Some foods don’t really need much of a sales pitch — for me, anyway — and pot pie is one of them. What could be better than a hot, hearty stew, especially when it’s cold outside? One topped with a flaky crust, obviously.
You may think it’s not the type of thing you’d make on any given weeknight, and I get that. From start to finish, putting together crust and filling, then assembling and baking, can take some time. But what if you got into the habit, as I do, of always having pie dough in your freezer? The strategy is simple: Anytime you’re baking a pie, double the dough recipe and store the extra as a present for your future self. If that doesn’t work for you, take an hour one weekend to make three or four, use one that night, and save the rest for consecutive weeks.
Once you’ve got the dough, getting a pot pie from stovetop to oven to table is pretty straightforward.
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This recipe, from the America’s Test Kitchen book “The Savory Baker,” has you precook root vegetables, mushrooms and greens, bind them in a gravy and bake under that golden pastry dome. I adapted the original in two significant ways: I added a can’s worth of cannellini beans, for protein, and I veganized the crust and filling. (For the crust, I used my favorite vegan butter by Miyoko’s, and for the filling I used miso instead of Parmesan for a hit of umami.)
For an even bigger head start on the road to pot pie bliss, you can roll, crimp and cut vents into your dough before freezing. Then, when the mood strikes, make your stew and transfer the crust right from the freezer to the dish before baking. There’s no need to defrost, because frozen pastry bakes up beautifully crisp and flaky, making it the crowning touch for a cold-weather favorite.
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Use the related recipe for Flaky Pie Dough, which you can make with vegan butter, if desired. Feel free to play around with the filling components: Use carrots and/or parsnips instead of the sweet potato and turnips, spinach instead of the chard, or sub in tofu, tempeh or another bean for the cannellini.
Make Ahead: The Flaky Pie Dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months; defrost in the refrigerator before rolling out. You can also roll out, crimp and cut vents in the dough before refrigerating for up to 3 days or freezing for up to 3 months; no need to defrost before baking.
Storage Notes: Refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Where to Buy: Wholly Wholesome roll-out pie dough can be found at Whole Foods Markets, Wegmans and other stores; locations available on their website.
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