A pot pie can certainly be a labor of love (like in middle school when my mom—to outdo Marie Callender—would make individually portioned frozen pot pies for me to bring as school lunch). This pot pie is all the love without the labor, with the filling prepared in cast iron on the stove, then topped with crust and popped right into the oven.
Here’s what you’ll need
Chickpea pot pie has two parts: The vegetable filling…and everything else (i.e. sauce + crust)! Veggie Filling – Classic veggies sautéed in olive oil, onion, and garlic to soften them some before baking. The star players are:
Carrots: We’ll need 1 cup of chopped carrots, which will be about 1 large carrot. Corn: ½ a cup of corn should be perfect. You can use fresh, frozen, or canned. Celery: We’ll use ½ cup of chopped celery, which will equal about 1 stalk. Peas: We will need one cup of peas. You can use fresh or frozen. Chickpeas: Lastly, we’ll be using 2 14-oz cans of chickpeas in this filling. Be sure to drain before adding!
Sauce and Crust – It wouldn’t be a vegetable pot pie without a bechamel sauce and buttery, flaky crust!
Butter + Flour + Salt + Pepper: These combine into a bechamel to hold all of our veggies. Vegetable Broth: Helps the sauce form a gravy-like consistency. Heavy Cream: Adds silky smoothness to the sauce Dough: For the crust, you can either use pie dough or puff pastry. Egg: We will brush one whisked egg onto the top of the pie.
Let’s cook!
It’s very easy to make vegetarian pot pie in a cast iron. In total, prep should only require 15 minutes! How’s that for an easy dinner? Step 1: Cook the veggiesTo begin making this pot pie, preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Heat the oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Once heated, add the onion, garlic, carrots, corn, and celery. Cook until the vegetables are tender and brightly colored, about 10 minutes. Next, transfer the veggies to a bowl and wipe the pan clean. Step 2: Prepare the sauce Melt the butter in the skillet over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, salt, and pepper, cooking until the flour loses its raw floury smell. This should take about 2 minutes. Next, gradually whisk in the broth to form a thick sauce. Remove from the heat and whisk to cool slightly, then slowly whisk in the cream. Finally, stir the cooked veggies, fresh or frozen peas, and drained chickpeas into the sauce. Step 3: Assemble the dishTop the cast iron with the puff pastry crust. You can weave it into strips (tutorial for lattice pie crust here), or you can place the entire dough on top of the pie. If you go with the latter, cut slits into the dough to vent the hot air. Trim the edges and tuck the dough inside the pan. Brush with the egg and set it in the oven (put a large baking sheet on a rack below to protect against leaks). Bake for 30 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.
Veganize It
There are three non-vegan items in this recipe that will need to be substituted in order to achieve a vegan pot pie. These include the egg, butter, and heavy cream.
Egg: Since the egg is used to brush onto the top of the pie, you can simply omit this step. If you’d still like to give the pot pie a glaze, you can brush it with the vegan butter of your choice. Butter: Butter is one of the easiest ingredients to veganize. Simply swap it out and replace it with the plant-based butter of your choice. Heavy Cream: For a heavy cream substitute, you use coconut or soy milk.
