Mushroom Stout Pie With Potato Biscuits

Serves 8
Total time: 1 hour 20 minutes || Active time: 45 minutes

This vegan mushroom and bean pie is pot-pie adjacent and so, so good. A fluffy potato biscuit soaking up a deeply savory gravy that is at once mysterious and familiar. The stout really gives this dish an allure, and two kinds of mushrooms make it meaty and earthy and just umami like nobody’s business. Kidney beans add heft and substance, dried porcini bring that deep woodsy magic, and the whole thing simmers into something that smells like the coziest pub you’ve ever walked into.

Here’s what I really love about this recipe, though: no expensive puff pastry, no fighting with frozen dough, no shortcuts required. The potato biscuits are satisfyingly from scratch, they come together in under 10 minutes with stuff you probably already have, and they bake up golden and tender right on top of the stew. It’s a one-pot showstopper that tastes like you fussed all day, but really it was just an hour or so.

A little backstory: I originally published this recipe on the blog back in 2013 and it quickly became a St. Patrick’s Day staple for a lot of you. It later made its way into Superfun Times, and this is that version:  a little more polished, a little more streamlined, same incredible flavor.

VEGAN MUSHROOM STOUT PIE FAQ

What if I don’t have leftover mashed potatoes? No problem! Pierce a russet potato all over with a fork and microwave for 5 to 7 minutes, until fork-tender. Scoop it out of the peel and mash with ¼ cup unsweetened nondairy milk, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and a pinch of salt. Let cool, then measure and use.

Can I make this without a Dutch oven? Absolutely. Make the stew in any large pot, then transfer it to a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish. Form the biscuit dough into a rectangle instead of a circle, cut it into 9 pieces, and arrange them on top. Bake as directed.

Is stout beer vegan? Not always! Some stouts are processed with isinglass, which comes from fish. Check Barnivore to see if your favorite brand is vegan-friendly before you buy. Avoid flavored stouts, like chocolate or vanilla or pumpkin or whatever.

Can I substitute the beer? Yes! If you don’t cook with alcohol, use an equal amount of vegetable broth plus a tablespoon of red miso paste. You’ll lose a little of that roasty depth but it’ll still be delicious and savory.

Can I use a different bean? Sure. White beans or chickpeas would both work nicely here. Black beans would be a little too strong in flavor for this particular stew, but you do you.

Can I make this ahead of time? You can make the stew a day or two ahead and refrigerate it. When you’re ready to eat, warm the stew on the stovetop, make the biscuit dough, arrange it on top, and bake as directed. I wouldn’t make the biscuits ahead.

Can I freeze this? The stew freezes beautifully for up to 3 months. The biscuits don’t freeze as well once baked (they get a little dense), so I’d recommend freezing just the stew and making fresh biscuits when you reheat.

Can I skip the biscuits? If you’re feeling lazy or just want a simpler weeknight meal, the stew is incredible all on its own. Serve it with some nice crusty bread and call it a day.

What do you serve with this? This is pretty much a meal in itself: protein, veggies, and carbs all in one pot. But a simple green salad on the side is always nice, or some roasted broccoli if you want more green on the plate.

Mushroom Stout Pie With Potato Biscuits

Isa Chandra

A cozy vegan stew loaded with two kinds of mushrooms, stout beer, and kidney beans, topped with fluffy from-scratch potato biscuits and baked until golden and bubbling. Great for a St. Patrick's Day dinner!

5 from 1 vote

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Course entree

Cuisine irish

Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

For the stew:

• 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion diced medium
• 1 ¼ teaspoons salt plus a pinch
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 8 ounces cremini mushrooms thinly sliced
• 2 celery ribs thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 8 ounces carrots peeled and cut into thin half-moons
• 1 ¼ cups stout beer
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• Freshly ground black pepper
• ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cold water
• 2 15-ounce cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained, or 3 cups cooked kidney beans

For the biscuits:

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup leftover mashed potatoes see FAQ
• ½ cup cold water
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

For garnish:

• Chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

 

Make the stew:

• Put the porcinis in a large bowl. If the porcinis are large, tear them into bite-size pieces. Bring the vegetable broth to a boil in a saucepan on the stovetop or in the microwave, and pour it over the porcinis. Cover the bowl with a plate to keep it hot while you prep everything you need. This will soften them and make the recipe go a bit faster.
• Preheat a Dutch oven over medium heat. Heat the oil, then sauté the onion and a pinch of salt until translucent, 4 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about a minute.
• Add the sliced cremini mushrooms (not the porcinis yet), celery, thyme, and rosemary and sauté until the mushrooms release their moisture and brown slightly, about 5 minutes.
• Add the carrots, stout, tomato paste, remaining 1¼ teaspoons salt, and a lot of freshly ground black pepper and bring to a boil. The liquid should reduce in about 3 minutes. Add the porcinis and vegetable broth, cover, and bring to a full boil for 5 minutes or so, to finish cooking and softening the porcinis.
• In a measuring cup, whisk the flour into the cold water with a fork until no lumps are left. Slowly add the slurry to the pot, mixing well as you go. Let the stew thicken for 5 minutes or so. Add the kidney beans, turn off the heat, and cover the pot to keep warm.

Make the biscuits:

• Preheat the oven to 425°F.
• In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, use a fork to mix the mashed potatoes, water, and olive oil. The mixture should be very loose and mushy.
• Make a well in the center of the flour and add the potato mixture. Mix with a fork until a stiff dough starts to form, then turn out the dough onto a clean surface and knead a few times to smooth it out. Flatten the dough into a disk 2 inches smaller than the pot with the stew in it. Cut the disk like a tic-tac-toe board into 9 pieces and arrange the pieces on top of the cooked stew.
• Bake, uncovered, until the biscuits are lightly browned on top and the stew bubbles up thickly around them, about 20 minutes. Let sit for 15 minutes or so, then garnish with parsley and serve.

Keyword Casserole, comfort food

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