By Elizabeth Herman | Posted: April 21, 2020

Pot pie is traditionally hearty and comforting (especially in the U.S.). For vegans and vegetarians, this recipe offers a wonderful way to create unique and nourishing lunch or dinner main dishes. Homemade pot pie tastes so much better and full of life force than frozen brands, though it does take a bit of time and several steps to create both a filling and a crust from scratch.

It's my experience that when I cook such yummy recipes with a calm and peaceful mind, they come out even better and my friends and family enjoy them even more. Before I jump on to the recipe, click here to join a FREE webinar to learn some wonderful techniques to calm your mind that can help you to cook with more joy and contentment. This is the best prep one can do before any kind of cooking.

Let's come back to the recipe now.

The vegetables in the filling can vary somewhat, although carrots, celery and peas are standard pot pie filling ingredients in the U.S. If you don’t have tofu, a potato, summer squash or leafy greens, feel free to leave them out and substitute whatever vegetables you do have that interest you. I usually don’t use beans in my pot pies, but they might be good in small amounts. Sometimes cheese can be added to a pot pie, but generally I don’t use it. I also skip onions and mushrooms, though some recipes do call for them.

Ingredients for filling

1 tablespoon oil (olive, coconut, grapeseed, or other mild oil of choice)

2 carrots, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 small potato, diced

1 small zucchini or yellow squash, diced

1 cup diced cabbage (or other leafy green vegetables like kale, spinach, etc.)

1 cup very firm cubed tofu (optional)

1 cup peas, fresh or frozen

2 cups water

¼ cup flour (whole wheat or unbleached)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sage

½ teaspoon thyme

½ teaspoon paprika

¼ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions for filling

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit. If you’re using tofu, drain it between two paper towels, fry in some oil for 5 minutes on one side and then turn to brown it on the other side for 5 more minutes. Remove from the large skillet and set aside.

2. Heat the rest of the oil in the same skillet and saute the carrots, celery, potato, zucchini, and cabbage (or other leafy green).

3. While the vegetables are cooking, combine the flour, water, salt, sage, thyme, paprika, and black pepper in a small bowl and stir. 

4. Add the liquid to the vegetables and stir gently over medium heat until thickened to the consistency of gravy. Remove from heat and gently stir in the peas and browned tofu. 

Ingredients for biscuit dough crust

2 cups flour (any combination of whole wheat, unbleached, oat flour, bran, wheat germ)

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ to ½ cup plant based butter or oil 

⅔ cup plant based milk (almond, soy, and coconut milks work nicely)

Instructions for biscuit dough crust

1. Stir together dry ingredients. Cut in cold vegan butter and combine with your hands until crumbly. If you use oil, you can just mix with a spoon until crumbly.

2. Add milk until dough forms into a ball. Knead gently 5 to 10 times, but don’t overwork.

3. Roll out the dough into a thin crust, as thin as you can, and then line the bottom of your pan with it. 

4. Break the excess off of the bottom crust, form into a ball again, and roll out again for the top crust. 

Assembling the pot pie

1. When your biscuit dough crust is rolled out, use it to line the bottom of a baking pan or casserole, pour the filling in, place the top crust over it and pinch closed along the side corners. 

2. Break off any excess top crust dough with your hands, form into a ball, and refrigerate for up to 1 week, or freeze to use later as a pizza crust, biscuits, or for some other need in your cooking. 

3. To allow some steam to escape while baking, slit the top crust in whatever pattern you like with a sharp knife. 

4. Bake the assembled pot pie at 400 degrees fahrenheit for 20 minutes before turning down the heat to 350 degrees fahrenheit for another 20 minutes, until nicely browned. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 or 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Families with young children will enjoy this recipe as an alternative to frozen pot pies. Whatever your age, I hope you all will take some time together to make this delicious dish!

Elizabeth Herman writes, offers writing support to clients, teaches, and volunteers for a better world. She has a PhD in Rhetoric, Composition and Literature. Find her on Facebook or Twitter.