This vegetarian skillet pot pie delivers everything you want from a comfort-food classic — rich, hearty and deeply satisfying — but without the meat. Made entirely in one skillet and ready with minimal effort thanks to store-bought pastry, it’s an approachable yet impressive dinner perfect for weeknights or relaxed entertaining.

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Ingredients

• 1 tbsp grapeseed oil divided
• 2 cups finely chopped yellow onion
• 1½ cups carrots peeled and diced
• 8 oz cremini mushrooms, quartered quartered
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 3½ cups vegetable stock
• 3 cups russet potatoes cut into ½-inch cubes
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
• 1¼ tsps fine sea salt
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 can navy beans (14 oz / 398 ml can) drained and rinsed
• 1 cup frozen green peas
• ¼ cup fresh chives chopped
• 2 sheets frozen puff pastry defrosted in fridge overnight

Instructions

 

• Place an oven rack in the centre position and preheat to 400°F (200°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a 12-inch (30 cm) oven-safe skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the grapeseed oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté, stirring frequently, until golden brown around the edges, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the carrots and mushrooms and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
• To the skillet, add the remaining 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil and the flour, and toss to coat. Add the vegetable stock, stirring to incorporate the flour until no clumps remain. Add the potatoes, thyme, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer, stirring frequently, until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in the navy beans, peas, and chives. Remove from the heat.
• Meanwhile, prep the puff pastry. Unroll a pastry sheet onto a lightly floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, gently smooth out any creases. Cut the pastry into nine 3-inch (8 cm) squares. Repeat with the other pastry sheet. Transfer the pastry squares to the prepared baking sheet and freeze for 10 minutes. 2
• Assemble and bake: Layer the chilled pastry squares, slightly overlapping, over the filling in the skillet (you may have some squares left over 3 ). Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the puff pastry is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Notes

Make it vegan 

"Use a vegan puff pastry. Many of the inexpensive big brands are vegan-friendly because they use vegetable oils instead of butter. Just be sure to read the ingredient label," explains Beaudoin. Vegan puff pastry brands include Pillsbury Puff Pastry and Tenderflake Puff Pastry

Bri Beaudoin’s puff pastry tips

• Buy a block of puff pastry rather than sheets: You can use a block but you’ll need to roll it out until it is a 1/4 inch (5 mm) thick. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes before cutting as directed.
• How to keep puff pastry from shrinking: “Chilling the puff pastry and letting it rest will help minimize shrinkage in the oven,” writes Beaudoin.
• How to use up leftover puff pastry: “Make a cobbler by layering squares over a fruit filling. Or brush them with melted butter, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, and bake,” she writes. “Or take them on a savoury route: brush with melted butter and sprinkle with grated cheese and black pepper before baking.”

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Excerpted from Evergreen Kitchen: Weeknight Vegetarian Dinners for Everyone by Bri Beaudoin. Copyright © 2022 Bri Beaudoin. Photography by Anguel Dimov. Published by Penguin Canada, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.