Pumpkin Pot Pie

This turned out so well that I’m making it a thing – a tradition. A dish I will make every year for the holidays from now until forever. That’s a big deal for me. I’m not a very traditional person, I wore a blue dress to my wedding and I can totally relate to these guys.

I don’t plan things out in advance and I certainly don’t commit to making the same dish every year – that’s just craziness. But that’s how crazy good this pumpkin pot pie was. Don’t be intimidated by those cute little sugar pumpkins. They peel really easily, you can cut right through them (no chainsaw needed) and they roast up in no time.

Oh yeah, they taste amazing! And they’re really good for you, blah blah. Seriously, we ate about half of it after it came out of the oven and it was just seasoned with a little salt, pepper and olive oil. So this dish has a flaky, buttery, parmesan crust that dresses the vegetables up for the holidays. You could omit the crust for a healthier, everyday situation that’s almost just as tasty.

Ingredients for Vegetable Filling

1 small sugar pumpkin, roasted
3 large carrots
2 celery stalks
2 cups vegetable stock
1 small white onion (or half of a large one)
1 bunch of kale (about 8 cups chopped, stems removed)
1 can of white kidney beans
4 garlic cloves, crushed
generous salt and pepper
pinch of pepper flakes
olive oil for sautéing

Ingredients for the Roux

1 generous pat of butter
2 tablespoons flour
vegetable stock, about 2 ladles full (taken from above)
salt, pepper

Ingredients for Crust

1 3/4 cup flour
1 stick of butter
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 egg for egg wash (optional)

Directions

Wash, peel, chop and roast the a small sugar pumpkin on 350 F for 10 minutes. Sauté the mirepoix on medium heat with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Wash and chop the kale, removing the stems. Add to the mirepoix and let wilt on low with vegetable broth. Make a roux: melt butter in a hot pot, add two tablespoons of flour, one at a time. Let that get toasty and fragrant before you add the stock – one ladle full at a time.

Mix roux in with remaining filling ingredients. Combine ingredients for the crust with your hands or stand mixer. Roll out dough on a well floured surface in the shape of your oven-proof bowls. Place filling in bowls, don’t fill to the brim – you don’t want the good stuff to run over! Place crust on top of bowls and pinch edges around the rim. For a shiny looking crust, brush an egg wash over the pie before baking. Bake for 35 minutes on 375 F.