Homemade seitan and a biscuit crust make this delicious, vegan pot pie into a savory, holiday delight, perfect for Thanksgiving.
I’m leaving you—and my husband and child—for a little over a week. By the time you read this, I will be cruising the Caribbean with my parents and sister. But at least I’m providing you with a new holiday dish (and the family with leftovers). Since I won’t be getting back until just before Thanksgiving, too close to create a dish, photograph it, and post the recipe before the big day, I decided to get out the good china and serve my Thanksgiving meal a little early.
Thanksgiving dinner, to me, is about comfort food, not necessarily fancy food. Mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, and anything with gravy all spell “comfort” to me. So it occurred to me to revisit a comfort food of my youth, chicken pot pie.
In our home, there were two types of pot pie: those frozen ones in the little aluminum pans and my mother’s big casserole dish version, which she topped with biscuits. I cringe a little now to think that my brother and sister and I may have at first preferred the frozen pies to my mom’s, which seemed to our childish minds somehow counterfeit with no crust to break into and biscuits dotting the top but never covering it completely.
As I grew older, and past the novelty of food from the freezer, I came to love my mother’s homecooked casseroles and to see the beauty of the biscuits topping it, each one, dumplinglike, sopping up just a little of the dish’s gravy on the bottom while remaining crusty and biscuity on top. In my own kitchen, I’ve experimented with stretching the dough across the top of the casserole, but I found it actually tastes better, less bready and overwhelming, when it’s cut into biscuits.
My vegan pot pie uses seitan instead of chicken, of course, and it’s a bit of a production for something that looks so homey and old-fashioned. It starts with a base of vegetable stew; once that’s cooking, I make up a batch of homemade seitan and add it to the stew to cook and soak up some of the vegetables’ flavors.
When the stew is ready, I make the biscuits (pumpkin biscuits in this case because they look so festive), pour the stew into a casserole dish, top it with biscuits, and bake until they’re done. You can make this with a little less work by using cubes of baked tofu, TVP, or store-bought seitan instead of homemade and reducing the amount of water you start with, but to me part of the gift of a holiday meal is making it all myself.
This isn’t a fussy recipe, so you can make it in whatever baking dishes you have on-hand. Serving it in individual casserole dishes, each one a little different from the others, can make for a charming presentation, but just be sure that your dishes are deep enough (see the instructions below) or you’ll find that you’re serving mostly biscuit and little pie.
Celebration Pot Pie with Pumpkin Biscuit Crust
Ingredients
- 2 pounds potatoes cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 large onion cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 2 ribs celery cut into 1/4-inch cubes
- 8 ounces mushrooms quartered
- 2 large carrots diced
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper or to taste
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 1/2 cups frozen baby peas
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon mellow white miso
- 6 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 4 tablespoons water
Seitan
- 1 cup vital wheat gluten
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3/4 cup Imagine No-Chicken Broth cold (or other veg. broth)
- 1 tablespoon tahini or other nut butter
Biscuit Topping
- 2 cups unbleached white flour
- 2 cups white whole wheat flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup pumpkin canned or cooked and water pressed out
- 1 cup unsweetened soymilk –mixed with 2 tablespoons lemon juice (soy works best but you can use other non-dairy milks)
- additional soymilk or water as needed
Instructions
- Put 12 cups of water on to boil in a large (at least 6-quart) soup pot. Add each vegetable (potatoes, onion, celery, mushrooms, carrots) to the pot as you chop it. Add the bay leaves, thyme, sage, garlic, poultry seasoning, onion powder, celery salt, soy sauce, pepper, and salt. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the seitan: Mix the dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Combine the broth and nut butter. Stir the broth mixture into the dry ingredients until well blended. Knead gently 10 times. Turn out onto a cutting board and press it as flat as possible. Let it rest for about 5 minutes. Then using a sharp knife, cut it into 1/2-inch cubes. Add the seitan cubes to the simmering vegetables, taking care to separate them before they go into the pot. Stir well and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- After 45 minutes, remove the bay leaves and add the peas. Mix the miso in a small bowl with a little of the hot broth, and then add it to the stew, along with the nutritional yeast. Stir in the cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil, stirring often. When mixture thickens, reduce heat and allow to simmer while you make the biscuits. (If stew does not seem thick enough, add a little more cornstarch/water.)
- (You can make the recipe up until this point the day before serving and refrigerate the filling. When ready to assemble, reheat the stew as you make the biscuit topping. Stew should be hot when the biscuits are placed on top.)
