If you want your whole family clamoring around the dinner table with a dish everyone will love, this Veggie Pot Pie is All. Of. The. Things! Creamy, savory, hearty, crispy – I’ve even shared instructions on how to make this recipe vegan! It’s all cooked in a velvety sauce and encased in a flaky, buttery pie crust. Are you ready to make the ultimate comfort food? (Say yes!!!)
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“AMAZING! We all loved it – the flavor, the textures, all perfect! Didn’t change a thing in the recipe – did go with the storebought pie crust option (Trader Joe’s frozen pie crusts). Will try your pie crust recipe the next time.”
Jennifer
Easy Recipe for Vegetable Pot Pie
This vegetarian pot pie is pure, cozy-in-a-dish goodness. It’s packed with a rainbow of tender veggies, all wrapped up in a rich, savory sauce that’s creamy without being heavy. I tuck all that deliciousness between two layers of golden, flaky pie crust—because when it comes to comfort food, I say go big or go home. (But if you’re more of a top-crust-only kind of person, you do you!) This one’s hearty enough to win over meat lovers and veggie fans alike, and it’s a total weeknight winner or holiday centerpiece.
Veggie Pot Pie
Servings 8 slicesIngredients
- 1 3-Ingredient Pie Crust* ($2.34)
- 7 Tbsp salted butter, divided** ($1.12)
- 1 yellow onion, small dice (about 1 cup) ($0.41)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced (about 1 teaspoon) ($0.24)
- 4 Tbsp flour ($0.04)
- 1 cup vegetable broth ($0.13)
- 1/2 cup whole milk** ($0.13)
- 3/4 tsp salt ($0.05)
- 1 bay leaf ($0.15)
- 1/4 tsp dried rosemary ($0.03)
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme ($0.03)
- 1/4 tsp rubbed sage ($0.03)
- 1/4 tsp black pepper ($0.02)
- 1 tsp soy sauce ($0.02)
- 1 Yukon gold potato, small dice*** (about 1 cup) ($0.27)
- 1 pint baby bellas, small dice ($2.89)
- 12 oz frozen mixed vegetables*** ($1.25)
- 1 large egg, separated**** ($0.46)
Instructions
- Grease a pie pan with 1 tablespoon of butter. If you're using store-bought dough, place the bottom crust in the pie pan. If you made 3-Ingredient Pie Crust, cut 1/3 of the dough off to be used as the top crust, wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate until you're ready to use it later.
- Dust your work surface with flour and roll out the bigger 2/3 piece of dough into a circle that is 16 inches in diameter and about 1/4 inch thick. Line the pie pan with it.
- Beat the egg white until frothy, then brush the bottom crust with it. Let the crust rest in the fridge.
- Place a rack in the center of your oven along with a sheet pan and preheat it to 350ºF. Place a deep skillet over medium heat and add 5 tablespoons of salted butter to the pan. Once the butter foams, swish it around the pan until it turns an amber color and smells of hazelnuts.
- Add the diced onions to the brown butter. Cook until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook for one minute. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and garlic in the skillet and continue to cook and stir for two minutes more.
- To the pan, add veggie broth, milk, and salt. Whisk to combine and dissolve any flour off the bottom of the skillet. Then add the bay leaf, rosemary, thyme, sage, pepper, and soy sauce. Whisk occasionally as the liquid simmers and thickens.
- Add the pint of diced mushrooms and the diced potato to the pan. Stir to combine and cook until the gravy has thickened more and reduced some, about 5 minutes.
- Remove the skillet from the heat. Finally, add the frozen mixed vegetables and allow them to cool the ingredients in the pan.
- Take the pie pan out of the fridge, prick the bottom crust a few times with a fork, and add the cooled filling to the pie pan. Dice the last tablespoon of butter and sprinkle it over the filling.
- Roll the smaller piece of dough into a circle, about 10 inches wide and 1/4 inch thick. Cover the pie with it.
- Beat the egg yolk. Trace a bit of yolk along the top edge of the bottom and top crusts. Fold the bottom crust over the top crust and crimp the edges shut. Cut vents into your top crust. Brush egg yolk in a light layer over the top crust.
- Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the pie dough is golden and flaky. Allow the Veggie Pot Pie to cool for ten minutes before serving.
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Equipment
- Glass Pie Plate
- Rolling Pin
- Enamelware Sheet Pan
- Deep Stainless Steel Skillet*
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Veggie Pot Pie – Step by Step Photos
Prep your dough: Use 1 tablespoon of butter to grease your pie pan. If you decide to use a store-bought dough, lay the bottom crust in your pie pan. If you’re making my homemade 3-Ingredient Pie Crust, roll it into a large disc about 6 inches wide and two inches thick. Then, cut 1/3 of it off to use as the top crust later on. Wrap the top crust portion in plastic and refrigerate.
Sprinkle your work surface with flour and roll out the larger 2/3 piece into a circle that is 16 inches in diameter and around 1/4 inch thick. Drape it over the pie pan and press down gently, gently pushing it into the bottom crease and sides of the pan.
Brown the butter: Preheat your oven to 350ºF and then place a rack in the center of your oven along with a sheet pan. Over medium heat, heat a deep skillet and add 5 tablespoons of salted butter to the pan, and brown it. The butter will melt, then foam, and finally, the solids will separate from the fat and turn a golden brown. The air will smell of hazelnuts.
Sauté the onion: Pour the diced onion into the browned butter. Cook until translucent, which took me about 5 minutes. Then add the 2 minced cloves of garlic and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant. Finally, sprinkle 4 tablespoons of flour over the onions and garlic, stir, and cook for 2 more minutes.
