15 Hearty Stews, Chilis, and Curries for the Ultimate Filling! – One Green Planet

When you’re craving comfort food, nothing satisfies you like a warm, savory pot pie. Sure, you can pick up premade vegan pot pie from the frozen aisle, but when you make your own filling, you can customize everything to your own tastes. First, you have to make the perfect pie crust. You can pick up a premade pie crust blend or you can do it the old fashioned way and make it from scratch. Even without dairy, you can make a buttery, flaky pie crust (and you can even make it gluten-free!) that’s perfect for all your savory pie-making needs.  Once you’ve mastered the art of making pie crust from scratch, it’s time to decide on the filling. You can go the traditional route with recipes like this Parsnip and Mushroom Pot Pie or make things interesting with this Jackfruit Pot Pie, this Minestrone Pot Pie With Biscuit Topping, and this Curry Gravy Vegetable Pot Pie that has all the ingredients you would find in your usual pot pie covered in an Indian-spiced gravy. What we love about the last two recipes is that it takes two different comfort foods and combines them into one awesome fall dinner. For another example of that, check out this Mac and Cheese Pie, a Scottish food that’s normally loaded with dairy, made completely dairy-free.

At One Green Planet, we’re always thinking about how to put creative spins on our favorite comfort foods, so we’ve come prepared with ideas  — delicious ideas. So, the next time you’re going to make a pot pie, try one of these 15 recipes as the filling. You’ll thank us.

1. Traditional ‘Beef’ Stew

There’s nothing quite like a bowl of hearty stew to keep you warm and satisfied and this meat-free Traditional “Beef” Stew will be your new favorite. It’s packed with carrots, potatoes, celery, and beef-free chunks in a thick, gravy-like broth. Not only is this meaty comfort food so easy to make, it would be so easy to bake it as a pot pie. On a cold or rainy night, nothing beats a warm bowl of vegan beef stew surrounded by flaky pie crust.

2. Butternut Squash and Green Lentil Curry

This hearty Butternut Squash and Green Lentil Curry is another perfect candidate for being baked into a savory pie. Roasted squash and Cremini mushrooms sit atop a bed of soft, flavorful green lentils. This healthy curry is spicy, comforting, filling, and best of all, it’s easy to throw together on busy days.

3. Slow Cooker Pulled Jackfruit Jambalaya

 

This Slow Cooker Pulled Jackfruit Jambalaya is going to have everybody asking for a second helping … even more so if you turn it into an awesome pot pie. Jackfruit, cauliflower, rice, and lots of bold spices are all added to a slow cooker and hours later, you get to come home to a delicious meal with all the work done for you. Then, all you need to do is get your pie crust ready and bake it until golden and flaky. Perfect!

4. Sun-Dried Tomato and Kidney Bean Chili

This Sun-Dried Tomato and Kidney Bean Chili is the epitome of warm and comforting. So just imagine how much better it would be in a pie. The mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes give this dish a ton of robust, stewed-all-day flavor. It also keeps well for a while so make a batch for a week full of make-ahead lunches.

5. Pumpkin Minestrone

This lovely Pumpkin Minestrone is a seasonal play on a classic recipe. It is a tasty combination of pumpkin, hearty white beans, kale, and tomatoes!  Play it up even more by turning it into a pot pie. It’s more hearty and less brothy than most soups, so all you need to do is add some flour to thicken it up. 

6. Chickpea, Cauliflower, and Butternut Squash Curry

Delicious and fragrant, this Chickpea, Cauliflower, and Butternut Squash Curry is a wholesome meal! Vegetables are simmered in aromatic spices and coconut milk. When served with steamed rice and flatbread, it’s the perfect comfort food. Don’t be surprised if you sneak seconds or want to be the one who gets first dibs on leftovers.

7. Patates au Vin: French Potatoes and Mushrooms in Red Wine Sauce

This recipe for Patates au Vin is a meat-free spin on coq au vin, or chicken in wine, a classic French dish in which chicken is braised in a red wine sauce with mushrooms, bacon, onions, and garlic. In this version, spiced potatoes take the place of meat and paprika adds a smoky flavor to replace the bacon, so the dish remains flavorful and comforting. Serve this hearty stew with sliced baguette and rice.

