For the last month or so, my cookbook had been on a boat, an image which delighted me to no end. I pictured it heading to a dock at the edge of a continent, like Arya at the end of Book 3 of Game of Thrones, and hoping that someone would give it passage. I imagined it splashing through waters rough and calm on a long journey, like the one depicted in Lost and Found. And then I imagined it arriving at the shipping docks, unloaded by the likes of handsome Nick Sobotka in Season 2 of The Wire (er, hopefully under happier circumstances), its container being fitted to trucks or rail cars and heading to a warehouse where it would tap its feet impatiently until October 30th arrived and it could finally come out and see you.
And now you know the truth: the inside of my head mostly looks like pages from picture books and scenes from HBO. I don’t know how I hid it so long.
The first printing did indeed arrive at a warehouse in Maryland last week, but lest you think authorship has any privileges, I have seen but three copies of the book, one that I was allowed to hold briefly on QVC, one that was quickly snatched up by my parents, and a third one disappeared at my husband’s office for a while. The good news is, nobody hates it. The bad news is, people are kind of mad at me. “When did you make this and why didn’t we get any?” they ask and oh man, scrambling for answers is getting uncomfortable. My husband asked me this about a vegetarian taco dish that the babysitter and I completely inhaled the second I got the photo I needed, and decided to keep this information to ourselves. (Soo busted.) There’s a potato salad I didn’t share at all, just tucked away in the fridge and had for lunch for a perfect few days. (I’m not sorry.) And the giant pancake? Well, it’s not my fault that the toddler was too smart to share it all eight times I made it for him for breakfast.
However, there is one dish that my husband pauses and sighs, remembering favorably, just about every time it comes up, and that is this one, Pancetta, White Bean and Swiss Chard Pot Pies. It spun out of my firm belief that if you’re limiting you pot pies to chicken, well, you’re missing some excellent opportunities. Pot pies, at their core, are the ultimate cooler weather comfort food and what makes them grand has little, in my opinion, to do with chicken. Beneath the lid is a velouté-like sauce, which is a fancy way of saying a broth that’s been thickened and enriched a little with a butter-flour roux. In short: it’s broth made much more decadent, and just about anything you add to it will be made ten times as delicious by its environment. In this case, I wanted an earthy fall stew, with some greens, beans and a little pancetta for smoky richness, though you can absolutely skip the pancetta if you’re looking for a vegetarian dish. The lid is the flakiest pastry I know how to make and together in the oven, your pies will bubble and bronze their way to an unforgettable dinner, the kind of thing, in individual portions, that’d be mean not to share. Especially if people will eventually find out.
Big book-signing news!: As excited as I am to get the book tour started, I, too, am bummed that I’m not going to be able to do signings in all of the cities I would like this fall. There isn’t enough time. There isn’t enough me! So, we have been working feverishly behind the scenes to find an arrangement that would allow people who cannot get to a tour destination to buy a copy full of my chicken scrawl signed by me. We’ve teamed with the delightful McNally-Jackson bookstore in Soho and they have created a custom ordering page wherein you can request your personal inscription. If you order by Wednesday, October 24th, the book will ship on its release date of October 30th. Order by Tuesday, December 4th to receive in time for Hanukkah and by Thursday, December 20th to receive in time for Christmas. Quantities are limited by, frankly, my crazy travel schedule this fall but if for whatever reason there’s no way I will be able to keep up with the orders (and yes, I would absolutely file this under Good Problems To Have!) we will let you know. Whee! [Here’s the page with everything you need to know.]
Book previews: This is the third of four cookbook previews I am sharing on the site in advance of its publication date, October 30th. The first was Cinnamon Toast French Toast and the second was Fig, Olive Oil and Sea Salt Challah. I wouldn’t say I’m saving the best for last (these recipes are like children; I could never have a favorite!) but oh man, the one that comes next has been almost unbearable to know about for two years and not tell you yet. You can sneak another preview in a few publications, such as The New York Times, which ran an adaptation of the book’s Leek Fritters over the summer. O Magazine ran an adaptation of one of the book’s birthday cakes for grown-ups this month and over on Amazon, you can already thumb through the book. But promise you won’t yell at me, okay? I really did mean to share.
Two years ago: Apple and Cheddar Scones
Three years ago: Jalapeno and Cheddar Scones
Four years ago: Acorn Squash Quesadillas and My Family’s Noodle Kugel
Five years ago: Hello Dolly Bars and Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Galette
Six years ago: Winter Squash Soup with Gruyere Croutons
Pancetta, White Bean and Swiss Chard Pot Pies
From The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook
The pancetta, while adding a lovely, smoky base, can be omitted to make this vegetarian. In fact, I went back and forth many, many times about removing it so that this could stay in the vegetarian section, but in the end, decided it easier I leave the choice to you. For a vegetarian version, simply skip the pancetta and cook your vegetables in 2 tablespoons olive oil instead of 1. You can replace the swiss chard with any green you have around, from a hearty spinach to kale, adjusting the cooking time accordingly to make sure it wilts a bit before going into the oven to finish cooking.
As you can see from the photos, I really don’t own soup crocks. I have debated the value of purchasing some many times of the years, but you must trust me when I say I don’t have room for a single extra dish I don’t already own in my life right now. Instead, I just use two-cup bowls we already have that are ovenproof. (When buying a dish set, I always look to see if they are ovenproof, as you never know when this will come in handy.) If you don’t have ovenproof soup bowls, you can always make a large version of this in a casserole dish with one big pastry lid.
Weekday night tip: Make a double batch of the stew and lids. Keep them separate and for two to three nights, you can ladle what you’d like into bowls, roll out lids and bake them to order.
Serves 4
Lid
2 cups (250 grams) all- purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon table salt
13 tablespoons (185 grams or 1 stick plus 5 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, diced
6 tablespoons (90 grams) sour cream or whole Greek yogurt (i.e., a strained
yogurt)
1 tablespoon (15 ml) white wine vinegar
1/4 cup (60 ml) ice water
1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
Filling
2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
4 ounces (115 grams or 3/4 to 1 cup) 1/4-inch-diced pancetta
1 large or 2 small onions, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1 large stalk celery, finely chopped
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
Thinly sliced Swiss chard leaves from an 8- to 10-ounce (225- to 285-gram)
bundle (4 cups); if leaves are very wide, you can halve them lengthwise
3 1/2 tablespoons (50 grams) butter
3 1/2 tablespoons (25 grams) all- purpose flour
3 1/2 cups (765 ml) sodium- free or low- sodium chicken or vegetable broth
2 cups white beans, cooked and drained, or from one and a third 15.5- ounce
(440-gram) cans
Make lids: In a large, wide bowl (preferably one that you can get your hands into), combine the fl our and salt. Add the butter and, using a pastry blender or your fingertips, cut them up and into the flour mixture until it resembles little pebbles. Keep breaking up the bits of butter until the texture is like uncooked couscous. In a small dish, whisk together the sour cream, vinegar, and water, and combine it with the butter-flour mixture. Using a flexible spatula, stir the wet and the dry together until a craggy dough forms. If needed, get your hands into the bowl to knead it a few times into one big ball. Pat it into a flattish ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and chill it in the fridge for 1 hour or up to 2 days.
