1.03.2011

Meatless Monday: Rosemary Root Veggie Pot Pie

We've been hearing a lot lately about Meatless Monday, a non-profit movement that has as its main goal a 15% reduction in meat consumption. While Amy is a proud carnivore, and Chris (while claiming to have "vegetarian tendencies") happily devours the occastional good medium-rare ribeye, we are facing the New Year with our own goal: to eat a healthier and more balanced diet. And, well, vegetables are a part of that, like it or not. Thus, we've decided to get on board the Meatless Monday bandwagon, late to the party as we may be. What we hope to deliver is healthy, tasty recipes that are so satisfying, you'll hardly notice what's missing.

All that said, here is our first Meatless Monday recipe, Rosemary Root Veggie Pot Pie. A nice variety of root vegetables are roasted, then combined with a savory gravy and topped with flaky puff pastry. A delicious, hearty, filling meal that left us with no cravings other than for leftovers.  
Our veggie variety
Ingredients:

Note: For our vegetable variety, we used 3 carrots, 2 parsnips, 1 yam, 3 russet potatoes and the green part of one scallion

8 cups of chopped root vegetables
3 sprigs fresh rosemary, with leaves removed from the stems
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 stick butter
1/2 cup finely chopped onion (we used the root part of the scallion)
1 celery stalk, diced
1/4 cup flour
1 cup vegetable stock
1 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
1 package Puff Pastry Shells
Roast the vegetables first

To roast the vegetables:
In a large bowl, toss the chopped vegetables with the olive oil and rosemary. Spread on a baking sheet and bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.

To prepare the gravy:
Melt the butter in a medium stock pot over medium heat. Saute the chopped onion and celery until softened, then add the flour. Cook for 2-3 minutes until it starts to brown. Slowly stir in the vegetable stock and milk, and cook, stirring often, until thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Vegetables mixed with gravy

To assemble:
Remove the vegetables from the oven and add them to the gravy; mix well. Reduce the heat to low to keep warm while pastry shells bake. Prepare the puff pastry shells according to package directions. When shells are ready, remove the tops with a fork and spoon the vegetable mixture into the shells.

4 comments:

All That's Left Are The Crumbs said...

This sounds wonderful. I did a post recently about the trend of Meatless Mondays and Tofu Thursdays, and had every intention of starting this week. Unfortunately I didn't get organized enough. This sounds like it might be on next Monday's menu.

Kate @ Diethood.com said...

Yum - those puff pastries look delish! Creative idea!

My husband is excited about Meatless Mondays - he likes his meat, but not too often.

jck said...

Sounds very satisfying. Looking forward to more Meatless Mondays posts.

Annie Oakley's Kitchen said...

Somehow I always forget how vegetables can be just as filling and satisfying as meat if cooked the right way. Your pot pie looks so delicious and filling! Comfort food at its best!