Veggie Pot Pie with Black Pepper Biscuits

For Easter Sunday I wanted to make a meal that my fiancé wouldn’t soon forget.  As soon as I saw Joy The Baker’s recipe for chicken pot pie, I knew it was the the recipe for me.  It also, quite coincidentally, served as the long lost veggie pot pie recipe I’d been searching everywhere for.

But, unlike Joy, I’m not a baker. Though I am a southern girl, I don’t do biscuits, pies, cakes or the like. Fail. But, undaunted by this task, I went for it and made my first pot pie- biscuits and all!

You can find the original recipe with instructions here.  I’ve also listed the complete version at the end with my modifications.

Ack- that’s a frightening image! I basically stuck with the original recipe directions, but made only a few modifications to suit my taste and dietary needs.

I subbed in veggie stock, left out the chicken and added in a cup of chopped mushrooms, and broccoli and a chopped leek to give it more heft. I also used buttermilk throughout, skipping on the whole milk and, since I had no chives on hand (and didn’t have the courage to fight the mob at Whole Foods), I left them out of the biscuit dough and added a bit more cracked pepper instead.

Through this process, I discovered that you can make nice biscuits using a jam jar if you don’t have a biscuit cutter on hand.

See what I mean? Very handy.

Lovely.

I also found it so much easier to do everything in one pot and finish it off in the oven.

 

I simply sautéed the veggies in a pan and then added them to the same pot used to make the sauce, rather than transferring the entire mix to a casserole dish.

 

Keep it simple.

Then, I topped it with the biscuit dough and popped it in the oven.

 

Gorgeous.

 

I definitely went back for seconds…and maybe even thirds.

So good. Thank you to Joy for the delicious recipe! It was the perfect Easter meal.

Veggie Pot Pie with Black Pepper Biscuits (makes 10 to 12 servings)

- Adapted from Joy the Baker

For the Biscuits:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

1/4 cup (2 ounces) unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes

4 ounces (half of a brick) cream cheese, cold

3/4 cup buttermilk, cold

For the Filling:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups veggie broth

1 1/2 cups whole milk (or buttermilk

4 ounces (half of a brick) cream cheese

salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 tablespoons butter or olive oil

1 small onion, diced

1 leek, chopped

1 small garlic clove, minced

1 1/2 cup thinly diced carrots

1 cup diced zucchini

1 cup chopped mushrooms

1 cup broccoli florets (fresh or frozen)

1 1/2 cup frozen peas

Start by making the biscuits.  In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, black pepper, and chopped chives.

Add butter and cream cheese to the dry ingredients.  Use your fingers to quickly incorporate the fat into the flour.  Break up the butter and cream cheese with your fingers until some of the fat is the size of oat flakes and some of the fat is the size of small pebbles.

Make a small well in the center of the fat and flour mixture.  Add the buttermilk.  Using a fork, combine the wet and dry ingredients.  Try to moisten all of the flour bits with the liquid.  Dump the shaggy biscuit dough onto a lightly floured work surface.  Knead together until dough forms a disk about 1 1/2 inches thick.

Use a round, 1 1/2-inch biscuit cutter (or jam jar) to cut biscuits.  Gather the dough scraps, knead for a few turns, and cut out more biscuits until no dough remains.  Place biscuits on a small cookie sheet and place in the fridge until ready to bake.

Next, make the filling.  Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Prep the vegetables, put them in a large mixing bowl and set aside.

In an oven proof stock pot (a le Creuset or something like that) over medium heat, melt butter.  Whisk in the flour.  Mixture will be very thick.  Heat for 1 minute.  Turn flame to low and add the vegetable stock.  Whisk until no flour bits remain.  Whisk in the milk and add the cream cheese.  Heat over medium low heat, stirring often, until cream cheese has melted and the mixture is the consistency of warm, thick pudding.  Add lemon, and nutmeg.  Stir.  Add salt and pepper to taste.   Remove mixture from heat and set aside. (note- if you don’t have an oven proof stock pot, simply use any sauce pot and then transfer the mix to a baking dish later)

In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt butter (or olive oil, if using).  Add onions and sauté until translucent, about 3 minutes.  Add minced garlic and sauté for one minute more.  Add the vegetable mix.  Cook for  about 3 minutes until veggies become bright and colorful.  The vegetables will not be entirely cooked through.  Remove from heat and add vegetable mixture to the creamy mixture.  Stir to combine.

Remove the biscuits from the fridge and place them on top of the filling.  Brush the tops of the biscuits with heavy cream, buttermilk, or egg wash.

Bake the whole dish for 20-23 minutes, or until biscuits are puffed and golden, and the sides of the pot pie are bubbling.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.

To reheat, preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.  Cover dish with foil and bake until warmed through, about 15 minutes.  Serve. Veggie Pot Pie will keep for up to 4 days in the fridge. It’s also best reheated in the oven verses the microwave.

Other posts you may enjoy:

1. Black Eyed Pea and Red Pepper Hummus
2. Spinach, Mushroom and Black Bean Quesadillas
3. Spicy Black Bean Burgers
4. Spicy Black Bean and Sour Cream Enchiladas
5. Vegan Black Bean Sweet Potato Balls

Tagged as: biscuits, comfort food, dinner, food, healthy recipes, stews, vegetable pot pie, vegetables, vegetarian