Versatile, easy to prepare, and delicious, a pot pie is perfect for any night of the week or for a festive vegetarian holiday meal, served with all the traditional trimmings. We love this with our tart, crisp Fruit Chutney.
Using pre-made pie crust makes preparation even easier for stress free entertaining. These individual pot pies are fun for children who especially love digging into their very own little pie, but of course you can make it in one big casserole dish. If you’re rushing, you could also substitute the tofu with Quorn Chik’n Tenders, Veat Gourmet Bites or Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Chik’n Strips .

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 pkg. vegetarian pie crust or one recipe (below) whole wheat pastry crust
1 pkg. extra firm tofu, drained, pressed, and cubed
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
1 large onion, diced
1 medium potato, peeled and diced
8 T. flour
8 T. vegetable oil or vegan margarine
4-5 c. of vegetable stock, at room temperature
1 c. frozen petite green peas
1/2 c. chopped fresh parsley
Optional 8 rough chopped baby portabella mushrooms, chopped fresh dill, 2 T. capers
Oil for frying

To prepare:
In a heavy skillet, heat 5 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Add the tofu cubes and cook over medium heat until nicely browned and crispy, then remove and drain on paper towels. (If you decide to use a pre-made meat substitute instead of tofu you will not need to pre-cook it, just add it with your parsley and peas).

Add a little more oil to the pan then throw in the onions, carrots, celery, and potato (and optional mushrooms). Cook the vegetables until they are crisp tender, about 10 minutes. Now add remaining oil to the pan and heat it thoroughly before sprinkling in the flour. Toss everything gently to coat the vegetables evenly with flour and continue to cook for an additional 2 minutes. Slowly begin adding the vegetable stock, stirring constantly until a rich gravy develops. Even though the gravy may look a little thin at first, it will thicken in the oven during the baking. Finally, add the peas, parsley, and any of the optional ingredients, season with salt and pepper, and set aside.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and with cooking spray, prepare four medium-sized, single serving ramekins or small individual foil pans. Fill each ramekin with the gravy-vegetable mixture. Cover with pastry and crimp sides.

Bake until the crust is a nice golden brown, about 45 minutes to an hour, depending upon your oven. Remove the pot pies and set them aside to cool for a few minutes, then dig in.

Note: Pot pies can also be frozen. To reheat, simply remove them from the freezer, cover with aluminum foil for the first 10 minutes of baking, then place them in a preheated oven and bake until hot and the crust is browned, about another 30-40 minutes.

To make whole wheat crust, follow the following instructions. This recipe makes two 9″ crusts.

Ingredients:
2 c. whole wheat pastry flour
1 t. sea salt
3/4 c. vegan margarine
5-6 T. ice water

Cut margarine into sifted flour until it resembles coarse meal. The crumbs should be in about pea size pieces. Sprinkle some ice water over the mixture, a tablespoon at a time, and knead lightly just until dough comes together into a ball. Cut the dough ball in half and shape each half into a disc. Wrap each disc in wax paper and chill for about half and hour, then roll out and press the bottom crust into a deep casserole dish. Add pot pie filling and top with second crust, crimping the edges. Vent the crust with a sharp knife.