- Preheat oven to 400 and oil two or more deep casserole dishes (any combination of casserole dishes or pie pans to hold about 6 liters). Mix the dry ingredients for the biscuits in a medium bowl. Stir in the pumpkin and the soymilk/lemon juice. Add additional soymilk or water a teaspoon at a time as you stir until all flour is moistened and dough forms a ball. Turn out onto floured board and knead two or three times. Roll out to 1/2- inch thick, and cut into circles using a 1 1/2-inch wide floured glass or biscuit cutter. Gather remaining dough and use it to cut additional biscuits. You should have between 24 and 30. (Alternately, cut the biscuit dough to fit the pans, leaving about an inch all around to allow for dough to expand.)
- Pour the stew into the prepared pans, making sure there is at least 1/2-inch free at the top. Place the biscuits on top, spacing them evenly. Bake until biscuits are lightly browned, 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to stand for a few minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutritional info is approximate.
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Happy Thanksgiving to all of you who celebrate it!
Anonymous
November 14, 2009 at 2:02 pmHi Susan
Enjoy your vacation!!!
jennyjen
November 14, 2009 at 2:05 pm1. This looks like the perfect comfort dish! Wonderful.
2. Caribbean cruise = Bliss
Veg is Sexy
November 14, 2009 at 2:32 pmWow, this looks fantastic. Have a great vacation!
6p00d83452b83e69e2
November 14, 2009 at 5:26 pmIncredibly good concept and recipes! I'm truly impressed. The pumpkin biscuit crust has a LOT of cool possibilities elsewhere as well.
Have a GREAT vacation (Mark doing the same in the Outer Banks for 10 more days).
Best to y'all, Mark
Trinity (of haiku tofu)
November 14, 2009 at 7:59 pmWow, this just absolutely floors me. It looks AMAZING.
Rose
November 14, 2009 at 10:07 pmThis dish looks SO yummy! I love cassarole type dishes with dumplings or a crust on top. I will have to try this one.
Rose
RunCrissieRun
November 14, 2009 at 10:58 pmThis looks like a great new tradition for the holidays. Have a great vacation, and come back inspiried with some carribean vegan fare!
Josie
November 15, 2009 at 1:48 amLast night I made something very similar, except it was a Mexican version, the topping was made with a corn muffin recipe (adding pureed pumpkin and jalapenos) and the stew part was pumpkin, TVP, taco seasoning and other veggies. Can't wait to try this one!
Deb Schiff
November 15, 2009 at 8:19 amMy goodness, Susan! That looks divine! Someday, when I host Thanksgiving (cold day in he*&, I'm sure), I'll be making this.
Ricki
November 15, 2009 at 9:28 amWhat a stellar dish! I have never made a pot pie–it just seemed like too much work–but I am making this one! I LOVE the pumpkin crust!
Hope you have a fabulous cruise–you deserve the break! 🙂
Tiffany C.
November 15, 2009 at 3:25 pmI love pot pies, and yours looks fabulous. Comfort food, indeed. 🙂
whirling dervish
November 15, 2009 at 3:45 pmHey Susan:] Thank you again for the bottomless generosity of spirit in sharing, hands down, your best vegan recipes online. Bon Voyage and Bon Appetit! Maybe, you'll return with a new Caribbean recipe. Have a blast and be safe. Rosemary
Anonymous
November 15, 2009 at 5:02 pmLove that copper pot in the first photo.
Megan
November 15, 2009 at 10:24 pmWe made this tonight with white beans instead of seitan (to simplify.) Very yummy. Thanks for this lovely recipe!
-Megan
This Vegan House
Ana
November 16, 2009 at 11:41 amOh my, this looks delicious!!
I will make an effort to try this recipe as I have been wanting to make my own seitan for a while.
Thanks for such great dishes!
Oh, and enjoy your trip!!
Ana
Blue Roses
November 16, 2009 at 1:05 pmI love your blog. This is one of the best I've found on the net. Thank you!!
Check out the foodies at OpenSalon.
Blue Roses
Keri Anne
November 16, 2009 at 2:45 pmHi Susan,
Hope your holiday is fabulous! Can you or anyone else in the meantime answer my question- is the miso necessary or can I go without?
Thanks!
alexandra
November 16, 2009 at 3:54 pmPrinting this now and making it soon. Thanks (I loved those aluminum tin pot pies too).
blessedmama
November 16, 2009 at 5:31 pmLooks delicious! Thanks for the idea.
