As a food writer and vegetable lover, the often bandied-about phrase "You won't miss the meat!" rankles me. With a well made vegetarian meal, why would I miss the meat? But even I understand that a pot pie without its typical star ingredient—chicken—might seem a little lacking, abstemious, and just kind of a bummer. Could a vegetarian pot pie possibly be as satisfying, comforting, and flavorful as the classic?
The answer—in the form of this savory, hearty, and satisfying mushroom pot pie created by our Birmingham-based test kitchen colleague Renu Dhar—is 1,000% yes. The recipe builds on deeply savory and umami-rich ingredients to create a hearty and creamy filling of mushrooms, carrots, parsnips, pearl onions, fresh thyme, all topped with crispy and buttery puff pastry. Not only will you not miss the chicken, you, like me, may well prefer this vegetarian version.
In fact, as soon as I tasted this pot pie while visiting our Birmingham test kitchens, I knew what I wanted to make for my vegetarian friends this Thanksgiving. Not that I plan to wait until the holiday to make this beautiful pot pie—to draw on another food writing cliché, this is easy enough to make on a weeknight, requiring just 20 minutes of prep before it goes in the oven. Plus, it's versatile: You can bake it as one stunning centerpiece pot pie, or divide it into ramekins for individual servings. Read on for the techniques Renu used to make a chicken-free pot pie with all the stick-to-your-ribs goodness of the original.
Four Techniques for Vegetarian Pot-Pie Success
Pick up some store-bought puff pastry. While you can certainly use a homemade crust if you'd like, we opted for store-bought puff pastry for this mushroom pot pie (as we did in our easy chicken pot pie). We went this route because we wanted to keep this recipe easy enough for a weeknight meal, and also because we feel that if you use an all-butter frozen puff pastry, such as Dufour, the results will still be excellent. Not only is this much quicker and easier, it also gives you a beautifully crispy, buttery topping that complements the creamy filling.
Use a variety of fresh mushrooms. This recipe calls for mixed fresh mushrooms, such as cremini, portobello, and shiitake. And while you certainly could make it with basic button mushrooms, using some of the mushrooms listed here gives the final dish an earthy, umami intensity that makes it really special. Using a variety of mushrooms also plays into our chicken-free strategy, providing a variety of textures and flavors similar to the way chicken does with its silky thigh meat, tender breast meat, and melting gelatin.
While white button, cremini, and portobello are technically variants of the same mushroom, they have different textures and intensities of flavor: White button are the mildest, so we skip them here, while cremini are tender and juicy with a deep savory flavor, and portobellos are larger and meatier. Shiitakes have a profound umami and a silky texture when cooked. The mushrooms we suggested here also all hold their shape well after cooking and aren't prone to getting mushy or slimy. In addition to shiitake, cremini, and portobello, feel free to round out the mixture with other meaty and flavorful mushroom varieties you find at the market.
Pump up the mushroom flavor with dried porcini. To keep this pot pie vegetarian and to enhance the mushroom flavor, Renu makes a quick stock with dried porcini and stems from the fresh mushrooms that gets blended with milk and stirred into the filling mixture to amplify the flavor of the mushrooms and form a rich, creamy base.
This is a smart move that pays dividends: Instead of creating a mushroom broth that has had the solids strained out, she uses the natural fiber from the mushrooms to thicken the sauce when blended, building even more textural richness into the pot pie mixture while infusing every drop with deep mushroom flavor. "Using mushroom stems and blending them with porcini mushrooms creates the most pleasantly potent mushroom flavored sauce," Renu explains. "This sauce is the bones of the dish and possibly the hero without the cape!"
Stir in some miso paste. The umami is deepened with white miso paste—another great vegetarian flavor booster. "The white miso adds a savoriness that doesn’t compete with mushrooms but stays pleasantly in the background," Renu says.
Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and preheat oven to 425°F (220℃). If using shiitake mushrooms, remove and discard stems; for portobello and cremini mushrooms remove and reserve stems, discarding any woody stems. Cut shiitake and portobello mushrooms into 1/2-inch pieces. Halve cremini mushrooms or quarter if larger than 1 1/2 inches wide.
In a medium bowl, toss mushrooms with oil until coated. Evenly divide between 2 large rimmed baking sheets and spread into an even layer. Roast mushrooms, rotating pans top to bottom halfway through, until lightly browned, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring 2 1/2 cups water, porcini mushrooms, and reserved cremini and portobello mushroom stems to a boil; reduce heat to medium, simmer mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Pour mushroom mixture into a blender. Secure lid on blender, and remove center piece to allow steam to escape. Place a clean towel over opening, then process until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes; set aside.
In a 10-inch cast iron skillet, melt butter over medium heat, add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add carrots and parsnips and cook, stirring occasionally, until carrots and parsnips are beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in thyme, miso, oregano, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Sprinkle flour over vegetable mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until flour is lightly toasted, about 2 minutes.
Gradually stir in blended mushroom mixture and milk until combined. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in roasted mushrooms; set aside.
Working on a lightly floured work surface, roll puff pastry sheet into an 11-inch square. Carefully place on top of hot mushroom filling; fold excess dough underneath itself and crimp as desired just below rim of skillet so it's flush with the skillet's edge. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush dough with egg wash.
Using a paring knife, lightly score the entire surface of the pastry in a diagonal crosshatch pattern. Make sure not to cut all the way through the dough. Cut five 1/4-inch wide steam vents into the dough, spread out evenly over the pie.
Place skillet on a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake at 425°F (220℃) on the lower-middle rack until pastry is puffed and golden and sauce is bubbly, about 25 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Ramekin Variation for Individual Pot Pies
Serves: 6 (serving size: 1 ramekin)
Prep: 20 min. Cook 55 min. Rest 5 min. Total 1 hour, 20 min.
Directions:
Prepare steps 1-4 as directed.
5. Divide filling evenly between six (8-ounce) ramekins (about 3/4 cup each); set aside. Working on a lightly floured work surface, roll out puff pastry sheet into a 12-inch square. Cut six 5-inch circles. Place each pastry circle on top of hot mushroom filling in ramekins; fold excess dough under itself and crimp as desired just below rim of ramekin. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush top of each pastry with egg wash. Using a paring knife, lightly score top of pastry in a crosshatch pattern. Using the tip of the paring knife, cut three 1/4-inch holes on top to allow steam escape while baking.
6. Place ramekins on a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake at 425°F in lower third until pastry is puffed and golden and sauce is bubbly, 15 to 20 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Special Equipment
Medium saucepan, 2 large rimmed baking sheets, medium bowl, blender, 10-inch cast iron skillet, rolling pin, paring knife; for individual servings: 6 ramekins
Make-Ahead and Storage
The filling can be prepared through step 4 up to 3 days ahead. Store in an airtight non-reactive container in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before heating through and topping with crust. If the mixture is too thick, add water, one tablespoon at a time, to loosen.
Store leftover pot pie in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven at 400°F(200°C) until filling is bubbly and heated through and top is crispy. (For a crispier topping, you can store the pastry "lid" separately from the filling, then reheat filling before topping with pastry and continue to warm until top is re-crisped.)
