Spring is still slow in Canada and we still like some comfort foods, so I thought I’d indulge and make a delicious Rustic vegetable pot pie! If you follow me on my Facebook page, you probably already know that I do not like making pie crust! hahaha It’s my nemesis! I’ve made pie crust a few times using butter and wheat and that works like a charm, even with vegan margarine, but as soon as you try to use olive oil and different grains other than wheat, I find it much more difficult, which is why I usually just buy some pre-made organic pie crusts made with spelt flour at my local health food store. LOL They’re organic and healthy, and I only use a small quantity (maybe 6-8 per year!), so I don’t feel bad about using this shortcut when I feel like making a quick quiche.
But once in a while, I feel like trying (again) to make my own crust, like for dessert, but this time, I wanted to make a double crust for a large vegetable pot pie… It worked and was delicious, but I still don’t enjoy making it. haha There aren’t too many, but there’s something I don’t like making! haha
If you want to give this a try, just give yourself plenty of clean counter space, and plenty of time so that you’re not rushed and frustrated. 😉
And if you’re not allergic to dairy or vegan, try making it with cold butter, much easier! (or vegan margarine for vegans) But since I try to stay away from soy and the only organic vegan margarine on the market has soy in it (check out my recipe for whipped coconut icing to read why), I try to find other options. I think everyone should have the basic knowledge to make a pie crust, so give it a shot! Once you get comfortable, try making this one with olive oil 🙂
Yum!
Bon appétit!
ECP xo
Rustic Vegetable Pot Pie | Dairy-Free, Wholegrain, Low Gluten, Vegan Option
Perfect comfort food in cold weather: A healthy rustic vegetable pot pie! Dairy-free and low-gluten using wholegrain flour.
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 cup whole spelt flour (stone-ground)
- 1 cup rye flour (stone-ground)
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 2 organic free-range eggs lightly beaten (for vegan option, mix 3 Tbsp chia seeds with 1/3 cup warm water, mix, wait for 6-8 minutes and use)
Filling
- 1 1/2 cup butternut squash diced (you should have enough little dices to fill 1 1/2 cups)
- 2 organic potatoes (medium size) (white or yellow flesh), washed, yucky parts removed, diced
- 2 carrots (large) washed, trimmed, cut into small pieces
- 1 onion (large) minced
- 10 organic cremini mushrooms washed, sliced, cut in half
- 1.5 cup organic baby spinach washed
- 1/2 cup peas (frozen)
Sauce
- 1/4 cup spelt flour
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper (a few pinches)
- 1 tsp Herbes de Provence (mixed herbs)
- 2 cups organic low-sodium vegetable broth
Instructions
- Prepare the crust first, mix the dry ingredients first, then add the olive oil and mix, then add the beaten eggs, and mix well with a fork until all the dough sticks together and away from the sides of the bowl. Use your (clean) hands to mix if needed, but it should be fine with a fork. Divide the dough in half, and press into 2 discs. Put back in the bowl, and put in the fridge for about 10-15 mins.
- Cook all the vegetables in a large pan over medium heat, with a few Tbsp of organic olive oil.
- To save time, you can cut and cook at the same time: start by sautéing the minced onion while cutting the butternut, carrots, potatoes, etc. Simply add the veggies to the pan as they are cut. Always start with the onion, and then go from the hardest to cook (like root vegetables) to the quickest (like leafy stuff - Spinach is always last because it cooks very quickly).
- You'll want to sauté everything until they start to look lightly golden, this might take about 15 minutes or so. Don't worry if some get stuck at the bottom, this will only make your sauce more delicious!
- While this cooks, get your dough out on a clean and prepared area with parchment paper dusted with flour. If the dough is too hard, just wait a bit until it warms up and softens. Then using your hands and a rolling pin, flattens the dough, gently, always rolling from the middle to the edge, in all different directions, dusting with flour if needed. (this is the annoying part because the parchment paper keeps moving but is needed to transfer later. When it's large enough to cover the bottom of your 9" pie mold (or close to - we're not aiming for perfection here!), use the parchment paper to flip it over and inside. Cook at 400F for 8-10 minutes.
- When the veggies are nicely golden, transfer to a plate. Add the 1/4 cup flour to the pan and mix with a spoon, cook for 30-45 seconds, scraping the bottom. Add the water and bring to a boil, add the bouillon cubes and mix until it's all dissolved. Reduce the temperature to medium-low, add the salt and pepper, and let cook for a few minutes to thicken a bit.
- While the sauce is cooking, flatten the 2nd half of the dough, to put on top of your pot pie.
- Remove the bottom crust from the oven, put all the cooked vegetables into it, and pour the thickened sauce over everything.
- Flip the other pie crust on top (again, it doesn't matter if it's not perfect, it'll taste just as good!).
- Put in 400F oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until nicely golden on top.
- Once cooked, remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving. It'll be pipping hot!
- Enjoy with a nice green salad for a healthy meal!
Recipe Notes
Why stone-ground flour? Because a lot of the nutrition is usually destroyed by the heat from the commercial steel mill, as opposed to a stone mill that stays cool.
Note: I do not believe anyone should worry about counting calories, but here is the nutritional information for one serving
Calories: 653kcal | Fat: 31g | Saturated fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 1278mg | Potassium: 1219mg | Carbohydrates: 78g | Fiber: 14g | Sugar: 7g | Protein: 16g | Vitamin A: 12240% | Vitamin C: 37.4% | Calcium: 121% | Iron: 8%
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