Oh She Glows
November 16, 2009 at 8:22 pmWOW!!!!! You have outdone yourself. My gosh, I don't think ive ever seen a more appetizing pot pie. The photos are just lovely too. Thanks for sharing your talent with all of us!!!
SusanV
November 16, 2009 at 10:18 pmKeri Anne, the miso just adds a little more flavor and saltiness. You can leave it out and perhaps add a little more salt or soy sauce.
Anonymous
November 17, 2009 at 11:20 amI made this for dinner on Sunday and it was wonderful. It is great to be able to have flavorful, healthy biscuits and the filling was quite tasty.
Hatshepsut
veggie wedgie
November 17, 2009 at 12:46 pmThis looks yummy! I love the pot in the first picture.
Josiane
November 17, 2009 at 1:05 pmI was planning on trying to make a vegan version of my mom's chicken pot pie using seitan – now that you've done all the experimentation already, I won't have to rely on trial and error to get there! I really like the pumpkin biscuit idea, it will make for an interesting change.
dining set
November 18, 2009 at 12:22 amEnjoy your vacation! I love your pot pie post! It looks beautiful and I am pretty sure that is tastes delicious, too.
K.E.N.
November 18, 2009 at 3:12 amomigosh, this looks so good!
thanks for the recipe, hopefully i'll get to it!
dreaminitvegan
November 18, 2009 at 2:18 pmI love the name of the pot pie! Pot pies are all about comfort food and what better time to make it.
Anonymous
November 19, 2009 at 5:01 pmI’d be hung up on to go brace with that too!
Yasmin Lawsuit
November 20, 2009 at 12:14 pmI'm hungry and salivating at my desk right now. This recipe looks delicious! I can't wait to try it out.
Thanks for sharing.
bazu
November 21, 2009 at 11:06 amFirstly, have fun and enjoy the warm weather cruise!
Secondly, oh my god that dish is gorgeous. I must make it. Oh MY GOD.
Aparna
November 21, 2009 at 11:02 pmComfort food it may be but it looks delicious too. Never seen a pot pie made this way.
Have a great vacation with your parents and sister.
Colleen/veggie85
November 23, 2009 at 12:57 pmCongrats on the trip. The photo looks beautiful!
Maya
November 23, 2009 at 4:35 pmI was reading your notes on the pumpkin/raisin biscuit recipe, and noticed that the pumpkin biscuit is a heavier/less fluffy but healthier option. Normally, I'd be down for that but for Thanksgiving I'd really like to go for the full-fat, melt-in your mouth kind. Is there a way to do this and still have the pumpkin flavoring?
Christa
November 24, 2009 at 1:21 amHello, I just discovered your blog and I know it is gonna be a favorite! I am having a problem with Nutritional yeast as an ingredient. I am the rare person who gets major stomach aches from that stuff. Is there something I can substitute for this? So many vegan recipes call for this and it truly bums me out. Thank you.
Keri Anne
November 26, 2009 at 7:34 pmOh Susan! Wow, this is a truly wonderful recipe. I just got done serving it to my father for our vegan Thanksgiving, thank you! Only difference I made was using puff pastry to a bottom and top instead of the biscuits. The seitan was incredible soaking up all that flavor- my Southern father even remarked that he thought it tastes like meat- high compliments coming from him! Thank you! Happy cruelty-free Thanksgiving!
Heather Iacobacci-Miller
November 28, 2009 at 6:08 pmThis looks so incredibly delicious!
lulingtea
November 28, 2009 at 9:49 pmThis looks delicious. I may try your seitan recipe because it does not contain tomato paste.
Anonymous
November 29, 2009 at 3:54 pmI'll have to try this again. The stew ended up way to soupy, and I had to get rid of tons of broth just to get it to thicken to something approaching a stew. The bread topping ended up kind of hard and not very tasty. Maybe I did something wrong, but this one didn't come out as I had hoped.
SusanV
November 30, 2009 at 10:50 amI'm sorry it didn't work out for you, Anon. It starts out fairly brothy so that there's enough liquid to cover the vegetables and seitan, but when I cooked it, a lot of the broth was absorbed or boiled off and the cornstarch I added thickened it right up. As I mention in the recipe, you can add more cornstarch if necessary to thicken it more.
I don't know what happened with your biscuits! Except–did you cover the entire top or use individual biscuits? I've tried it both ways and individual biscuits really are much better and do turn out more tender.
Kristen
November 30, 2009 at 11:33 pmYummmmmy!!!
I am just learning to be vegan – and recipes like this certainly help!