Make filling: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium- high heat in a large, wide saucepan, and then add the pancetta. Brown the pancetta, turning it frequently, so that it colors and crisps on all sides; this takes about 10 minutes. Remove it with a slotted spoon, and drain it on paper towels before transferring to a medium bowl. Leave the heat on and the renderings in the pan. Add an additional tablespoon of olive oil if needed and heat it until it is shimmering. Add onions, carrot, celery, red pepper flakes, and a few pinches of salt, and cook over medium heat until the vegetables are softened and begin to take on color, about 7 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook for 1 minute more. Add the greens and cook until wilted, about 2 to 3 minutes. Season with the additional salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Transfer all of the cooked vegetables to the bowl with the pancetta, and set aside.
Make sauce: Wipe out the large saucepan; don’t worry if any bits remain stuck to the bottom. Then melt the butter in the saucepan over medium- low heat. Add the flour, and stir with a whisk until combined. Continue cooking for 2 minutes, stirring the whole time, until it begins to take on a little color. Whisk in the broth, one ladleful at a time, mixing completely between additions. Once you’ve added one- third of the broth, you can begin to add the rest more quickly, two to three ladlefuls at a time; at this point you can scrape up any bits that were stuck to the bottom — they’ll add great flavor.
Once all of the broth is added, stirring the whole time, bring the mixture to a boil and reduce it to a simmer. Cook the sauce until it is thickened and gravylike, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir the white beans and reserved vegetables into the sauce.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Assemble and cook pot pies: Divide the filling between four ovenproof 2-cup bowls. (You’ll have about 1 1/2 cups filling in each.) Set the bowls on a baking pan. Divide the dough into four pieces, and roll it out into rounds that will cover your bowls with an overhang, or about 1 inch wider in diameter than your bowls. Whisk the egg wash and brush it lightly around the top rim of your bowls (to keep the lid glued on; nobody likes losing their lid!) and drape the pastry over each, pressing gently to adhere it. Brush the lids with egg wash, then cut decorative vents (smaller than mine, please, as they led to lots of draping) in each to help steam escape. Bake until crust is lightly bronzed and filling is bubbling, about 30 to 35 minutes.
Do ahead: The dough, wrapped twice in plastic wrap and slipped into a freezer bag, will keep for up to 2 days in the fridge, and for a couple months in the freezer. The filling can be made up to a day in advance and stored in a covered container in the fridge.
I think you should run for office, based on this idea of using meats other than chicken in pot pies. Glorious!
What would you recommend to use in substitute of pancetta? I don’t eat pork, but this looks amazing and I want to give it a go.
Sarah — In the recipe’s headnotes, I talk about how the pancetta can be omitted easily to make the dish vegetarian.
Brittany — Yes, that would totally work as well. Another favorite, if you can find it, is duck bacon or duck proscuitto.
Gorgeous pot pies! And yay for a cookbook signed by you :).
Delicious. I love chard especially when it’s the star in a dish.
Ooh, yes, I don’t eat pork either. Something like turkey bacon? Or is that too dry?
I love swiss chard! I use it in everything! Personal pot pies will be the next thing I add my chard too! Thanks
impatiently waiting for the weather to get cooler before i start making these hearty soups. can’t wait.
This is genius and they look so scrumptious:) Btw: I am so excited about your book:) Have a great day, Deb:) xoxo
Oh my god. Next dinner party menu = set.
Is there anyway (or another recipe you could point me to) to convert the pastry into dairy-free?
Andrea — You could use shortening instead of butter but the yogurt/sour cream will be trickier. I am sure there are non-dairy options but I haven’t tested them. You could use a puffed pastry made with shortening as well as a shortcut.
@Sarah, found this on a website. Turkey bacon would probably work as well.
Vegetarian Substitutes
This is for vegetarians or those who do not eat pork. Full-flavored olives serve an excellent vegetarian pancetta fill-ins. They are already salted (like pancetta) and add some meatiness to the dish. Of course, you will not get the same pork taste, but adding flavored olives do work wonders in preparing Italian food. In addition to this alternative of pancetta, vegetarian bacon or some crispy bacon strips can be added as substitutions for this cured meat.
Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/pancetta-substitute.html
I had a very similar idea about not limiting pot pie to chicken when I made these lentil pot pies: http://yellebellyboo.blogspot.com/2011/08/lentil-pot-pie.html
However, I failed to get that nice broth you talk about. I just might have to adjust my recipe based on your suggestions for the sauce. Thanks so much!!
TOTALLY making this (probably tonight). Your blog is a major source of inspiration for me. I might not always make the recipe exactly as written (I like to play around in the kitchen too!), and you always have “good bones” and it’s easy (for me) to tweak as I like.
Can’t wait for the cookbook.
Oh my ‘searching inside’ your book on Amazon…it is even more fabulous than I could have imagined. I cannot wait! Congratulations!!!!
You win the internet today for that first paragraph ;) Oh, and nice pies!
First time posting. I absolutely love your blog. Busy mom of 3 school-aged kids who dreams of cooking more than I actually cook…but love everything I’ve ever made of yours! One of those books on the boat will be filling my amazon pre-order, and now I, too, will imagine it being unloaded by the Nick Sobotka. Season 2 was my favorite of the Wire…those characters were so real and so heart-breaking.
This is perfect for the fall weather!
In response to Andrea, sometimes you can use silken tofu in place of yogurt or sour cream, it has a similar consistency and little to no flavor. Hope this helps!
Love the flavours in these – I can see why they were such a hit with your husband. I’m pretty sure my boyfriend would love me forever if I made these for him!
I think that turkey or chicken sausage would also make a good sub for the pancetta for those who don’t eat pork but are okay with other meats.
Also, I absolutely cannot wait to make this! (Or for my copy of the cookbook to arrive, or for the book signing in Toronto…)
I was wondering what to cook for a visit to my in-laws, half who are going vegetarian and half who still love the taste of meat. Looks perfectly delectable and will satisfy both camps. Thank you!!
Love this, but please PLEASE no more Game of Thrones spoilers. In fact, I don’t think I’ll be able to read the blog again without a promise from you. And yes, I’m serious. :)
Joe — Oops! I didn’t think I was saying very much.
This looks delicious! Browsed through the book a bit… love the photos of little Jacob. Such a cutie. I ordered my book long ago, and (bummer!) will miss out on the signing through the Soho bookstore. Oh well. Can’t wait for my copy to show up at my door!
Eh, soup crocks be darned, this looks beautiful in your bowls, too! Sounds like an amazing pot pie, such a nice departure from the typical chicken/turkey versions we’ll be seeing loads of next month!
Would Labne cheese be an okay replacement for the sour cream/yogurt? I have left overs that need to be consumed or tossed soon. Thanks!
You really shouldn’t have told me that I can poke through on Amazon already when I’m at work! I cannot wait until the copy my mother pre-ordered me for my birthday arrives, now I have to look NOW, payroll be damned. Whatever, I’ll make them all lemon squares or whatever. That’s better than a 401k.
Love the personal inscription idea – my copy is already on pre-order and I have just ordered an inscribed copy for my sister. Counting the days until the end of the month…
I can’t believe we poor Brits have to wait until February for your book! I’ve just been reading through the index on Amazon an can’t wait to try some of the recipes. Thank you for the sneak previews; this pot pie looks wonderful.
A great vegetarian substitution to get the smoky flavor of all sorts of pork/ham products is a little bit of pimenton ahumado – smoked Spanish paprika. I use it constantly for things like this!
