This vegetarian pot pie is crazy delicious, with a flaky pot pie crust and a savory filling of veggies and Parmesan. Here’s how to make pot pie.
Is there any recipe cozier than a pot pie? Alex and I love the myriad of emotions and vibes you can convey through food. And there’s nothing that says “Let’s make it through the winter!” more than a pot pie. Since we eat a mostly plant based diet, typically our pot pies are full of vegetables. Our Vegan Pot Pie recipe is a fan favorite, so this year we decided to create a vegetarian version.
This vegetarian pot pie is Alex’s creation, and he nailed it. It’s got a ton of veggies, pesto and Parmesan in the filling, which makes for a filling that smells (and tastes) incredibly savory and earthy. Top that with a crispy, flaky crust, and it’s crazy delicious. It’s perfect for a winter dinner, romantic evening, fall dinner, or even a holiday like Thanksgiving or Christmas! Here’s how to make it.
Related: Vegetarian Meatballs & Gravy
How to make pot pie
A word of warning: this vegetarian pot pie takes a little over 1 hour to put together. So if you’re looking for a quick weeknight meal, this is not it. But if you have a bit of time to make a showstopper recipe, this one’s for you! It’s actually easiest if you make it with someone else: Alex and I made it together, and it’s a lot more fun to make. We’d definitely recommend it as a dinner party recipe or for a cooking date! And it’s romantic enough to work as a Valentine’s Day dinner recipe too.
The basic methods are simple: first, make the pot pie crust (more on that below). Set it in the refrigerator to chill, and then work on the filling. For this vegetarian pot pie, we decided on a filling that was evocative of the pot pies of childhood, but with a sophisticated flair. This vegetarian pot pie is filled with some of the usual suspects: potatoes, carrots and peas. But it also has white beans (for protein), that are pan fried together with shallots to bring a super savory, earthy vibe to the filling. (We stole this idea from our Vegan Pot Pie.)
To amp it up another level, Alex had the idea to stir in a bit of basil pesto and shredded Parmesan into the vegetables. It really takes it up another notch to the crazy delicious level. Make sure you find a great basil pesto to use here (this one is our favorite).
Vegetarian pot pie crust
So, how to make the perfect flaky pot pie crust for this vegetarian pot pie? Again, we’ve used the same concept from our Vegan Pot Pie with Sage Crust. But since this is a vegetarian pot pie, we used butter instead of coconut oil for the crust. This brings a hearty, down-home feel to the crust, versus the lightly floral element of the coconut oil crust (which is also crazy delicious: you should try it too!).
Similar to the vegan pot pie crust, we added dried sage to the dough, which brings in just the right amount of complexity. If you like a really salty pot pie crust, you could use salted butter here. But unsalted butter is what we used and it was perfect too.
Related: What’s the Difference Between a Vegan vs Vegetarian Diet?
How long to cook pot pie
The amount of time to cook pot pie of course depends on your pot pie recipe. For this vegetarian pot pie, it takes 25 minutes to bake the pie. Because the filling is all cooked already, the bake time is just to get the crust crisp and perfectly golden. So, how long to cook a pot pie is actually fairly short for this recipe!
Looking for savory pie recipes?
This vegetarian pot pie recipe is one of our favorite recipes. If you’re looking for some more savory pie recipes, here are a few on our website and around the web:
- Vegan Pot Pie with Savory Crust
- Vegetarian Tamale Pies
- Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie with French Lentils
- Savory Sweet Potato Galette with Feta
- Thyme and White Bean Pot Pies | Minimalist Baker
- 29 Savory Pies to Eat for Dinner Tonight | Bon Appetit
This recipe is…
This Vegetarian Pot Pie recipe is vegetarian.
Related: Try using our Homemade Vegetable Broth for this recipe!
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Vegetarian Pot Pie Recipe
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
Description
This vegetarian pot pie is crazy delicious, with a flaky pot pie crust and a savory filling of veggies and Parmesan. Here’s how to make pot pie.