Make the filling: Add 1 cup of veggie stock, 1/2 cup of whole milk, and 3/4 teaspoon salt to the skillet. Then, whisk to dissolve any flour from the bottom of the skillet. Finally, add the bay leaf, 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, 1/4 teaspoon rubbed sage, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and 1 teaspoon soy sauce. Whisk occasionally as the liquid comes up to a simmer and thickens into gravy.
Next, pour in the pint of diced mushrooms and 1 diced Yukon gold potato. Combine and cook until the sauce has thickened and reduced, about 5 minutes. You want to cook the potatoes a touch, to ensure they cook fully in the oven.
Next, take the skillet off the heat and add 12 ounces of frozen mixed vegetables to the filling. The frozen veggies will quickly cool the other ingredients in the pan. Your filling is done!
Assemble the pie: Next, remove the pie pan from the fridge and use a fork to prick the bottom crust. Pour the cooled filling into the pie pan. Then dice the last tablespoon of butter and top the filling with the diced butter.
Roll the smaller piece of dough into a circle, about 10 inches wide and 1/4 inch thick (if using the homemade pie dough). Cover the pie with the top crust.
Beat the egg yolk well and add some yolk to the top edge of the bottom and top crusts. Now fold the bottom crust over the top crust and crimp the edges shut. Don’t forget to cut some vents into your top crust! Finish the pie by brushing a light layer of egg yolk all over the top crust.
Bake the pie: Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the pie dough is golden and looks flaky. Let your vegetable pot pie to cool for ten minutes before serving. I gobbled up three slices of this in one sitting! I hope you do the same!
Make It Vegan
You can tweak this recipe to create an outstanding Vegan Pot Pie! Sub the butter with vegan butter or oil. Opt for a store-bought vegan pie crust, or make my Easy 3-Ingredient Pie Crust with Vegan Butter or Vegetable Shortening. Sub the milk with any plant-based milk. As far as the egg wash is concerned, you can brush your pie crust with water, aquafaba, or plant-based milk. Par-bake the bottom crust before filling.
Prevent a Soggy Bottom
Brushing the bottom crust with egg white helps create a barrier that prevents the dreaded soggy bottom. You should also preheat the oven with a sheet pan in it. When you place the pie on it, the heat from the sheet pan melts the fat in the bottom pastry, creating a layer that prevents liquid from permeating the pie. You can also place an overturned cast iron skillet in your sheet pan and preheat them both. Bake your pie on the bottom of the overturned skillet. Cast iron holds heat and helps crisp up that bottom crust.
How To Store The Leftovers
You can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, though reheating is easier if you just store them in the pie plate and cover them tightly with foil. You can freeze a veggie pot pie for up to 2 months, tightly wrapped in plastic, then foil, and kept in an airtight container. Cover the top crust with foil to prevent burning, and reheat in a 350ºF oven until it has warmed throughout.
Another Budget Bytes hit! Hearty, filling, and umami-tastic. I had a couple of “o ye of little faith” moments while making this recipe, such as when the gravy thickened faster than I expected, just before I added the mushrooms and potatoes, and I was tempted to add some more water/stock to loosen things up a bit. But I followed the recipe exactly as written, and I’m so glad I did! The gravy was perfect – the mushrooms released their liquid, and the gravy became thick but not cludgy.
One note, however: when Monti says small dice for the potato, she’s not kidding about the small part! I also found that larger pieces of potato didn’t cook fully, but anything under about 3/4 in. cooked perfectly.
I made this tonight and it turned out great. I thought I had too much filling, but it was actually a perfect amount. The instructions on how to prevent a soggy-bottom crust worked very well. I loved the seasonings and the thickness of the sauce/gravy.
My partner dislikes peas, so I used mostly-frozen broccoli florets instead of the mixed frozen veggies. I was concerned that they would be too large or not cook properly but they were fine. I wish I had actually diced the potato (as the recipe states) instead of a small chop because some of the potato was slightly undercooked. That was user error and a smaller dice would be fine.
I’m always on the lookout for vegetarian savory pies. This was very good, I had no trouble with the recipe and I made the pie crust too.
i dont know why my potatoes werent cooked enough and had apple texture :( ended up with a lot of extra filling as well
Unless you did a very small dice, I would suggest parboiling your potatoes for 5-10 minutes before hand.
I’ve had my eye on this recipe for weeks and finally had a chance to try it–delicious! I tend to find veggie pot pies a little bland and mushy, but this was packed with flavor and textures. I used a frozen puff pastry as the pastry layer since that’s what I had on hand, but I’m looking forward to trying it with the pie dough listed here next time.
For us, this recipe made way too much filling for one pie, and the crust and potatoes were still underdone after cooking for 10 minutes longer than the recipe called for.
AMAZING! We all loved it – the flavor, the textures, all perfect! Didn’t change a thing in the recipe – did go with the storebought pie crust option (Trader Joe’s frozen pie crusts). Will try your pie crust recipe the next time.
I’m looking forward to making this and would like to try it at a cabin with minimal water availability. Would it be feasible to make the filling beforehand, then prep the crusts and add refrigerated filling, and add some time to the bake?
How do you keep the pie pan from shattering when it goes from the cool fridge to hot sheet pan? My pie plate is the newer pyrex and I always worry about it breaking from the temp changes if it goes from the fridge to something preheated
Definitely let it sit out on the counter while the oven is preheating (about 20 minutes, but not so long that the butter in the crust starts to melt). It should/can be cool, but not cold to the touch. Just long enough so that the temperature change isn’t too extreme when the glass dish goes in the oven. ~ Marion :)
A question about the mushrooms: are they still good in the final pie even without pre-sauteeing them? Unseared button mushrooms tend to be really bland and watery.
I’m sure they work well, but would definitely suggest doing a quick sauté in butter / seasonings just to get them going. Its an extra pan and a few minutes, but gives a chance to add more flavor.
Looks nice.