Carolina Gelen’s Cosy Veggie Pot Pie

Nothing screams comfort food like some sort of saucy, hearty stew covered in a buttery, flaky puff pastry. The best part is this delicious ‘pot pie’ is the epitome of a clean-out-the-fridge type of dish. Don’t be afraid to make it your own. Play around with spices and use those veggie scraps! The leftovers are amazing with a fried egg on top for breakfast. I like to reheat it in my toaster oven while my egg is frying.

Difficulty: Easy
Serves: 6-8
Total time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 50 minutes

Ingredients

For the filling:

• 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium brown onion, chopped
• coarse salt
• 3 sticks celery, chopped
• 3 medium carrots, chopped
• 1 medium red pepper, chopped
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1½ tsp sweet paprika
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 × 400g cans brown lentils, drained and rinsed
• 2 tbsp cornflour
• 250ml full-fat milk or unsweetened non-dairy milk
• 4 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, plus more for serving

For the pastry:

• 1 medium egg or 1 tablespoon unsweetened non-dairy milk, for brushing
• plain flour, for dusting
• ½ × 500g block puff pastry, thawed overnight in the fridge if frozen

Essential kit

You will need: a large flameproof casserole dish or heavy-based pot.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6.
2. Make the filling: in a large flameproof casserole dish or heavy-based pot, heat the oil over a medium heat. Add the onion and a big pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and translucent, 4–5 minutes. Add the celery and carrots and cook, stirring, until the carrots are softened slightly, 6–8 minutes. Add the red pepper and rosemary and cook, stirring, until the pepper is softened, 3–4 minutes. Add the garlic, paprika, cumin and cayenne and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, 1–2 minutes. Stir in the lentils.
3. Add the cornflour and use a wooden spoon to toss and coat the vegetables. Stirring constantly, add 250ml water, followed by the milk. Cook, stirring occasionally, until visibly thickened, 4–5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the parsley. Taste and adjust the salt as needed.
4. Carefully transfer the mixture to a 23–25.5cm cast-iron frying pan or a deep casserole dish.
5. Prepare the pastry: in a small bowl, whisk together the egg and 1 table-spoon water to make an egg wash. If using non-dairy milk, simply add it to a small bowl.
6. Dust a work surface with flour. Working quickly to keep the pastry cold, roll it out into a sheet 5mm thick. Use a glass or round biscuit cutter to cut out as many rounds as you can in the dough. Place the dough rounds in an even layer on top of the vegetable filling, avoiding overlap as much as you can (a little is okay). Lightly brush the pastry rounds with the egg wash or non-dairy milk.
7. Bake until the pastry is puffed up, golden and firm, about 25 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.
8. Divide the pot pie among plates or bowls, top with more fresh parsley and serve.

Note: this recipe uses celery, carrots and pepper, but you can make this pie out of any veg looking rough or going mushy in your kitchen. I’m talking broccoli stalks, half a cabbage, dry cauliflower florets and old courgettes – all good.