I love pot pies. They’re warm, inviting and a great way to incorporate vegetables into a meal. This is a one-pot vegetarian dinner that takes 25 minutes to make. You can use any vegetables you like, using this recipe as a guide to the amounts needed.
For the sake of speed, I use biscuit dough instead of a pie crust. It comes prepared and can be found in the refrigerator case of the supermarket. It takes 15 minutes to cook through, unlike pie dough, which can take 30 minutes. Or just sprinkle the top of the pie with seasoned breadcrumbs for a quick crust.
Helpful Hints:
— You can use any type of sliced mushrooms.
— You can use any type of ready-to-cook biscuit dough.
— If your dried tarragon is over 6 months old or looks gray, it’s time for a new bottle.
Countdown:
— Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
— Prepare pie ingredients.
— Make pie.
Shopping List:
To buy: 1/4 pound sliced portobello mushrooms, 1 green bell pepper, 1 container vegetable broth, 1 bottle dried tarragon, 1 can reduced-sodium chickpeas, 1 small can sliced pimentos, 1 jar minced garlic, and one package ready-to-cook biscuit dough (6 ounces needed).
Staples: canola oil, onion, flour, salt and black peppercorns.
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VEGETABLE POT PIE
Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 cup sliced onion
1 cup sliced green bell pepper
1/4 pound sliced portobello mushrooms
4 teaspoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup reduced-sodium vegetable broth
3 teaspoons dried tarragon
1 cup canned reduced-sodium chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup canned, sliced, sweet pimentos
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small package, ready-to-cook biscuit dough (6 ounces)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, green pepper, mushrooms and garlic. Saute 5 minutes. Add the flour, mix it with the onion, pepper and mushrooms and add the vegetable broth. Simmer to thicken about 1 minute.
Mix the tarragon, chickpeas and pimentos into the sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Add the vegetable mixture into a deep, oven-proof pie dish or a souffle dish about 6 inches in diameter. Open the cylinder of biscuit dough and slice the premade biscuits in half horizontally so they will be half as thick. Reshape them if they lose their shape when cut. Place them as close together as possible over the top of the pie. Bake for 15 minutes. The biscuits will rise and turn a golden brown. Serve immediately. Be sure to give each person a few biscuits along with the pie filling.
Yield 2 servings.
Per serving: 580 calories (28% from fat), 17.8 g fat (3.2 g saturated, 9.2 g monounsaturated), 2 mg cholesterol, 19.7 g protein, 90.8 g carbohydrates, 12.3 g fiber, 1,101 mg sodium.
