Very simple and veggie-packed delicious pie. Iron and B12 inclusive, this pie is sure to knock your socks off. This delicious vegie-packed pie is so good for you and the ultimate vegetarian comfort meal. Yep, vegetarians eat pie too! This one is chock full of iron-rich spinach and the nutritional yeast is fortifed with vitamin B12. You can easily turn this into a vegan pie (they don't just eat lettuce?!) by reading the ingredients list of store-bought puff pastry sheets carefully. Check out the Vegetarian Pie Recipe video!
- 1/3 head (about 500g) of Cauliflower, roughly chopped
- 1 can Lentils
- 1/2 C Cashews
- 1 tbsp Nutritional yeast
- 1/4 tsp Ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Onion, diced
- 2 Garlic cloves, diced
- 200g Spinach, roughly chopped
- 2 sheets Puff pastry
- 1 tbsp Pine nuts
- Preheat oven to 170°C fan-forced (190°C conventional).
- Bring a saucepan half-filled with water to a boil over high heat. Add the cauliflower and boil for 7 minutes, or until tender. Drain and transfer to a blender with the cashews, nutritional yeast, salt and nutmeg. Blend until smooth and thick.
- Drain the can of lentils and rinse with water*. Heat the oil in a large fry-pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 3 minutes or until softened. Stir in garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add in lentils and spinach and cook until spinach is wilted.
- Remove the pan from heat and stir in the cauliflower mixture.
- Line the base of a 20cm x 30cm pie dish with one sheet of pastry. Cut off excess that extends over rim and leave to the side.
- Scoop the cooked spinach and cauliflower mixture into the dish, spreading it evenly over the base.
- If desired, roast the pinenuts in a pan for 3 minutes. Sprinkle over the cooked spinach and cauliflower mixture. Lay the remaining pastry sheet on top and cut off the excess. Seal the edges of the pastry by pressing down with a fork. Decorate the top with the offcuts you set aside.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes or until puffy and golden all over. Remove the pie from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving and enjoy!
*Rinsing with water ensures that the excess sodium from the lentil brine is reduced.
If you are feeling creative or want to have a little bit of fun with the design, you can use cookie cutters to make shapes or a simple knife to carve the excess pastry into the shapes you want.
The softness of the blended cauliflower makes a thick sauce that completely holds the pie mixture together so ensure you boil the cauliflower until tender.
The first time I made this pie, I ate the whole thing in one sitting, so don't be surprised if you want to do the same.
If you made this recipe, leave a comment to let us know how you went! Add a picture of your final result or post a picture on instagram and tag me@danibianchi_.