October 30th is coming up! Woohoo! I already preordered my book on Amazon; can I cancel that to order a signed copy? I’m not sure what the rules are. Or, I suppose I could always buy two. :)
Deb – some of us get a little obsessive over avoiding spoilers :-) The pies look delicious, I think I’ll give these a try (although with a different pastry, 4 year old with a diary allergy unfortunately)
The Amazon preview of the book looks amazing! It’s almost strange to get to read so much of your writing all at once, without waiting for a new post. I definitely can’t wait to sit down and read through the entire thing. I might have to start carrying the book around the neighborhood with me in case I run into you again on the street!
I ordered the cookbook on July 18 and cannot believe it’s almost HERE!! i’m wildly excited. like SO SO excited. also this looks delicious. can’t wait to make it.
Oh my, I had to shut my office door and just spent a good 30 mins ‘paging’ through your book on Amazon. I LOVE IT!!! I can’t wait to receive my copy! I may have to take the day off work when it arrives so that I can read the whole thing cover to cover.
This recipe sounds fantastic, but I mostly came over to tell you that your Game of Thrones reference was quite amusing. Thank you for that chuckle.
Signed copies are officially ordered. Now, on to the business of pot pies. These are on the docket for this weekend. Thanks, as always, for keeping my belly full of Swiss chard!
These look insane! I’m definitely a pot pie fan, but I too have not really put much thought outside of my chicken/carrot/potato/celery bubble. You are inspiring me to try out a few new recipes!
Just pinned this, it looks so good! I’m excited about your cookbook, definitely going to order a copy!
Deb your pot pies are beautiful and the green vibrancy of the chard leaves is just jumping off the screen at me. Beautiful images!
Deb,
All of your cookbook news is so exciting it makes me teary-eyed. I’ve been reading your blog for so many years now and I’m so inspired by all of your success. I’m thrilled to be able to be at your book release party on the 30th. I’ve literally had it on my calendar for months.
This recipe looks so amazing and I will be making it tonight instead of the veggie cassoulet I was planning.
Oh, and thanks for teaching me to cook. really cook, not just read recipes. :-)
Can’t wait to make this! Might try with frozen puff pastry lids instead; I have some Dufour in the freezer. I figure it should work…
I can’t wait to try this out – they look and sound so homey and perfect for chilly winter nights!
Seriously?!!! I read about food all day every day. I am on my way to culinary school in a few short moments for more food. I am so grateful I read this right now, today. I love food, all kinds, but it is so nice when something comes at you at the right moment. This is that for me. I have been craving something like this. I was going to be making a kale, butternut brothy soup tonight after school, but I will be scratching that idea and going straight for this. I don’t have pancetta, but there is always bacon. I happen to have made hand pies the other day, so I have the crust already made. I look forward to tonight.
These look amazing. Perfect for fall with a nice glass of wine. Thanks for sharing. Your pictures are always so nice and make you hungry looking at them.
Ah! Please a little heads up about GoT spoilers!
You had me at “pot pie.” I wish your book tour was coming to North Carolina. Don’t you know the Triangle is the hub of an awesome foodie movement? If you have a chance, come down to Durham or Raleigh (or my neighborhood, Chapel Hill) and have lunch (and dinner, and breakfast) with us!
Pot pie + vegetarian options —- it’s official, I love this recipe! I love a hearty pot pie on a cool Fall evening and can’t wait to serve these very, very soon!!!
On the very first day I read about your beautiful cookbook coming out I immediately leapt to action and bought one for me and my sister to squabble over. Unfortunately, this means we won’t get a signed copy, as it’s been pre-ordered months ago. Is there any way to remedy this?
I thumbed through your book on Amazon. It looks so beautiful – you can tell just how much work you put into it! I’m so excited for it to ship!!
That crust looks to die for. And I love the idea of a pot pie without chicken — sometimes chicken pot pie has the same problem as chicken noodle soup in that the chicken gets gross. I love the addition of beans instead!
You should have showed us how the inside looks like when the pie is ready.
Hey- in the interest of feeding a kid, do you think this crust could easily be converted to a hand pie?
I am a vegetarian and I have always categorically dismissed all pot pie recipes. But this, this looks amazing! I am excited to make pot pies for the first time. Thanks! Also, that is some sneak peak on Amazon! I pre-ordered the book last month and both anticipation and expectations have been high. After seeing what I saw from the preview it is safe to say that your book exceeds expectations!! Amazing!! Can’t wait to start reading and cooking from it everyday. Thank you for writing it and for sharing your talent!
That looks so delicious! I am obsessed with beans/greens/salty pork dishes!!! Can’t wait for your cookbook.
I have nothing of note on the recipe but can I just say that I checked out the Amazon preview and shrieked with joy over the cuteness of Jacob!So happy he makes appearances. He’s adorbs.
Ahh! Book 3 is the next book on my list! Well, at least I know she makes it through another 900-ish pages.
Hahahaha! I love the fact that one the copies of your disappeared at your husband’s office…hope you got it back and you can finally enjoy your own book!
Can’t wait to have a copy in my hands, and for sure, I’m not gonna leave it at my bf’s place, because I know it will get lost in a heartbeat!
This is so exciting–from imaginary visions of the book at sea to gorgeous photos of pot pie. I love pot pie so much and I can’t wait to get my own little greedy hands on a copy of the book. Congratulations on producing something so lovely (this is just a hunch since I haven’t seen the book either, but I think the odds are in favor of my being right)!
Oh, YES to this!
Also I recorded you on QVC and you were amazing. Made me even more excited for the book :)
These pies look so good! I’d be tempted to just eat the finished bean and chard stew by itself too. :) OM NOM FALL.
I love pot pies of any shape and love the idea of one with beans and chard! And the lid is lovely. Can’t wait for your cookbook!!!
Beans and greens are what I eat when I am being responsible. Pastry is what I eat when I am not. I suppose this is what you would call a perfect compromise, and therefore an excuse to eat it as long as the weather stays cool. Now, if only we would get below the 90-degree mark..
Two weeks from the release! Good luck, safe travels, and enjoy!
Yes! So excited to try this. I’ll be leaving out the pancetta and trying it veggie, but otherwise will leave it unchanged. Thanks for yet another amazing recipe!
Side note: Just started clicking through the preview pages on Amazon. I panicked and quickly closed the window, because brioche pretzels? Such glory must be savored upon its printed pages, not a chintzy little teaser window. And so I wait, hoping that by the time the book arrives on my doorstep, it brings the cooler weather along with it.
what a lovely pictures. :) and a great inspirations for a dinner. :) thanks.
So..when you’re on the book tour what’s going to be happening with this blog? Do you have recipes stashed or will you feature some of the archive recipes. That’d be cool..a revisit of the oldies with maybe an added forward with some new ideas to add to the recuoe? It’d make me feel like we weren’t left hangin ;)
Susan — I have a few recipes stashed. I hope to have a few more on lay-away but I just realized that the book will be out in TWO WEEKS, which is soooo soon and now I’m afraid I won’t be able to get all the cooking done I’d hoped. I’ll do my best, though. I will be devastated if the site goes dark for weeks.
meleyna — I probably shouldn’t tell you I just pulled them out of the oven. Like, five minutes ago. Someone came over to take photos of my kitchen and I thought they’d want a snack. We should have been neighbors!
Heather — Yes! It is quite close to what I used here. However, it’s definitely a little soft and flaky, not a bad thing. And the filling would only work without all the sauciness.
