Earthy Mushroom Medley Pot Pie Recipe

You've heard of chicken pot pie and perhaps of beef pot pie, but what about a vegetarian mushroom pot pie? This earthy mushroom medley pot pie recipe, brought to us by recipe developer Kate Shungu, checks all of the comfy and cozy boxes while simultaneously checking the hearty and filling ones. Shungu is certain that any mushroom fan will love this dish, though there's a pretty good chance that those who are fans of vegetarian meals or cozy home cooking will enjoy it all the same.

Something that particularly stands out about this pot pie recipe is the fact that it could wear many hats in terms of how and when you serve it. "This comfort food meal is easy enough for a weeknight but fancy enough for a dinner party," Shungu tells us. "It's one of those vegetarian dishes that feels 'special,' like you went to a lot of work (yet it clocks in at under one hour)." So, whether you choose to serve it to your family or to a larger tableful of hungry guests, there's a good chance that they'll relish in all of your hard work. Only you have to know that, thanks to the use of store-bought puff pastry, there really wasn't too much hard work that went into the meal after all.

To kick off this pot pie recipe, you'll need olive oil, a couple of carrots (chopped), and a medley of sliced mushrooms. You'll also need unsalted butter, all-purpose flour, red wine, vegetable stock, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, dried thyme, salt, and frozen pearl onions. Finally, to take the mixture from a stew to a pot pie, you'll need a defrosted sheet of puff pastry, along with a beaten egg to brush on said pastry for a beautiful, golden crust.

Pour the olive oil into a large skillet over medium heat.

Add the carrots and cook until they start to get soft, about 2–3 minutes.

Add the sliced mushrooms and cook until soft, about 5–6 minutes. Remove the mushrooms and carrots from the skillet.

Add the butter to the skillet and allow it to melt.

Add the flour and let cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally.

Pour in the red wine and vegetable stock. Bring to a simmer.

Whisk in the Dijon mustard, lemon juice, thyme, and salt.

Stir in the pearl onions. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the mushroom mixture back to the skillet and stir to combine.

Transfer the contents of the skillet to a 2-quart baking dish (a 10 ½×7-inch or 8x8-inch baking dish work here).

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Roll the puff pastry out and cut it to fit the dish with a ½-inch overhang, trimming if necessary.

Score the puff pastry in a diagonal pattern with a knife.

Gently place the puff pastry over the dish and press lightly on the edges to seal. Brush with the beaten egg.

Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.

Slice, and serve.

Frozen puff pastry is an incredibly useful (not to mention versatile) ingredient that helps make a recipe, like this pot pie one, come together rather quickly. Moreover, you don't have to fuss with making your own dough, so the puff pastry makes the process easier all-around without sacrificing buttery, flaky goodness. That said, just because frozen puff pastry is often viewed as a shortcut doesn't mean there aren't some pitfalls to look out for.

First and foremost, Shungu advises to follow the thawing instructions on the package closely — this may seem like a no-brainer, but trying to rush the process (and trying to bake a partially frozen pastry sheet) will yield a soggy result. The easiest way to thaw the pastry sheet is by transferring it from freezer to fridge the morning of the day you plan to make this meal. The sheet should be plenty thawed come dinnertime, but do be sure to keep it in the fridge until you're ready to roll it out.

Speaking of rolling out the pastry sheet, sprinkle a little flour on your work surface if stickiness is an issue. Ideally, the sheet won't be sticky (so long as you keep it refrigerated), but flour will help ensure easy rolling and help avoid the sheet clinging to itself or developing tears. 

The beauty of any pot pie, including this mushroom-infused vegetarian version, is that you can get quite creative with the ingredients. Now, since this is a mushroom medley pot pie, it'd be wise to keep mushrooms as the focal point, and best yet if you do use a true assortment. Shungu notes that any type of mushrooms will work here, so if you only have something like cremini, oyster, button, or even portobello, that will do just fine — just make sure they're sliced.

Other options include adding rotisserie chicken to the mix, which would certainly give the dish a protein boost but would also mean that it's longer vegetarian. Another meaty option that Shungu suggests is great for those who want to repurpose leftovers: Toss bite-sized cubes of leftover pot roast in the mix. Also, if you aren't concerned with keeping the dish vegetarian, you could swap out the vegetable stock for something like chicken or beef stock. Finally, for those who aren't a fan of pearl onions (or just can't find frozen ones), you can easily use chopped onions instead.