8. Cheeseburger Mac and Cheese

Cheeseburgers and mac and cheese are two of the most common comfort foods. On their own, they’re delicious. And together? Well, try out this Cheeseburger Mac and Cheese and you’ll find out! It includes macaroni pasta smothered in rich, creamy, and yes, life-changing, dairy-free cheese sauce. Not to mention, a hefty portion of ground beef-style crumbles. Indulge away — make it into a pot pie.

9. Boeuf Bourguignon Végétalien

This Bœuf Bourguignon Végétalien is a vegan version of the beloved traditional French dish. Made with tofu and mushrooms, it’s rich, hearty, and delicious. You can also make in the crockpot while you prepare dessert. Julia Child would be proud, especially if you got creative and put it in a pie.

10. One-Pot Louisiana Stew

This One-Pot Louisiana Stew is a simpler version of Louisiana stew, inspired by Creole and Cajun flavors. You get the tomatoes from Creole cooking and plenty of spiciness from Cajun. Instead of rice, this recipe uses potatoes for heartiness and forgoes the celery, but we recommend adding celery and adding some flour to the broth to make it more gravy-like to make it perfect for pot pie. This is for the true spicy food lovers out there.

11. Spicy and Smoky Vegetable Chili

Chili is a warm, comforting, and hearty dish – and this meatless, bean-less Spicy and Smoky Vegetable Chili makes use of an entire garden’s worth of vegetables! A generous amount of spices, hot peppers, and a dash of liquid smoke really turns the flavor of this chili into something special.

12. Roasted Red Pepper, Chickpea, and Spinach Curry

This Roasted Red Pepper, Chickpea, and Spinach Curry is to die for! Chickpeas and spinach are blanketed in a rich, red pepper and coconut sauce. Can you imagine Not only is it spicy and fragrant, it is also good for you. If you’re looking for something that is rich in iron, look no further. What more could you want for dinner? This curry is to die for! Chickpeas and spinach are blanketed in a rich, red pepper and coconut sauce. What more could you want for dinner?

13. Seitan Tagine With Apricots and Dates

Tagine is a traditional Moroccan meat stew that’s cooked in a “tagine,” a type of cooking vessel from which the dish takes its name. This Seitan Tagine With Apricots and Dates is made with tender seitan, warm spices, and sweet dried fruit, and it’s a hearty and flavorful dish that’s perfect for entertaining and for baking into a pot pie. Seriously, try it.

14. Portobello Chana Masala

Chana masala is one of the healthiest Indian dishes you can make. Because of the  heavy use of chickpeas in this Portobello Chana Masala, it is a nutritional powerhouse, packed with fiber, protein, and potassium. This recipe takes traditional masala and puts a twist on it by adding mushrooms and peanut butter. So imagine all that hearty goodness in a pot pie. Yum!

15. Cioppino: Italian-Style ‘Fish’ Stew

This hearty and rustic stew was inspired by Cioppino, an Italian-American recipe for fish stew that originated in San Francisco. Tofu stands in for the fish, but the rest remains the same – vegetables and herbs simmered in a flavorful tomato broth. This stew is made without broth, making it easy to bake into a delicious and hearty pot pie.

There’s nothing like a traditional-style pot pie, but these creative fillings are must-makes. Which one do you want to try first? Tell us in the comments. Make sure to check out Here’s Our Ultimate Guide to Vegan Soup Recipes! for all of our favorite vegan soup recipes!

Learn How to Cook Plant-Based Meals at Home

Reducing your meat intake and incorporating more plant-based foods into your diet is known to Support various health benefits, including reducing chronic inflammation, improving heart health, enhancing mental well-being, achieving fitness goals, meeting nutritional needs, managing allergies, and promoting gut health, among others. Dairy consumption also has been linked to many health problems, including acne, hormonal imbalance, cancer,  prostate cancer, and has many side effects.

For those of you interested in eating more plant-based, we highly recommend grabbing our favorite plant-based cookbooks and downloading the Food Monster App — with over 20,000 delicious recipes, it is the largest plant-based recipe resource to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals, and get healthy! And, while you are at it, we encourage you to also learn about the environmental and health benefits of a plant-based diet.

Here are some great resources to get you started:

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