Growing Chefs! Ontario Caramelized Onion and Root Vegetable Pot Pie

Caramelized Onion and Root Vegetable Pot Pie

This comforting, plant-based pot pie features a medley of seasonal root vegetables — like carrots, parsnips, and sweet potatoes — roasted to enhance their natural sweetness, then baked in a savoury herb-infused gravy beneath a golden, flaky pastry crust.”
Difficulty
Intermediate
Yield
Serves 8-10

Dough:

Ingredients
2/3 cup unsalted butter, cubed and cold1 cup flour1/2 teaspoon salt2 - 4 tablespoons ice water

Filling:

Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil4 onion, sliced thinly2 turnips2 sweet potatoes2 carrots3 parsnips1 celery root1 tablespoon thyme leaves, chopped2/3 cup butter2/3 cup all purpose flour4 garlic, minced2 cups vegetable stock2 tablespoons blonde miso paste3 cups milk2 cups swiss chard, chopped1/4 cup parsley leaves, chopped1/4 cup nutritional yeast
Equipment
Large potLarge frying panChef's knifeCutting boardMixing bowls, various sizesMeasuring cupsMeasuring spoonsBaking sheet lined with parchmentWhiskSpatulaPeelerRaspDish towelTasting spoons

Directions

Get Organized!

Gather all of your ingredients and equipment before you get started! 

Get Prepped!

For the dough, cut cold butter with a pastry cutter or knife into small pieces, less than 1 cm, put into a bowl.

In a large bowl, combine flour, and salt.

Put the butter into the bowl of flour and using the tips of your fingers, begin to break down the butter into smaller pieces. The butter should be in pieces after breaking it up approximately the size of peas.

When the butter no longer has any large chunks, pour approximately 2 tablespoons of ice water into the flour, and stir with a wooden spoon a few times to bring the dough together. If it feels too dry, you can add a bit more water a teaspoon at a time until you can bring it all together.

When most of the flour has come together to form a shaggy dough, bring the dough out of the bowl onto a clean surface, and fold the dough upon itself 12 times to make a smoother dough. Be careful not to overwork the dough, we want it to still have very nice big chunks of butter throughout it which will create a flaky crust, and very little gluten development which would make the crust chewy.

Once the dough is relatively smooth, round and flatten the dough to create a disk. Wrap the dough tightly with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to rest and chill for about 20 minutes. This will allow your dough time to hydrate fully and for the butter to become very cold again.

Slice the onion very thinly and place into a large frying pan with olive oil and a generous pinch of salt. Start on high heat until the onions begin to brown, then turn the heat down to very low and allow to cook another 15 – 20 minutes, stirring often until fully caramelized. 

Peel and dice the turnip, sweet potato, carrots, parsnips and celery root all to a ½ inch dice. Toss with chopped thyme leaves, olive oil and salt and pepper and place onto a baking sheet lined with parchment. 

Preheat the oven to 400°F. 

Roast the root vegetables in the oven until browned and just tender, approximately 15 minutes. 

Get Cooking!

In a large pot, melt the butter and add the minced garlic. Once the butter is fully melted and the garlic is fragrant, add the flour and stir well with a spatula or wooden spoon. Cook over low heat until the mixture resembles mashed potatoes. 

Slowly whisk in the vegetable stock and add the miso paste. Continue to mix until the mixture thickens. Add the milk, root vegetables, swiss chard and nutritional yeast and bring to a simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, until desired consistency. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Place the filling into a dutch oven or cast iron pan. Roll the pie dough out to about ¼ inch thickness and top the filling with it, cutting a few vents in the dough. Bake for approximately 20 minutes until the crust is golden brown.