Paul — It pretty much looks exactly like the 4th picture, plus a flaky crust on top. (This is code for: The photo came out terribly!)
Elske and others with questions about preorders versus signed books — So, I know that a lot of you preordered the book and I cannot thank you enough. The goal with the signed book arrangement I announced today was not to put anyone with a preorder in place in a bad position. I simply cannot sign Amazon’s books because they’re in warehouses all over the country. We needed to pick a store near me (which McNally-Jackson is)! The goal with the signed book arrangement was to offer an alternative to people in areas I cannot reach in the initial leg of the book tour this fall. Preorders can be cancelled and placed with this other bookstore if this is what you’d like to do. We just want to make everyone happy!
Shannon — I would looove to come to the Triangle. It will definitely be in the running if we add more tour dates in the new year.
Oh…that was recipe..not recuoe! I love pot pie, too. This sounds very good; who’d have through of beans in a pot pie, well, besides you?
Hi Deb. I just received my Better Homes and Gardens magazine and saw you and your book featured – very exciting!!!
Hi! This sounds great! I love pot pies for the cooler months.
xo, Ella
PS: Have you been on the “Chopped” show for Food Network? Psst: You need to. You’re amazing. ;)
This looks too perfect to be true! Can’t wait for your book tour.
I’m counting down the days til I get to buy your book! I know it’s going to be great! These little pot pies look wonderful!
The scent of those hearty, healthy pot pies baking in the oven is probably just as wonderful as actually consuming them. You never stop amazing me, Deb. I want to make these asap!
Game of Thrones spoiler alert!
These look awesome! I just wanted to thank you so much for all your hard work at making things easier for vegetarians. We are used to having to beg and scrape to get at the “how to make it vegetarian” question, and you just make it so lovely and easy. Also, yay Game of Thrones. You didn’t spoil anything. If someone thinks you said a “spolier” they maybe should look into a different series…
A delicious recipe and assurance that Ayra makes it through Book 3 – double win! Can’t wait to try this.
I was just flipping through the Amazon preview and I saw the magical words “gingerbread spice dutch baby.” I just about died from happiness. And then I saw the words “chocolate chip brioche pretzels.” My goodness, I am going to be counting down the days until that book shows up on my front porch!
I’m sorry but A Storm of Swords was published 12 years ago, will no one ever be able to discuss what happens because there will always be ONE PERSON who hasn’t finished reading it (re: Arya spoiler). If you haven’t finished all the books yet then stop what you’re doing and read them!
Love the idea of these individual pies….. and the filling? To die for!
I hear that roasted shiitake mushrooms make for a great bacon substitute – so I imagine they would be nice here in place of the pancetta!
Super excited to get my pre-ordered copy of your book. I saw you at Luisa’s book signing a few weeks ago but was too shy to introduce myself. Hopefully I’ll get a chance to meet you at your signing!
This looks so amazing! I love pot pies and miss them terribly since going vegetarian in 2005. Thank you so much for posting this and including it in your book. I am beyond excited about your book and am trying to figure out how to take a weekend to get to Chicago for your visit next month.
Major drooling – this looks sooo wonderful for fall (or for when Winter is Coming)! Ha, sorry, couldn’t resist. :)
Speaking of Game of Thrones, have you seen the official cookbook (with forward by Mr. Martin himself)? http://www.innatthecrossroads.com/a-feast-of-ice-and-fire/
Can’t wait to meet you in Toronto!
The filling for this pot pie is deeee-licious. Made it tonight but went with a crouton topped with parmesan for a topper (I was in a hurry – the debate is on). Congrats on the book – I hope you’ll make it out to Seattle for a signing. I’m a long time reader, first time commenter. :)
OH! I can’t wait for the cookbook!! I would DIE for a signed copy! I am making this recipe this weekend…..I love pot pies and you DEB!
Not that I think you should have any more tasks on your to-do list but maybe an option for those who preordered and would like a signed copy would be a signed book plate they could request direct from you? (Or your publisher if they’ll coordinate?)
These pies look so yummy. Thanks for all the fantastic recipes and stories. Can’t wait to hold your book in my hands in a few short weeks!
Great recipe. I am a long-time follower and a vegetarian. While I rarely post, I do love your recipes and look forward to your book. Tonight I felt I must share that I have had a big breakthrough in recent for bacon/pancetta replacement for vegetarians. It’s simply to find a great smoked salt and use that with some olive oil as your starter. As they do vary in strength and flavor, start with a light touch and adjust as needed. I even have been making “bacon” using it on yuba strips friend in olive oil. I know it’s not exactly the same, but it is pretty darn close when you are trying to achieve that flavor profile! Can’t wait to try it with recipe.
Cheers,
Maureen
Yum – I’ve never been a fan of chicken pot pie – I do mine with turkey but this looks amazing and right up our alley. I can’t wait to hold your book in my hands – hopefully I’ll see you in Vancouver.
This looks so delicious and perfect for the cold nights we are (finally) getting.
Whenever I see a crust in a recipe, I automatically sub in your all-butter-flakey-crust without thinking, as it’s the most perfect crust in the world. As my Crust Idol (haha), can you tell me why you opted for this crust in the recipe over your all-butter crust?
Deb this looks so good! And the recipe is truly an eye opener!
You’re absolutely right, pot pies are not property of the chicken population and it was about time someone did something about it! I’m already dreaming about all the possible variations! Lentils/Kale/Lemon.. Chickpeas/spinach/cayenne pepper…
Oh, wow. This is amazing. Kale seemed a natural substitution, and it turned out, oh my, good.
this looks so good! I live near a pie shop which makes buttery awesome sweet pies and pot pies. Every day two Special pot pies – one meat, one vegetarian. Flavors like Beef Wellington, Broccoli Cheddar, African Fire Pork, Roasted Garlic, and for St Patrick’s day Corned Beef and Cabbage!
Today a cookbook-sized Amazon box arrived and I excitedly ripped it open… but it was not your book, it was my new internet router! Then I remembered we’re still a couple weeks off from the book being released so it couldn’t have been. But I was still a tad upset (unreasonably, I know) at that router :)
This looks absolutely divine!
I love pot pies but can never seem to make one that tastes good, but whenever i follow one of your recipes it turns out good! My mum used to make good pot pies, but she has over the years beome allergic to wheat/flour/gluten! All of the good stuff, so she doesn’t make them anymore.
I am definitely going to try and make this, wish me luck!
P.s. congratulations on your book! I am very excited to get my copy!
I love pot pies of any sort. I’ve never seen one with this combination before though. I think puff pastry would be a good substitute for the lids, no?
What about posting some photos of your book signing trips to keep the blog going.
You had me at pancetta! I will so be sucking up the int’l postage fees to ship one of these to Hong Kong. I should have arranged to pick some up at the printers! And in case you feel the need to do a book signing in Asia, the welcome mat is out.
I would´ve thought the pancetta was essential for flavor here, it´s great that it´s not. The preview of your book is wonderful Deb, so many congratulations! I´ve been making your red wine chocolate cake for a while now, and have a post in my blog of a red wine velvet cake (the same title the O magazine features), an idea that came from your cake! Of course due credit was given.
Wow, these are the nicest looking, tidiest pot pies I’ve ever seen. They actually look stylish!
Deb,
My friend and I are driving to Chicago from Toledo to see you. So excited to meet you after making all the amazing recipes you generously share with us! Thank you so very much.
