Meatless Monday Vegetarian Pot Pies & Hand Pies- 12 Pie Varieties

Ever thought about cutting back on meat in your diet? Meatless Mondays, originated during World War I, have been resurrected, and are gaining popularity among environmentalists and some health advocates. Many doctors and nutritionists are now recommending a diet that is 75% vegetarian, to enjoy numerous benefits to health.

One of my favorite and most satisfying vegetarian entrées is pot pie. I have given the recipe and step by step instructions with photos for my most recent vegetarian pot pie. I’ve also given suggestions for additional vegetable combinations for pot pies, as well as the basics for “hand pies”.

Vegetable Pot Pie

Vegetarian Pot Pie

2 cans cream of potato soup

2 soup cans milk

2 cups butternut squash, cubed

5-8 oz frozen broccoli florets

1 can artichoke hearts, drained

8 oz baby bella mushrooms

Blend Soup and Milk

1. Empty cream of potato soup into a 11” X 13” baking dish. Use spatula to scrape sides of can if necessary. Fill soup cans with milk, and empty into baking dish. Stir or whisk to blend milk and soup.

Add Vegetables to Pot Pie

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2. Sauté mushrooms in a hot skillet to sweat. Add mushrooms, squash, and broccoli to soup mixture. Stir to combine.

And More Vegetables

3. Add drained and quartered artichoke hearts. (I prefer Progresso. These were canned 365 artichoke hearts from Whole Foods, and were very tough. I had to throw a lot away.) Stir to combine all ingredients.

Top with Pie Shell

4. Top with pie shell, such as refrigerated Pillsbury Just Unroll pie crust. Cut off excess from sides if necessary and fill in gaps with scraps. I used a thawed deep dish gluten free crust from Whole Foods. Notice there are some gaps.

Vegetable Pot Pie

5. Bake at 350° for 60 minutes. Turn on broiler if necessary to brown before serving.

More Veggie Pot Pies

Here are additional suggestions for vegetable combinations for veggie pot pies. Prepare as above with 2 cans of cream soup and 2 cans of milk for a large 11” X 13” pie.

Classic Pot Pie: cream of potato soup, green peas, carrots, corn, green beans

Creamy Mushroom Pie: cream of mushroom soup, baby bella mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, broccoli, sautéed purple onion

Butternut & Potato Pie: cream of potato soup, cubed butternut squash, quartered Brussels sprouts, leeks, cubed sweet potatoes

Spinach Pie: cream of mushroom soup, chopped spinach, button mushrooms, caramelized sweet onion, artichokes

Only Green Pie: cream of celery soup, asparagus, edamame, broccoli, green beans, green peas, lima beans

Root Vegetable Pie: cream of potato soup, cubed sweet potatoes, parsnips, turnips, carrots, onions

Squash Pie: cream of celery soup, yellow squash, zucchini, acorn squash, butternut squash

Individual Vegetable Pot Pies

Individual Pot Pies

Select filling and spoon into individual sized casserole dishes. Cover with rounds of refrigerated pie crust, or thawed frozen crust. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes. Alternatively, bake soup and vegetable mixture until hot, about 30 minutes. Then top with pastry dough and bake until done, about 15-20 minutes.

Curried Vegetable Hand Pie

Hand Pies

I first encountered hand pies at Boomerang’s in Austin. They were like pot pies, but the contents relatively dry, so that they could be held in the hand and eaten. I never really thought about trying to make a hand pie until I saw a Jamaican-Style Vegetable Turnover on Rachael Ray’s website. It reminded me of fried sweet potato pies that we used to have when I was a child, because they are made with a circular piece of dough.

Get Pillsbury Just Unroll pie crust or thawed frozen pie crust. Cut 6” circles from the dough. Collect scraps and roll out again to cut more. Place filling on one side, then fold other side over and crimp sides with a fork to seal. Poke a few holes with a fork to vent. Alternatively, cut in squares and fold over into triangle shape as for fruit turnovers. Bake about 425° for 20 minutes.

Prepare vegetable mixtures for your pies. Mixtures should be moist but not runny.

Hand Pies

Leafy Greens Pie: Choose one or two dark leafy greens, such as chard, collard greens, kale, spinach, turnip greens, or mustard greens. Wash and cut out any large stems or ribs. Roll large leaves and cut into ribbons. Sauté greens to wilt, or until tender crisp. Season to taste with salt and pepper and other spices. Transfer to a bowl and add feta cheese and parmesan cheese. Mix thoroughly.

Italian Pie: Dice vegetables such as zucchini, onion, and red peppers. Sauté in a hot skillet with a little olive oil until tender crisp. Add minced garlic, and spices such as oregano, basil and parsley. Use fresh if available. Add diced tomatoes near the end of cooking. Sprinkle with Parmesan before closing pastry.

Indian Pie: Put ¼ to ½ cup water in a pan and heat. Add powdered cumin, curry, turmeric, coriander, and garam marsala. Whisk to combine. Add diced potatoes and carrots, and green peas. Cook until vegetables are done. Add additional liquid if needed.

Chinese Pie: Sauté a mixture of vegetables such as broccoli, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, snow peas, carrots, or shredded cabbage in a hot wok or skillet with a little oil and Chinese Five Spice.

Comments

Dale Anderson from The High Seas on July 21, 2020:

Excellent article! I am a keen eater of pies myself so this hub really struck home with me. Keep them coming!

tebo from New Zealand on January 05, 2012:

Lots of good ideas for veggie pies. I too like the hand pies. They look nice. I will bookmark this hub and have a go at some of these recipes. Thanks.

rmcrayne (author) from San Antonio Texas on December 31, 2011:

Jason I used to make a lot of Weight Watchers rice crust quiche. We started participating with a local organic produce program. I understand there are tons of leafy greens throughout the winter. I guess I'll be exploring recipes soon.

quildon I never heard of hand pies until my trip to Boomerang's in Austin last August.

Angela Joseph from Florida on December 27, 2011:

I love the hand pies too. I saw a similar variety at my local supermarket, but it was made with spinach.

Jason Menayan from San Francisco on December 27, 2011:

Even though they are calorie-rich (hey, I'm on a diet), these ideas sound delicious. The leafy-green hand pie sounds fantastic. I made a veggie quiche this past weekend which turned out well, too.

rmcrayne (author) from San Antonio Texas on December 27, 2011:

Ohhhhhhhh nooooooooo! ethel, that is a personal photo of the pot pie made with the ingredients listed. I don't know what other image I could use. I appreciate the honesty. I don't want to drive visitors away. It's very difficulty to get traffic to vegetarian hubs as it is.

Ethel Smith from Kingston-Upon-Hull on December 27, 2011:

I have to say that they sound scrummy but that first image is not very appetising looking