Vegan Leek & Courgette Pie

Introduction:

This contemporary Leek & Courgette Vegan Pie was created for us by food blogger, The Balanced Kitchen. This oven baked dish is dairy free and full of vegetables, perfect for warming and nourishing the whole family. It’s the ideal mid-week meal, or lazy lunch!

Ingredients:

• 340 g Parsnips, peeled & diced
• 500 g Butter Beans, drained
• 1 cup Plant-based Milk
• Handful Vegan Cheese, grated
• 1 Small Onion
• 2 Blas y Tir Leeks, sliced
• 2 Carrots, diced
• 2 Courgettes, grated
• 300 g Quorn Mince
• 500 g Passata
• 150ml Vegetable Stock
• Few sprigs of Fresh Rosemary
• Sea Salt & Ground Black Pepper, for seasoning

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.
2. Steam the diced parsnips for 10 minutes, until soft enough to mash.
3. Add the parsnips, butter beans, half the milk, half the chopped garlic and a pinch of seasoning to a large bowl. Mash until smooth, gradually adding more milk if need be. Place bowl to one side while you prepare the filling.
4. Add the diced onion, sliced leeks, diced carrots and finely chopped garlic to a reasonably large saucepan with a drop of oil. Sauté gently for 4 minutes.
5. Once the mix is slightly softened, add the grated courgette, Quorn mince, passata, vegetable stock and a few sprigs of fresh rosemary to the pan and bring the mix to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper and leave on a gentle simmer for about 10 minutes.
6. Transfer the mince and vegetable mix to a baking dish and top with the parsnip mash. Sprinkle the grated vegan cheese over the mashed parsnip topping.
7. Place the pie into the oven for a few minutes, ensuring the pie is heated throughout and the vegan cheese topping forms a delicious crust.

Top Tip

This is a great recipe to prepare ahead and can even be frozen – just leave the vegan cheese topping until you’re ready to cook. Remember, if you’re freezing the mix you’ll need to allow it to thaw thoroughly in the fridge for 24 hours before using.

You can find out more about food blogger ‘The Balanced Kitchen’ by visiting her Instagram page, here!