Just made your chicken pot pies last night and we have two leftover so I guess I’ll have to wait to make this next week! My favorite combo-beans and greens.
I love this kind of healthy and balanced one-pot meals! Plus, this one looks so hearty and comfortable…perfect for Fall dinners!!
Great recipe, as always!
xo, Elisa
Congratulations on the book! Can’t wait to pick it up at Williams Sonoma on the 30th! (BF will be out of town, so I’ll be heading to Columbus Circle :) )
I’m in love with your non-chicken pot pies here! Such a great idea. If the cookbook is full of things like this, it is going to be a total winner!
This should probably be intuitive, but I’m still on my first cup of coffee and moving slowly. What size casserole do we think this recipe would make if I did it all in one container as opposed to 4 individual? Thanks to Deb or any commenters who have an idea.
You have inspired my new blog. Thank you :)
These are perfection. You’re so great at what you do.
I made this last night! Only, instead of pancetta, I used an italian sausage (because I had it on-hand), and instead of white beans, I used red beans (because I had it on-hand), and instead of swiss chard, I used beet greens (ditto). Other than that, it was exactly the same. :) It was delicious! I do want to try it sometime as written, though. AND! According to Indigo, my copy of the book shipped yesterday! I can’t wait to leaf through it!
OH HAPPY DAY! I received a notice from Chapters/Indigo that my cookbook has been shipped! I’m beyond thrilled, but wondering why I’m getting mine so soon when the release date isn’t until Oct 30th?
I’m in Canada…does that make a difference?
Anyway…SO EXCITED!
Perfect for this weather, like cashmere socks!
OK … I admit, I do not own soup crocks. How large are the ones you use? Looking at them, they come in a wide range of sizes (ounces held) …
Now that I know that you are into Game of Thrones, I am double glad that I have pre-ordered your book! I am making these humble pies for a best-friend lunch.
For C and anyone else thinking of making this in a casserole dish rather than individual bowls, it seems like a 13 x 9″ pan would work. 11 x 7″ strikes me as too small! Deb, what are your thoughts? Thanks so much for sharing this recipe with us. Can’t wait to buy your fabulous book!
I agree with Shauna. You’re a genius. I can’t wait to try these and to get your book when you’re here in Toronto!
Gah! I can’t wait for my book copy to arrive! Seriously. can’t. wait. I’m quite worried my head is going to implode from the stress of waiting.
Thanks for the great idea. Please explain how to treat the dough for use once it has been frozen. Please do come to the Triangle and check out the little colonial town of Hillsborough, west of Durham and north of Chapel Hill, for its superb farmer’s markets, Beard-nominated restaurant plus other great restaurants, and more.
Rachel — Once frozen, defrost the dough in the fridge for a day. Roll out when needed.
Lauren and others with casserole size questions — You’ll have 6 cups of filling. You’ll have a generous amount of dough. My bowls were 6 inches across, so I’d roll the dough into 4 7-inch squares, or 28×28, so you’ll have no trouble covering a 9×13 or 2-quart casserole dish.
S — I have a note above the recipe about not owning soup crocks. I note that I used 2-cup ovenproof bowls.
Melanie — No idea why so early, but seeing as there’s no embargo on it (they only do that for Harry Potter books) it’s not uncommon for people who preordered to receive their books before the release date. I would have mentioned this as a bonus for those that preordered, but of course there’s no guarantee they’ll actually go out early, it just happens from time to time.
Rebecca — Aw! Thank you. I’d be happy to come to Toledo, however, if you could talk my publishers into it. :)
Aubrey — Good idea! I hope to share some photos on the Book Tour page (and hope I remember to take some) after events, too.
Laura — So, I actually have a few go-to crusts. For pies, of course, the all-buttery flaky is all you need. It works here too. But when structure is not my main concern (for fruit pies, you really want to be able to lift a slice, weave a lid, etc, so structure counts), I use variants on this dough. It’s essentially the same, but it adds either sour cream or yogurt, depending on how I’m using it, plus a little acid (lemon juice, vinegar, etc). The result is un-be-lieve-ably flaky and buttery and light. It’s the closest I’ve gotten to puffed pastry without, you know, making puffed pastry. You see it throughout the site, on an old recipe for hand pies (technically, pie dough works better there, due to structural concerns, but nobody complains if you use this) and for many of the galettes. It’s a good one to keep in your pocket, too.
Melinda — My publisher decided not to do bookplates; we thought this was a better option. (In Commment #73, I explain the rationale behind this arrangement and other preorder details.)
Kay — Noooo. That’s so cool!
I made this (well, a version of it) last night with chicken sausage and spinach instead of pancetta and chard. So delicious! The only issue I had was that my dough fell into my bowl while it was cooking. Did I roll it out too thin? Not have enough flour? Any ideas?
Also, it took me 3 hours to make, which to me is a treat, but not a luxury I have on a typical week night, sadly!
Lara — Did you make big vents like I did? That caused mine to drape in a bit too much too. For future weekday night meals, I definitely recommend making the stew when you have time and then just making the pastry to order, or as I suggest in the headnotes, making both a day or so out and assembling them as needed for a night or two. The stew portion keeps very well. I know this because I retested the crust so many times, I just starting making the base in bulk! It was a delicious week.
Love this idea! I might give this one a whirl
Sweet girl, I just read the intro to your book on Amazon and it was amazing!! The writing was lovely, the photos fantastic (I love Jacob’s little kitchen next to yours), your family–just beautiful. I can’t wait to get a copy and I’ll see ya when you get here ;)!
We should have been neighbors. I know I could always knock on the door to borrow a stick of butter whenever I run out. (Like that ever happens.)
Signed book just ordered. Hoping Jacob leaves a scribble for my kids. :)
Thanks, Deb! I’m in awe of your math skills, I am just helpless.
It seems really delicious!
So excited for your book! Have pre-ordered it and am resisting looking at the teaser pages. Congrats! Much success!
Hi, had swiss chard ready to go last night so I dove into this recipe head first! So delicious! Took a bit of time and a few pans but my daughter was over the moon with it. She had two pot pies (to my one) for dinner, one for breakfast, and we will be fighting over the 3 remaining for tonight’s dinner.
Substituted proscuitto for the pancetta and could have done turkey bacon (or olives) too. Totally delish!
i’ve just bought the book! woohoooo!! :)
I am officially obsessed with your site. Have made so many of your recipes (with my own tweaks of course!) in the last few weeks that my family now thanks you as well. And I’ll see you in Wellesley, MA…I was lucky enough to get a ticket :)
Cannot wait to see the book, and to cook and cook and cook.
White beans, pork and bitter greens are one of the best flavor combinations known to man and I can’t wait to try this incarnation! And, there is absolutely nothing wrong with making delicious food and hiding it from others, I don’t care what anyone says.
Happened to have a chunk of prosciutto on hand & decided to make this immediately for dinner last night. I’m a pot pie lover – and then to combine it with my thing for beans & greens?? Fantastic. This is NOT fast food. After a long day at work, this is cooking for sport & relaxation. I’ll use the sour cream pastry recipe for other recipes in the future. This is a definite keeper!
I made this two nights ago and halved the recipe for two of us. I had thought I would cheat and use frozen puff pastry but the good news is that when I went to the market, there was a power failure and I could not find the pastry in the dark. So I made it all from scratch – thank goodness – using greek yogurt since it was what I had. No pancetta either but I used diced, thick cut pepper bacon from a local deli and which we always have on hand. I cut chard from the garden and supplemented it with spinach since there has been a frost.