Ingredients
For the crust
- 1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons dried sage
- ½ cup cold unsalted butter
- 7 tablespoons ice water, more as needed
For the vegetarian pot pie filling
- 1 large shallot
- 1 15-ounce can cannellini beans
- 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 large Yukon gold potato
- 2 medium carrots
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 1 red bell pepper
- ½ tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 ¾ cups vegetable broth
- ½ cup frozen peas
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup pesto
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, large grated
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Make the crust: In a medium bowl, mix the all-purpose flour, kosher salt, baking powder, and sage. Cut the butter into pieces and drop it into the flour mixture. Use a pastry blender to cut it into the flour mixture until a coarse meal texture is obtained.
- Sprinkle the ice water over the flour, mixing gradually with fork until the dough sticks together. Add additional water by the tablespoon until the dough comes together with your hands, but is not sticky (add a bit more water or flour if necessary). Form the dough into a ball and refrigerate in a covered container until the filling is ready, or at least 30 minutes.
- Make the filling: Slice the shallot into rings. Drain and rinse the cannellini beans in a strainer, shaking them dry. Place a large skillet over medium low heat and add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the shallot and beans to the skillet in a single layer. Add a pinch of kosher salt and cook without stirring for 3 to 4 minutes until the bottoms are browned and crispy; the beans will pop a bit so you may want to use a splash screen if you have one. Stir and then cook without stirring for another 3 to 5 minutes until the beans and shallots crispy and fully browned (some may fall apart). Remove from heat and remove the beans to a bowl.
- Meanwhile, dice the potato and carrots into 1/2-inch cubes. Dice the onion and dice the bell pepper into ½ inch cubes.
- In the warm skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the potatoes, onion, pepper, and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender and may be lightly browned, about 10 minutes. When the potatoes are tender, reduce the heat to low. Add the oregano and flour and stir until the vegetables are coated. Add the vegetable broth, peas, and kosher salt. Stir for about 4 minutes until the broth thickens into a sauce. Remove from the heat and stir in the pesto, Parmesan cheese, and the crispy beans and shallots. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
- Pour the filling into a deep dish 9” pie pan or small baking dish, or into several smaller baking dishes. Fill it only up to the top so the filling doesn’t spill out: there might be a small amount of filling left depending on your pie dish and size of vegetables.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it out on a floured surface until it is large enough to cover the pan. Work quickly as the dough is easiest to work with while it’s just come to room temperature. Drape the dough over the pan and remove excess dough. Lightly crimp the edges (it’s a rustic pie, so it doesn’t have to be perfect!). Cut 4 small slits to vent for steam in the center of the crust. In a small bowl, mix a few drops of water with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and lightly brush it over the dough.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the crust is golden and crispy. Place a tray on the rack underneath to catch any spills. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Vegetarian Pot Pie, Pot Pie Crust, How to make pot pie, Vegetarian Dinner Ideas, Healthy Dinner Ideas,
This looks delicious and tempting. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
You are so welcome!
I finally made this one last night after having it on my list since it came out. It was SOO good!! I made this with fresh sage, but other than that I followed the recipe pretty closely.
I think this recipe is especially good to make for guests. Its inherently impressive to make a pot pie, but you can prep the dough and either just chop the veggies in advance or maybe even premake the entire filling.
Only (potential) downside – I do think this tastes quite a bit better fresh out the oven, so to me its not a classic make ahead recipe..
Oh we are SO so glad to hear it! Fresh sage would be perfect. We agree, it does taste best fresh out of the oven! There are a few things that could speed up prep (make dough in advance, make filling in advance), but it is better freshly made.
Hi! Could I use chickpeas instead of the cannellini beans? This looks so delicious!
Yes, this should work fine!
How would turnips and parsnips be in lieu of potatoes?
That should work!
Lazy woman’s version: make filling as directed (yum!). Pour said filling into a greased pie pan. Top with store-bought puff pastry. Melt a bit of butter, stir in a sprinkle of dried sage. Brush butter/sage mixture on top of puff pastry. Bake as directed. Sooooooo gooooood!
Parmesan cheese is not vegetarian
There are several brands that are vegetarian and do not use rennet.
Just made this for dinner and it was absolutely wonderful! I did turn it into a double crust and adjusted the time and temp accordingly, but what a wonderful dish. Thanks!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Just made this tonight. Delicious!!
Very tasty, but made me gassy!
how far in advance could I make the filling and/or would the filling freeze well?
We haven’t tried it, but I think the filling would be fine for a day or 2 in the fridge. I wouldn’t recommend freezing.