Butternut Squash and Lentil Vegetarian Pot Pie
A hearty vegetarian pot pie filled with sweet and nutty butternut squash and earthy lentils. Perfect for a cool fall evening.
So, I guess it's officially here.
Fall that is.
Not only is today the first official day of fall, but despite my resistance, but we're starting to cool down and the leaves are beginning to turn.
The one consolation?
Fall means apples, squash, and cranberries. Not to mention hearty soups and stews, oatmeal for breakfast, and warming drinks.
If I think about the positives, maybe the colder weather won't get to me as much. Right?
Delicious fall recipes start with squash!
While Tim gets excited about the onset of cooler weather, I am the opposite. Keep me warm as long as possible please!
But, I do love fall foods, and squash is one of our staples.
Typically we stock up on a bunch of different squash just as the season is ending and keep them to eat through the winter. They make great additions to soups and stews or make a great vessel for stuffing.
Butternut Squash Vegetarian Pot Pie
Today, we've combined sweet and nutty butternut squash and earthy lentils in a hearty vegetarian pot pie with a whole wheat crust.
The filling is a bit unconventional if you are used to chicken or turkey pot pies, but even though it's a vegetarian pot pie, the lentils make this an incredibly heartym stick-to-your-ribs kind of dish.
We used two 5" x 2" casserole dishes when we baked this up. If you'd like to use a single dish, a 1 - 1 ½ quart casserole dish should do the trick, and the crust recipe here should have you covered as well.
Butternut Squash and Lentil Vegetarian Pot Pie
Ingredients
Lentil Prep
- ½ c lentils, dry
- 1 c water
For the Crust
- 1 c whole wheat flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ c unsalted butter, cold
- ¼ c sour cream
- 3 - 4 Tbsp water, ice-cold
For the Filling
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 c butternut squash, peeled and cut into ½” cubes (roughly ½ a medium squash)
- 2 tablespoon whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon rosemary, whole
- ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
- ¼ teaspoon sage
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Dash whole fennel seeds (5-7 seeds)
- 3 tablespoon white wine (Dry or fruity will work here, they will just give a slightly different flavor to the pie.)
- ¾ c vegetable broth (we prefer low sodium)
Instructions
Lentil Prep
- In a small saucepan, combine lentils and water. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10-15 min, until lentils are just barely tender. Remove from heat.
For the Crust
- While the lentils are cooking mix flour and salt in the bowl of your food processor. Process to mix.
- Add butter and pulse until evenly distributed in small chunks.
- Add sour cream and pulse until combined.
- Add water, one tablespoon at a time, pulsing after each addition, just until the crust dough becomes sticky enough that it will hold together without crumbling or tearing when pressed. (It took 2 tablespoon for us.)
- Remove the dough from the processor and press into a ball. Wrap with plastic wrap and chill while continuing on with the filling.
For The Filling
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- In a large, non-stick frying pan, heat onions until they begin to soften (4-5 min). (If they begin to stick add 1 tablespoon water.)
- Add squash to the onions and continue to cook 5-7 min, until the squash begins to soften.
- Add flour and seasonings. Stir until combined.
- Pour in vegetable broth and wine. Mix well, scraping the bottom to deglaze any stuck bits. Bring mixture to a simmer.
- Add warm lentils (along with any extra water) and give the mixture a bit stir.
Finishing off the Vegetarian Pot Pies
- Place your casserole dish(es) on a foil, lined baking sheet.
- Ladle filling into your casserole dishes.
- Take the pie crust ball from the fridge and roll out, on a lightly floured surface, to about a ⅛ inch thick. (It should be approximately a 10-11” round.) Cut out the shape you need for your top crust and cut some vent holes. (This is easier to at least start while the crust is not over top of a soft filling.)
- Spray the top edge of your casserole dish with cooking spray, so your crust doesn’t stick.
- Gently, using a spatula or bench knife, move the crust to top filling. (You can gently make adjustments to your vent holes or decorations now.) Crimp edges if desired.
- Bake pies for 25-30 min, until the crust is golden and you can hear the filling bubbling.
- Let stand 5 minutes to cool and absorb any excess moisture before serving.
Nutrition
Sarah founded Curious in 2010 as a way to save her recipe creations and share culinary experiences. Her love for cultural cuisines was instilled early by her French Canadian Grandmother. Her experience in the kitchen and in recipe development comes from over 10 years working in professional kitchens. She has traveled extensively and enjoys bringing the flavors of her travels back to create easy-to-make recipes.
I love savory pies and this one sounds awesome!
LOVE this idea!!! Butternut squash and lentils...yum!
This sounds delicious. I have some squash sitting around, so it'll be dinner tonight. I'm not sure what I'll sub for the sour cream in the crust, though. Any thoughts?
Hmm, I assume you're using a vegan butter? Just use that to replace the sour cream. Be sure to let us know how it turns out!
I've never made a pot pie with whole wheat crust or lentils in it. What a wonderful idea! Just the kind of food I love to have around.
We really liked the nutty depth the wheat gave the crust. Perfect for a fall pie!
Ohhhhhhh, butternut squash and lentils! I love it!!!!!!!!!!1 Fab idea! Your pot pie is adorable, love the crust!!
Thank you!
Fabulous and healthy to boot!
Autumn is about transformation...The passing of time, the beauty of maturing leaves...And you have reflected the season so well Sarah with your exquisitely stenciled crusts. Along with your combo of butternut squash and lentil filling=)
P.s. Your pie makes me a bit nostalgic for the years my sister lived in San Francisco. One of her go-to meals was butternut squash and lentils. (She's teaching first grade in Qatar at the moment.)
Thank you so much, and thanks for sharing your memories!
I adore lentils...thank you for a yummy new recipe to try!!!!
I think even I could get my husband to eat this and he's not a huge lentil fan. It looks fantastic.
This sounds like the perfect fall dinner
This sounds amazing! Love butternut squash. And I love that you took the time to make the fall design on top, seriously, too pretty to eat, but I would. 😉
Thanks!
Mmmm... Pot pies are positively perfect this time of year! 🙂
I love that they are veg, yet so hearty and filling and comforting. And the crust is just gorgeous!
Thank you Heather!
I knew I was going to like this dish the moment I read the title, Sarah. We are big fans of potpie of any kind and lentils and butternut squash are some of our favorite ingredients. I'll definitely be giving this one a try!
Love the combination of lentils and butternut squash. I love the design in the pasty top!