WELL! This will be a go-to for us point forward. It was so delicious. Every bite was a treat. We loved it. Warning – it is HOT and stays HOT for a long time.
Thanks again, Deb. Everything I have tried from your collection has always been a winner and a keeper.
I have never made or tried pot pies before. The idea of chicken in gravy didn’t appeal to me but when I saw this recipe I knew I was going to try it and I did, last night and OMG … this is going to be a staple at my house. It is amazing Deb!! well everything I have made so far from your blog turns out to be amazing, from cookies to pot pies! Thank you so so much for this incredible recipe. I wish you could come to Canada to sign books. You rock! :D
How exciting that you’ve shared another recipe from the book and like all the others, it looks delicious. Speaking of the book, my pre-ordered copy just arrived! YIPPPEEE!
This looks amazing………. your dishes always look so yummy to make!You definitely have one of the best food blogs online! Any chance for a working mom of two that refrigerated pie crust would work in a pinch??? Otherwise save for the weekend to make the dough :-)
I think this is something I could make and sneak it past the kid’s “EW! Soup!” prejudices.
As a side note, when we’d play the vegetable game in my church youth group, I was always swiss chard because no one would remember it. Thank you Wegmans for teaching me about all kinds of leafy greens.
This looks so good! I’ll be using this technique to make veggie stew tonight. :) Have you tried adding gelatin to your soup before? I heard a good piece on NPR about it- it’s supposed to quickly thicken the stock and add a silkiness reminiscent of beef broth that’s been allowed to simmer all day with a bone… I’ve been wanting to give this a shot, maybe replacing the roux with a gelatin pack or doing a half and half… what do you think?
If you run out of recipes you can always blog about the joys of traveling with a toddler. Can’t wait for the book.
my cookbook came in the mail today! so early it seems! I guess that’s the beauty of preordering? so exciting!!!
These look amazing! I love pot pies! Comfort food!!
My SK cookbook arrived in the mail today! I preordered in April and I’m so excited to finally read it!
Naomi, Marla, and others that have received their books early — 1. YAY. 2. Just out of curiosity, where did you order them from? Thanks!
I just read a great little essay in Martha Stewart’s Living about preparing for motherhood through baking, then smiled from ear to ear when I saw it was written by you.
Stopped by for some brunch ideas (which look amazing) but this caught my attention. Such a lovely idea! Thank you!!
Greens, greens, greens and fat! And add a flaky, buttery crust? Yum. I could almost forego the beans, but I get it. The labor of this recipe and the reward of consuming it are perfect for a cool evening. Thanks!
Okay. Now that I know you’ve read books like Game of Thrones, I love you even more! Could you be any cooler?! If you ever need any book recommendations (not that you have actual free time), email me :)..I’m a total bookworm and could recommend quite a few you’d love if you liked Game of Thrones!
I pre-ordered my book weeks ago and received the call from my book store this morning.
I have spent the day going back and forth through all of the recipes.
I cannot wait to bring it into the kitchen and stain the pages of my favorites.
Yum! I made this for dinner tonight, it was SOOOO good. I may have thickened the gravy too much as there wasn’t much sauce once all the veggies were added but it didn’t matter, still tasted fantastic :)
Looking forward to seeing you at Books to Cooks in Vancouver in a couple weeks. Off to bed for me, with a belly full of goodness. Thanks
Hi Deb, could you elaborate on the answer about the dough. What do you mean by structure? You mean a all-butter dough is more sturdy and therefore “lift-able?”. And this yogurt-dough is more soft and pliable when it comes to both assembling and eating?
Mandy — This is softer dough. Even when very, very cold from the fridge, it’s on the sticky side. The result, when it is baked, is a bit softer and flakier than regular pie dough. Hope that helps.
Thanks so much for including metric measurements in this recipe!
This looks so delicious! I will be buying soup crocks tomorrow!
My husband is vegetarian, so I am always on the lookout for veg-friendly recipes. I have found that a good substitute for bacon/ham/pancetta is Trader Joe’s South African Smoke herb/salt blend. It’s with the other spices in a grinder. Nice and smoky, but not artificially flavored.
I wanted to make this as the original recipe intended but I am a college student and had to instead modify it into a soup (due to a lack of oven-safe bowls and time to make the dough, and a temperamental oven). I used bacon instead of pancetta and a mixture of kale and spinach instead of chard because it was all I had in my vegetable drawer. I have a roommate who is gluten intolerant so I instead used the sorghum flour that we had on the shelf in the roux. I didn’t want it to be too thick so I cut the amount of butter and flour in half but kept the same amount of broth. Instead of removing all the cooked veggies from my pot, I instead made the broth in a separate pan and added it to the veggies and let it come to a boil to thicken a little bit. And it was AWESOME soup; all of my 5 roommates loved it so much that I had to make a second batch just for myself to eat as leftovers. Can’t wait to make the pot-pie version next time my parents feel like buying my groceries :)
Hi Deb – I live in Canada and ordered by book from Chapters/Indigo. The pictures are beautiful and the recipes all look so delicious! I’ve good a few recipes lined up for this weekend.
EEK! sorry for the typos. * my & ** got.
I have NEVER been led astray by one of your recipes, and this one was no exception… rich and flavorful and just a little spicy, without being heavy. Heavenly! Waiting impatiently for the pre-ordered cookbook to come in the mail (not that I haven’t pretended I already own one by using your site on an iPad regularly for years now), and looking forward to meeting you when you come through Portland next month!
Can you use puff pastry to speed things up for weeknight cooking? I don’t have a food processor so pastry = working butter in with two knives.
Love this recipe and will be trying it in pottery bowls I’ve had for years but never baked in. Wish me luck!
Just finished cooking a Bobby Flay minestrone soup recipe and have all the ingredients left to make your pot pie. Talk about a soup/pot pie fest.
thanks and check out my blog. entertainingaddict.blogspot.com
Just finished cooking a Bobby Flay minestrone soup recipe and have all the ingredients left to make your pot pie. Talk about a soup/pot pie fest. Thanks, I can’t wait to make it!
I served this for dinner last night and am eating the last 1/2 cupful for breakfast right now; it is heavenly!! As a Georgia-girl, I couldn’t help thinking, “this is just beans and greens, and biscuit and gravy!” But oh-so fantastic. I even took some in-my-pantry shortcuts and used bacon instead of pancetta, and puff-pastry instead of making my own. Beware the salt content if you use bacon! But otherwise this was heavenly!! I will make this again (and again). No doubt I’ll make it per the recipe, but really this is a great concept that could be adjusted depending on whatever the season or your pantry. Thanks, Deb!
These were dinner last night. The five year old had a whole one to himself–“Mom, you should TOTALLY make these again.”
I did half onion/half leeks, subbed bacon, added some thyme, and used homemade stock. If these are that good when it’s 90 degrees out, I can’t wait to repeat once there’s a chill. (And the small one agrees.)
Just made this last night — absolutely delicious! To make it vegetarian, I subbed 1 vegan Italian-style sausage and used veggie broth. The vegan sausage added a nice smokiness and some heat to the veggies. I diced and sauteed the sausage to get it a bit crispy and my meat-eating husband was (almost) fooled. A fantastic recipe (can’t wait to get the cookbook)!!
