Butternut Squash and Lentil Pot Pie

Erin Alderson

Food is linked to many memories in my life.  While I didn’t always eat homemade food when I was young, the link is still there.

I’ve said this before but I was (and am) extremely fortunate.  I didn’t grow up going to a “babysitter” in the traditional sense but instead I always hung out with my grandparents.

While my grandparents fed me what I wanted (McDonald’s- a sad byproduct of being a misinformed child of the nineties) there would be the rare time they would put their foot down and cook something.

Sure, the pot pies they cooked were frozen and sure, the pot pie probably had the same about of crap as the McDonald’s meal had; however, the experience was not the same.  I, being the impatient person I am, would stake out in front of the oven.  The smells wafting from the oven always caught me by surprise and the anticipation made the first bite that much better.

When I started eating vegetarian, I pretty much ruled out pot pies.  I mean, the pot pies I always ate were chicken based and without the chicken I’d be eating peas, carrots, and potatoes.  I attempted to make vegetarian pot pie which was good but not drool worthy.

What I missed was the creamy texture and the intoxicating aroma coming from my oven.

This pot pie has everything I was searching for and more.  I get the creamy texture, the chunks of veggies, the intoxicating aroma, and more over: it’s healthy.  The filling is actually vegan and made creamy by the lentils.

I think I found my new winter comfort food!

Butternut Squash and Lentil Pot Pie

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Preparation 20 mins 2017-09-24T00:20:00+00:00 Cook Time 45 mins 2017-09-24T00:45:00+00:00 Serves 2     adjust servings

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup red lentils
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 cups butternut squash, peeled and 1/2" cubed
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 cup onions
  • 2 tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour
  • 2 tablespoons white wine
  • 3/4 cup veggie broth
  • 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Pie Crust

  • 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 4 tablespoons butter, chilled
  • 1 oz cream cheese, chilled
  • 2-4 tablespoons of ice water

Instructions

  1. In a food processor (or a medium bowl) combine flour and salt for crust. Pulse (or cut) in butter. Once butter is mostly into small chunks, pulse (or cut) in cream cheese. Once butter and cream cheese are in pea size pieces, pulse in 1/4 cup of water until dough begins to come together (adding a 1 tablespoon of water extra as needed.) Remove from food processor and shape into a disc (without handling the dough too much.) Wrap in plastic and place in refrigerator.
  2. Preheat oven to 400˚.
  3. Combine lentils and 2 cups of water together in a pot. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and let cook until lentils have softened and most of the water has been soaked up. Set aside.
  4. In another pot, heat olive oil of medium-low. Cook onions until they become fragrant and translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in butternut squash and continue to cook for five more minutes or until butternut squash begins to soften. Next, add in rosemary and flour, stirring so that the flour covers the butternut squash and onion mixture.
  5. Pour in white wine and loosen anything that may have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Finally, stir in cooked lentils and veggie broth. Bring to a boil and stir for one minute then remove from heat and pour into a small casserole dish (mine was about 4".)
  6. On a floured surface, roll out dough and you can use the dough as is and crimp it over the entire pot pie. The dough can also be cut with cookie cutters and places on top of the pot pie.
  7. Brush pie crust with olive oil and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling.

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