Roasted Winter Vegetable Pot Pie

When I was at the Farmers' Market yesterday picking up my favorite winter veggies, I was surprised to see signs of spring coming when I was able to buy fresh berries! Wow . . . can't wait to get asparagus--my absolute favorite spring vegetable. But before I skip ahead, I wanted to pay homage to all the great produce available in winter and created a pot pie made from roasted vegetables--and I have to say this is one of the best meals I've ever made. It takes a bit more work than my usual recipes, but I think you'll agree it's worth it.

Roasted Winter Vegetable Pot Pie
Roasting the veggies before putting them into the pie really brings out the sweetness. This is a great one for company. To save time you can use a sheet of puff pastry or a prepared pie crust instead of the homemade crust below. We like it with a winter fruit salad or applesauce.

Crust:
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 cup cornmeal
pinch salt
1/3 cup vegan butter
4-6 tablespoons ice water

Filling:
1 large Yukon gold potato
1 sweet potato
2 carrots
1 rutabaga
1 large parsnip
20 medium Brussels sprouts
3 tablespoons walnut or olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary

Sauce:
Walnut or olive oil
1 small onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
1 cup vegetable broth or water
2 cups nondairy milk
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or nutmeg
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
salt and black pepper, to taste

Prepare crust by mixing the flour, cornmeal, and salt together in a food processor or bowl. Cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 4 tablespoons water and mix. Add additional water a tablespoon at a time until the dough holds together when pinched. Form into a ball, cover, and place in refrigerator while you prepare the vegetables.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Trim ends of vegetables and peel if necessary (sometimes the rutabaga can be a bit hairy). Cut into bite sized pieces and place in a mixing bowl. Add the remaining filling ingredients and toss until vegetables are coated with oil. Spread on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Bake 20 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 375 degrees.

Meanwhile, prepare sauce. Add just enough oil to a medium saucepan to coat the bottom and place over low heat. Add the onion and garlic. Sauté 5 to 10 minutes, or until soft. Stir in the flour and nutritional yeast. Whisk in the broth until smooth. Add the milk, spice, thyme, rosemary, and stir or whisk until smooth. Bring to boil over medium heat. Boil 30 seconds to thicken. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

To assemble, place the roasted vegetables in a 2-quart baking dish. Pour the sauce over the vegetables. Roll out the crust to the size of the baking dish and place over the filling, trimming edges as necessary. Use a sharp knife to poke slits in the crust. (Make sure you reduced the oven heat to 375 degrees!) Bake 30 minutes, or until crust is golden.

Serves 6 to 8

Note: This is a versatile recipe. Use whatever root vegetables you like best—they should add up to 9 cups cut up. Also, if you’re not a Brussels sprouts fan (hard to believe that some people are just not fans), substitute 2 cups of cauliflower or broccoli florets. You can also 1 cup frozen peas along with the sauce.