Veggie Pot Pie with Fancy Lattice Herb Crust
Herb crust
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup vegan butter or buttery sticks (cold & cubed)
- ½ to ¾ cup almond milk (cold)
- ½ tsp. sea salt
- 2 Tbsp. dried parsley
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- ½ tsp. dried oregano
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
Vegetable filling
- 5 cups frozen mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, corn & green beans)
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- Sea salt (to taste)
- Black pepper (to taste)
- 3 Tbsp. vegan butter
- 1 medium red onion (chopped)
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- ¾ cup almond milk
- 2 Tbsp. white cooking wine
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- ½ cup dairy-free mozzarella (or cheddar shreds)
- 1 Tbsp. melted vegan butter (for brushing)
Herb crust
- In large bowl, combine all-purpose flour, sea salt, parsley, thyme, oregano and garlic powder. Whisking to combine.
- Add cubed vegan butter. Use pastry blender to combine butter into dry ingredients until mixture becomes crumbly (pea-size crumbs).
- Slowly pour in the cold milk and stir (working it together with one hand) until dry ingredients moisten. Note: If mixture feels a little too dry, add 1 tablespoon cold milk at a time, until it’s moistened but not *too* wet.
- Form dough into ball, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour (minimum), up to 1.5 hours or overnight.
Filling
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. and grease a standard 9-in. pie dish. Set aside.
- In medium saucepan, melt vegan butter over medium-high heat. Once melted, add mixed vegetables and onions. Add sea salt and black pepper, to taste. Toss and cook vegetables until softened, about 5-6 minutes.
- Add flour and nutritional yeast. Stir until well incorporated (around 1 minute) and fully coated. Add cooking wine, veggie stock and milk. Note: Immediately whisk liquid with vegetables to ensure lumps do not form.
- Increase heat to high so that the mixture begins to boil (stirring occasionally) for about 3-4 minutes, then reduce to simmer for about 5-6 minutes.
- Once thickened, turn off heat and stir in dairy-free shreds, until fully melted and creamy. Set aside.
Assembly
- Remove dough ball from refrigerator and transfer to lightly floured surface. Roll out dough ball (avoid making it too thin), about 1/2-in. thick. Use sharp knife or wheel pastry cutter to cut dough (longways) into 8-10 half-inch-wide strips. Note: To make strips easier to transfer, gently fold them over, then place them on top of the pie and unfold them, being sure to place the longer strips in the middle and working the shorter ones toward either side of the pie.
- Pour filling into prepared pie dish and top with crust strips.
- To create a lattice pattern, place one long strip of dough perpendicular to the parallel strip, then unfold the folded strips over the perpendicular strip. Lay a second perpendicular strip of dough next to the first one with some space between them and unfold the folded parallel strip over the second one. Continue with each strip until a complete weave is made over the top of the pie.
- Brush tops of crust with melted butter and bake for 25-30 minutes or until crust is golden brown and fully baked through and filling bubbles.
- Remove from oven and serve immediately.