When I was a kid, I used to love Banquet chicken pot pies; but I would only get them when my dad wasn’t going to be home for dinner because he didn’t consider them a ‘real meal.’ These days, I avoid prepared food and look for healthier options and often eat vegetarian.
I made a few substitutions when I made this recipe. For the filling, I added a few more veggies. An extra stalk of celery and the chard stalks for the filling. About 2/3 of a cup of whole wheat flour subbed for the all purpose. I only had non-fat Greek yogurt, so I added a touch more butter. Lastly, I only had 10oz baking cups so I made 6 pies instead of 4.
Happily, the crust was very flaky and delicious. Way better than any frozen pot pie I have ever eaten!
this just screams Fall. Love it! Will have to try this out very soon
I second (perhaps third) the request to come to The Triangle! I wish your book tour would come down here. You have a ton of fans in the area I’m sure and Durham is SUCH a foodie town! And yeah, the rest of the Triangle is nice but DURHAM is the best :-)
These were great but we have two left for another day. How would you recommend reheating them?
OK, so I found your blog, and now I have been trying at least one of your recipes daily. I can’t wait to make this pot pie. I am going to make a double batch of the filling and freeze in individual servings to have as soup for lunch. Thanks so much for all of the wonderful recipes.
Oh my goodness, made this tonight and it was sooooo tasty! I took a little shortcut and used store bought butter puff pastry for the top and it puffed up beautifully. Also threw in some fresh thyme I had kicking around in the fridge in the vegetable cooking stage. Yum! I second the suggestion to double this recipe, you’ll be glad you did! Many thanks for this wonderful recipe :)
I made this over the weekend, and it was so good! The only substitution I made was that I used bacon instead of pancetta. My boyfriend claims to not like pot pie (blasphemy!), but he *loved* this! The bacon really gives it a smokey flavor, just as you mentioned. It’s a really hearty winter dish and the crust is awesome. So flakey and delicious. Who knew adding sour cream/yogurt makes crust 10 times better (well, probably a lot of people, but not me). We’re eating the leftovers tonight… pumped!
My heart melted at mention of Nick Sobotka and then got really excited to try this recipe on my family tonight. Thanks!
I made this for dinner last night, and it was fabulous! I used a casserole, and made extra pie dough and lined the casserole as well as draping the top. The only other substitute I made was replacing the chard with the kale we found at the market. It was my first potpie and it was divine. Thanks for the recipe and the great technique to mix in other ingredients in the future.
Made this on Saturday, gone by Sunday. Your recipes have never disappointed!
This looks amazing. I can’t wait for socal weather to change and actually resemble fall so I can make this. On another note, I can’t believe the only LA stop on the book tour is on a Friday in the early afternoon. What about us 9-5ers? I was soo excited to come and now can’t. This stinks although I will still happily buy the book :) I am really bummed.
What would you say about using beet greens instead of swiss chard? I have some and I’d like to try and use them…
Made the filling last night using 1 can white kidney beans. Put puff pastry topping on tonight and it was superb. Only suggestion is to use less salt. Next time I will try the pastry recipe but tonight ran out of time. A real keeper.
I love that you read Game of Thrones! Have you finished all five books yet? I bet you enjoy all the feast scenes :)
Rachel — I did! I read them so fast, I could barely think about anything else for 6 weeks. And then I missed them so much.
Love this recipe! Can’t wait to try it! And I look forward to buying your cookbook! Congrats!
I made this tonight for dinner and my two teenage daughters (who are quite picky) and my husband were happy campers. As someone previously said above…..this is not for cooks who are in a hurry….or…. maybe I am just a slow cook! It was well worth it though. I look forward to meeting you when you make it to the Santa Cruz bookstore signing (its 2 hours from my house, but my friends and I want to meet the celebrity chef …that would be you!) :)
This was a yummy, yummy dinner and I can’t wait to try it again! This time, I made it pretty much as written, except that I think my bunch of chard must have been much larger than is standard, so it was loaded with greens. Which is in no way a problem in my world! I also realized when we bit in to it that I forgot to add the salt to the crust (despite having taken down and opened the salt jar to do it…), but it was still fabulous (and buttery, mmm). And I love that the filling and pastry can be made ahead and baked a bit at a time, since it’s just my husband and me and fresh pot pie is much preferable to re-heated leftover pot pie!
I made this, it was amazing. My bowls were a bit bigger, so I’d increase the recipe size for the filling and the pie crust next time. I could have easily added more greens, too, but like tariqata I am a fan of them.
My only edit next time would be to reduce the amount of salt in the filling. The Pancetta made it plenty salty, and it was almost too salty with the extra salt added to the recipe.
Oh, and I agree with the commenters who said this has to be a weekend meal meant for taking your time to prepare, or prepped ahead of time for a weeknight. I hesitate to do prep-ahead with swiss chard, however, as it’s always tastiest and not bitter if you use it fresh. Mine was chopped right from my garden that evening.
Hi! Planning on making this this week and it happily coincided with the opening of our first local whole foods so I was able to buy Swiss chard for the first time ever! But since I’ve never used it before I’m not sure what to do with the stems… From what I can tell above you only use the leaves right? Any suggestions? Obviously since I went to whole foods I want to get my money’s worth haha. And my mom just told me that she ordered the book for me for an early Christmas present-sooooo excited!!
I made these on Sunday and thy were a huge hit! Not difficult, a little time consuming (good for a weekend night) and all around good! I might put a bit less chicken stock in to keep the sauce thicker.
Can you use bacon instead of pancetta? Looking for a cheaper swap…
I made this last night for dinner and my husband couldn’t stop raving. I have a milk allergy in our house, so I had to substitute my ‘family’ pie crust [however, I’ll make yours someday!] The dish was AMAZING! Definitely a ‘do-over!’ Thank you!
I’m one of those lazy cooks that you wouldn’t catch making dough on a weeknight, so I bought some frozen puff pastry sheets, cut them into circles, baked them and served them on top of the filling. It turned out delicious! I’m sure frozen pie crust would also work out well… they just didn’t have any at my store.
Deb, I often use your recipes as a starting point. Tonight I made the most delicious bacon, bean, and chard soup based on this one. Ingredients on hand including some lemon thyme and a splash of balsamic glaze at the end. Other than that just the carrots, onion, celery and garlic cooked in the bacon fat, add the beans and their liquor and the chard. So delicious. My husband was eating a leftover riff on your chicken pot pie across from me. I am hugely appreciative once again of your contributions to the quality of our nightly nourishment. You are the best!
Help! I have just put these in the oven and I look in to check on them and the tops have sunken in and the sides are all laying on the cookie sheet. Luckily this batch is a trial but I have been tasting along the way and they are so tasty, I would like to make them for company what do I do next time to avoid this?
Hi I tried making these last weekend and they are incredible! I loved the Swiss chard and frankly the whole combination was really delicious. However, my pastry (your recipe) did not work so well. I really don’t know what went wrong but it was as if it melted off the soup bowls and fell onto the pan I had them on while baking them. I have my own pastry recipe which for me is full proof but I was interested in yours as it called for sour cream and vinegar but i was really disappointed by the way it did not hold up in the oven. I am still intrigued as all that fell off and baked to a golden brown was exceptionally delicious…so I don’t want to give up on this but just curious if you have any pointers?
yum! this filling is so delicious (vegetarian version), and the crust is amazingly flaky and fragrant (sour cream version). however, just after putting the pies in the oven, the pastry hanging over the edges of the bowls melted off onto the baking sheet. i let the pies continue baking for the time suggested. the crust tasted great, even the strips that cooked on the sheet. just not company worthy presentation. my family loved these pies so much i am going to work at perfecting the melting crust. any tips?
