This vegetarian lentil pot pie topped with a flakey and buttery sheet of puff pastry is simple and elegant enough to serve as an entree this Thanksgiving. Make it vegan by using a vegan pie crust or vegan biscuits instead of puff pastry.
This vegetarian lentil pot pie is the epitome of comfort food for colder weather. Brown lentils and mixed vegetables are cooked up in a flavorful sauce and then capped with a sheet of puff pastry. I feel that puff pastry really makes this otherwise humble vegetarian lentil pot pie something special. So special, I think it could stand in for turkey as an entree for your vegetarian friends at Thanksgiving this year! (I know I would be excited to see this pot pie waiting for me on the table at Thanksgiving.)
Tips for making this Vegetarian Lentil Pot Pie
- Pre-Cooked Lentils: Buy pre-cooked lentils to make the prep work for this lentil pot pie even simpler.
- Filling Options: The filling for this lentil pie can easily be adapted to whatever chopped vegetables you may have on hand. I’m thinking mushrooms would be a great addition! The frozen mixed vegetables I bought from the store included green beans, carrots, corn and green peas.
- Pastry Options: If you can’t find puff pastry, feel free to substitute with a sheet of store-bought or homemade pie crust.
- About Puff Pastry: New to using puff pasty? Make sure that you thaw it overnight in the fridge before using. It is usually folded into fourths and you’ll need about 1/4 of the sheet for this recipe. You’ll roll it out on a lightly floured surface and then drape it over your skillet to cover.
- Skillet Alternatives: Don’t have an oven safe skillet? Just transfer the filling to an 8″x8″ square baking dish to bake your lentil pot pie.
- Make it Vegan: Want to make this vegan? Just use a vegan pie crust or vegan biscuits like I did below for the top instead of the puff pastry because the filling is already vegan-friendly. 🙂
What should I serve with this lentil pot pie?
- Winter Kale Salad
- Rosemary Roasted Carrots
- Simple Citrus and Fennel Salad
- Apple Walnut Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette
- Roasted Beet Salad with Quinoa and Arugula
- Balsamic Herb Roasted Vegetables
Vegetarian Lentil Pot Pie
Ingredients
- For the Lentils:1 cup dried brown lentils
- 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- For the Filling:1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 yellow onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 16 oz. bag of frozen mixed vegetables
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon rosemary
- 1/8 th teaspoon salt
- 1/8 th teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 14 oz. sheet of puff pastry, thawed
Instructions
- The night before you plan on making this, move your puff pastry to the fridge to start thawing overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a medium saucepan, add the lentils and broth. Bring to a simmer and cover. Cook for 20-25 minutes or until broth is absorbed and lentils are tender.
- While the lentils are cooking, head the olive oil in a skillet. Add the onion and cook 3-5 minutes or until tender and translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook another 1 minute.
- Stir in the mixed vegetables and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the flour, tossing to coat the vegetables.
- Pour in the broth, stirring continuously. Add the soy sauce, herbs (oregano, thyme, rosemary), salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook until sauce thickens, about 10-12 minutes. Stir in the cooked lentils and cook another 1-2 minutes.
- Cut puff pastry unto 4 pieces. You'll be using just 1/4 of the pastry for this recipe. Gently roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface until it is large enough to cover your skillet.
- If using an oven safe skillet, drape puff pastry over the filling in the skillet and trim the edges as needed. You can also transfer filling to an 8"x8" glass baking dish and cover with puff pastry sheet.
- Cut slits into the puff pastry for steam to escape and bake for 10-12 minutes or until pastry starts to brown.
- Turn the oven temperature down to 375 degrees Fahreneit and continue to bake another 20-25 minutes or until puff pastry is golden brown.
- Allow to cool 5-10 minutes before cutting and serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
This looks sooo delicious! I believe this would be just as good in individual ramekins…yeah? Thank you for your inspiration recipes.
Yes! It would totally be just as good in individual ramekins. 🙂
Hello! This looks delicious! What size skillet or dish should this be baked it’s
(depth and width)? Thank you
Hi Louise,
You can use an 8″ x 8″ glass baking dish or a 12″ cast iron skillet (ours is 3″ deep).
Would this work as a filled pie, with pastry under and over the filling?
Hi Sharon, I assume so – but I haven’t tried it as a filled pie before. If you try it, let me know!
Thank you, Debbie! I have a feeling this will become a regular in our vegan home ❤️