veggie pot pie

I adapted this recipe from the November/December 2009 issue of Vegetarian Times. I've been missing chicken pot pie for a while and this really comes close to completely filling the void...

olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup diced carrots
6 cups veggie stock
2 cups frozen corn
1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas
2 T dried parsley
1 T dried sage
1 T marjoram
2 bay leaves
16 oz egg noodles
2 T cornstarch
2 T flour
4 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan
2 cups frozen green beans
2 cups frozen peas
1 pie crust

Heat a bit of olive oil in a large pot. Add the onion and cook until it begins to brown. Stir in the garlic, celery, and carrots, then saute for 5 minutes.

Stir in 5 cups of the veggie stock, then add the corn, chickpeas, parsley, sage, marjoram, and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir in the noodles and cook the mixture until the noodles are tender. Remove the bay leaves.

Whisk together the cornstarch, flour, and 1 cup of veggie stock and add it to the pot. Stir in the cream cheese and parmesan. Allow the mixture to cool, then stir in the green beans and peas.

Transfer the mixture to a large greased casserole and cover with a pie crust. My casserole was oblong so I made my own crust and rolled it into an oval before tucking it around the filling.

Bake the pie at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until the crust is flaky and golden. Don't forget to vent your crust :)

This makes a huge casserole. Unless you're feeding a large group, I suggest halving the recipe, or making it into two pies. It should freeze well.

For company, I'd make individual pot pies with decorative crust cutouts.