We were all sick for a few weeks, and the last thing you want to do when you're sick is think of something new to make for dinner and document it every step of the way.
No, if you're me, all you want for dinner when you're sick in the winter is a big pile of mashed potatoes and a generous helping of green bean casserole.
But, we all pretty much know how to make those things.
So for something you might not know how to make, I present to you Chicken-Less Pot Pie!
I started making this dish a couple of years ago, and it's become a staple for our family every winter. But since Douglas and I have become vegetarians, I've had the tweak the recipe a little to replace all the meat-oriented ingredients. After having devoured the last batch, I believe I have perfected my new and improved vegetarian recipe. It's super warm and comforting for those cold, snowy days.
What You'll Need
Approximately 1/2 cup of flour
8 oz. heavy cream
1 can cream of mushroom soup (or if you prefer, cream of something else)
1 cup vegetable stock
4 small cans of veggies or 2 regular cans (I use carrots, peas, corn, and green beans)
1 box of pre-made pie crust
salt to taste
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
The very first thing you'll want to do is preheat your oven as directed on the pie crust box and lay out one of the crusts in a casserole dish to get it baking. I always do a preliminary bake on the bottom crust of the pot pie before I put the filling in so that it doesn't turn out doughy. You just want to get a slight golden color on the bottom crust and then pull it out to be filled.
While the bottom crust is baking, start the pot pie filling.
In a large sauce pan, melt the butter over medium low heat.
Once the butter is melted, slowly whisk in the flour until it forms a thick "paste". You may need slightly more or slightly less. It should look about like this:
Then, whisk in the heavy cream, can of cream of mushroom (do not add any milk! just the can of soup will do), and the vegetable broth. Add your seasonings.
Turn the burner up to medium heat and bring this mixture to a slight boil. Then, add in your vegetables. You can use a frozen vegetable blend for this instead if you want to, and I have before - it will just need to cook longer in order to thaw the vegetables (it would probably take about 2 cups of vegetables).
Once everything is hot, fill your casserole dish!
Then, cover it with the remaining pie crust and put it back in the oven to bake until the top crust is cooked to your liking.
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| Witness Douglas' food-style handy work! |
And finally, enjoy! You may want to let the pot pie sit for a few minutes to let the filling cool down and thicken back up. Or, if you're like me, ignore all of that and scoop it into your bowl with a spoon. =o)
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| Yum!! |
