In need of a little comfort this weekend? Or maybe just a fabulous centerpiece? Pot Pie will get you there.
You know what to expect out of a pot pie, and this one will never in a million years disappoint. Flaky pastry, creamy béchamel, peas, carrots, and toothsome seitan. It’s a downright necessity at the holiday table and, fine, I’ve been known to eat it for breakfast, too. So what, I’m an adult, and I can do as I please.
If you don’t want to use seitan, then two cups of cooked chickpeas work great, too! This recipe is from The Superfun Times Vegan Holiday Cookbook, out 11/15/16!
Notes
~ There’s nothing truly scary about pie dough, but I can’t make you not scared of it. So, if you’d rather by two frozen ones, then go for it! The trick to making them look homemade is to let it thaw and then put one in a different pie plate, pressing it down and flattening the edges along the rim. Cut off any excess dough to use for cute scraps on top.
After filling it, take the other thawed dough, and tuck it over the filling, again cutting off any excess dough for scraps. Pinch the edges together and use a fork to seal the rim (as shown). Brush with a little milk and place the scraps on top in cute autumnal leaf shapes. NO ONE WILL KNOW. Maybe I even did that for this photo, hmmm?
~ There’s a great olive oil pastry crust recipe here if you’d like to try it! There are also a few great ones in my Pie Book (and I’m sure they’re searchable online, too.)
Ingredients
Double pastry crust, storebought or homemade
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups seitan, thinly sliced
1 medium yellow onion, diced medium
1 cup small-diced peeled carrots
1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt
1 cup frozen green peas (no need to thaw)
3 celery ribs, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried sage
Freshly ground black pepper
1⁄3 cup all-purpose flour
1 3⁄4 cups vegetable broth, purchased or homemade
2⁄3 cup unsweetened almond milk (or your favorite nondairy milk)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a 9-inch pie plate with the bottom crust. Roll out the top crust and put in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
Preheat a cast iron pan over medium heat. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil, then sauté the seitan until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer the seitan to a plate.
In the same pan, heat another 1 tablespoon oil and sauté the onion and carrot with a pinch of salt until the onion is translucent and the carrot is slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Add the peas, celery, thyme, sage, remaining 11⁄2 teaspoons salt, and a few grinds of black pepper and sauté until the celery is softened, about 2 minutes.
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and, using a slanted wooden spatula, stir constantly as you sprinkle in the flour. Keep stirring to toast the flour, adding up to another tablespoon of oil if necessary. Toast just until the flour is a shade darker, about 3 minutes.
Stream in the vegetable broth and mix until there are no clumps, then add the almond milk. Let cook until thickened, about 5 minutes.
Layer the seitan in the bottom pie crust. Pour in the filling mixture. Place the top crust over the filling and seal the edges. Make a few slits in the top crust to let steam escape.
Bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 35 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
This recipe was so easy, so quick, and so impressive. I kinda cheated and used Gardein Chickn Scallopini chunks instead of seitan, and a frozen pie crust. I have three kids (aged 5-13), and they gobbled it up. I served it with potatoes because…potatoes. The perfect wintery day food! Thanks for this recipe, Isa.
I made this for Thanksgiving and it was delicious!
Again. How is this possible? So delicious! You never fail.
I made this as a last-minute dish for Thanksgiving, using both the olive oil crust recipe and the one for your seitan “chicken” cutlet as well. Simply yummy! Based on Heather’s comment above, I decided to add a couple of diced red potatoes to the pie, and it didn’t harm it in the least.
My Thanksgiving table was wonderfully enhanced.
Muchas gracias, señora!
This dish was simple, fast, and stunning all at the same time. I didn’t really follow the recipe since I used Gardein Chickn Scallopini bits for the seitan and a premade pie dough. They all ate it up, even my five-to-thirteen-year-old triplets. The reason I paired it with potatoes was because potatoes. Excellent fare for the cold season! To Isa, with gratitude for this recipe.
Oh, I should also add: the following morning, like you, I had a healthy slice of the leftover pie for breakfast. So good. 😀
So delicious and easy!! I used veg chicken nuggets for convenience and it was really tasty.
Ack! I made the recipe and am ready to put it in the oven (at what temp? for how long?), but the recipe disappeared off your website! thank you thank you for all of your delicious recipes I’ve enjoyed over the years from your books and website.
Just made this for Christmas dinner and everyone LOVED it!!!!! The taste was incredible and the whole meal we were all just exclaiming over how delicious it was and all your recipes, Isa! Highly, highly recommend! It was my first time working with pie dough (I bought it frozen from the store, but was still scared), but this recipe helped me in my first step as an introduction, and I loved it. Soooo wonderful having that light crispness against the delicious, creamy filling. Yum!
can you freeze this?
i made the phyllo pot pie from your other book and it made 2! i want to give one to a friend who comes back from out of town in a few days.
I’m curious about this too! I make this regularly and would love to have one ready to go in the freezer!
The Best Ever!! We’ve already made this 3 times since getting the book.
This is fantastic, I’ve never been able to fully replicate the beloved pot pies of my childhood- until now. The béchamel beats out all the other cashew bases I’ve used in previous pot pies, hands down. We were out of peas so I subbed in some corn which added a nice hint of sweetness. Thanks for such a fabulous recipe!
This was AWESOME. I made your olive oil crust and my husband, 3-year-old, and I all LOVED it. We’re definitely adding this into our recipe routine for chillier months.
Thanks, Isa! We love you!
I was so afraid I was going to ruin the whole thing but it turned out amazing! My family loved it as well. I used the pastry crust recipe from Veganomicon
Thank you for your great recipe!
I have made this several times (using purchased pie crusts and dairy milk instead of non-dairy) and it has been awesome every single time. It is my son’s favorite now. I have even made mini pot pies in muffin tins so he could take them to school for lunch. Thanks for the great recipe!
I would love to taste a pot pie like that. It looks absolutely fabulous. My name is Jim, click here to share your thoughts.
Again. How is this possible? So delicious! You never fail.
I am allergic to cellery so I am wondering what other vegetable I could use instead. I was thinking potato or some kind of heat tolerant green vegetable (brocoli, green beans, etc). Anyone have any advice?
Just made this for Christmas dinner w/mashed potatoes & mushroom gravy on the side. The pie was outstanding, the seitan was the best ever. So, now I know, you are the best vegan cook I have ever come across and full of sass to top it off. Thanks Isa. You’re a gift.
she sure as hell is! Isa has changed our lives and our businesses (vegan businesses btw) with her fabulous self!
I’ve made this with great northern beans, using their broth. It came out great! The bean starch adds a really nice creaminess to the sauce.
I live with 9 other people, and make 2 of these regularly for lunch. I serve them with sautéed kale & roasted tomatoes on the side. Everyone always loves this recipe. Thank you for doing it again! In our household, whenever someone compliments a meal I make, my answer is inevitably “Isa.” Noone’s recipes are like yours. Someday we’ll all make it up to Brooklyn to Modern Love!
This has become a staple in my household. It’s so much fun to make and is absolutely delicious.
Definitely a classic! Lately I’ve been making this without the almond milk. I forgot it once and didn’t miss it. Seitan is nicest for this, but tofu sausages have also worked well as a substitute.
And thanks so much Isa – ‘Appetite for Reduction’ got our household through the pandemic, we’ve run our copy ragged and have tried almost every recipe. Portobello Pepper Steak Stew and Black Bean and Zucchini Olive Tacos were weekly staples!