Hi. Thank you. Wow. Just simply Wow. Your recipes are so fitting for my family, I am grateful.
I had to come back to this post and say how freaking delicious this pot pie is!! I had never eaten chard before, but am trying to increase my intake of leafy greens. When I saw red chard in the supermarket the other day, I thought of this recipe immediately and threw it in my cart.
I used prosciutto instead of pancetta, doubled the carrot and celery and used navy beans. And I was lazy so I grabbed puff pastry sheets and used them for the tops. When I say AMAZING, I am not exaggerating in the least. This is now my go-to pot pie recipe. Screw chicken!
I pre-ordered your cookbook and I can’t wait for it to come! Thank you for cooking and sharing all your fantastic recipes:)
I’ve been reading your blog for a while, but lead a pretty busy lifestyle so this is the first recipe of yours I’ve really tried and it was amazing!!! I love it!! And it worked perfectly in a big casserole dish since I didn’t have the individual ones. Thanks so much for a fantastic recipe!
This will be my Post-Sandy Adventure for tomorrow!
A suggestion/request: It would be wonderful to have tips on choosing kitchen hardware, dishes, pots, utensils and such. I’ve found a couple of your suggestions here and there and applied them to my purchasing but I imagine you have even more wisdom to share. At some point I need to get a proper kitchen together and like it or not Deb, you play the role of mom when it comes to my kitchen. Thanks for all of your amazing recipes, tips, pictures and stories.
Uh, everyone, just so you know, I made this tonight for dinner and holy. crap. So incredibly tasty. I had the same melting-crust issue as Janet butttt I just used them as croutons. I also subbed extra-thick sliced applewood bacon for pancetta as I had the former in the house already. But, holy cow, everyone! Make this tonight and hold on to your butts ’cause it’s gonna kick your ass with deliciousness.
Made this for Sunday dinner. Fabulous! Used ramekins, but of course did not have enough. Used a 7″ gratin dish and rolled the lid longer. Worked fine…plenty for husband and me. Used swiss chard for the first time…and I will substitute it in other recipes…love the bite it gives. Gave one ramekin to my picky-eater sister and see if she likes it as much as we did.
congrats! this looks beautiful and i can’t wait to check it out :)
I got home from work today and found my Amazon package. I am ignoring my children, i should be getting them ready for halloween right now, but i could’t resist checking out your book. It is beautiful, the recipes look wonderful. My friens and family will be so lucky when i try these recipes. This will also make a great gift as well. Thanks Deb!
Just made this tonight – it was delicious! I burned the roof of my mouth I was so eager to eat it. A perfect cold, winter’s night kind of dish (although definitely more of a weekend dish unless I get extra time somewhere to make pieces of it earlier).
I ended up using a bit of creme fraiche in the dough (ran out of sour cream), spinach over the chard (the store didn’t have it), and a bit more pancetta (I used one of those already packed/cut pancetta packets…for us meat eaters we needed a bit more than the 4 ounces ;) ). Could easily see adding a bit of wine (maybe Marsala) for just a little extra something (but definitely not needed). Also had a ton of dough so will probably cut down on that next time (unless I know I’ll be making it again soon).
Thanks for the great recipe and I can’t wait to get your book! )
Hey!! Heard you on NPR – niiice!! (:
I made these a couple of nights ago – 2 in soup bowls and 4 in ramekins. With hesitation, my hubby and 3 kids tried it, after one bit, everyone was scarfing it down. My 9 yr old daughter is eating the last ramekin for leftovers tonight. She was so excited that she got the last one – she picked it over pizza?! Great recipe that we’ll definitely make again. Also, congrats on the cookbook! I’ll be ordering it soon.
Deb, this is AMAZING! I grew up thinking all pot pies were like the gross frozen ones, but you convinced me to try this one… it turned out perfectly, and the hours of prep were SO worth it. My husband wants this every night now! Thank you, and I can’t wait to get my copy of the book!
This recipe is PERFECT! My fiance will ONLY eat swiss chard if it is mixed with pork. Seriously.. I once made swiss chard wontons with salt pork and he loved them, despite the fact that he is normally repulsed by anything that resembles spinach or chard. He made a very specific exception to that rule-spinach and chard are ok, IF they come with a lot of pork. I’m going to convince him he likes chard eventually….. any good recipes to convince him about kale??
I heard your story on NPR yesterday while driving into Sun City Center, Florida. I loved everything about it. I signed up to follow your blog and I plan to purchase your book, congrats! My prayers are with all of you in NYC and surrounding areas as you rebuild your city and lives.
Yum! I cannot wait to make this!!! I featured these pot pies in my recipe round up on my blog today! http://bit.ly/Yxig2a
LOVED the NPR story… LOVE your site here and looking forward to the book.
These pot pies are un-mess-up-able! Swore off pot pies as a cranky 10-year-old in a Cracker Barrel during a long family road trip, but I am BACK. I made this last night with about 10 substitutions based on what was kicking around in the fridge (final result might have to be renamed white bean, spinach, and sweet potato pot pie), and thus I can declare your recipe rock-solid. A genius recipe, destined to be a blueprint for a million future pot pies, I’m certain.
And best of all? I made it with THE BOOK, as it lay courteously flat on my kitchen counter. YAY! An auspicious beginning… the rest of the recipes in this beautiful book are bound to be winners. Congratulations!
I received your beautiful book in the mail the other day and I am so pleased with it! I am so happy that I pre-ordered it months ago.
All of the receipes look so good, I can’t wait to start trying them.
Thank you for inviting me into your kitchen, I feel quite welcome!
Just want to say that I spent a glorious day yesterday lounging on the couch and reading your cookbook. Absolutely fantastic…… great job!
I just ordered your book. I feel crummy for not preordering because now I have to read how everyone is so happy and loves it, etc. I want to love it, too! However, I’m glad I don’t have to print this recipe off. I have a copy coming. : )
Delicious! I will make this recipe tomorrow. Thank you for sharing.
I have a copy of your book coming any day and one being sent to my sister in law as a gift. Great job and keep it up!
I made these for a dinner party last night & they were delectable! I doubled the recipe & the crust never got completely browned in the middle. How much longer should I bake them if I have 8 bowls instead of 4?
These look awesome…going to make one night this week!
PS, I have tried four recipies from your site and every one has been fantastic. I ordered the book off Amazon last week and can’t wait to get it.
I ordered this book the day you announced it was ready for pre-orders and it has finally arrived! Deb, you have put out something so absolutely amazing. It’s beyond beautiful. Congratulations! This is the best cookbook I have bought in a long time. Why am I stuck at work??! I want to go home and cook. Thank you so much! It’s fabulous!
I ordered the book in pre-order and that was such a long time ago I almost forgot about it. It arrived today! I am baking the gooey cinnamon squares tonight for friends.
I was so excited to see this recipe and immediately knew which one of my friend’s to test it on. I’m not a fan of swiss chard so I substituted flat leaf kale (I’m sure there is a technical name for it…but its not the curly leaf version). The other two changes made were that I added white wine to the sauce and cheated by using a pre-made crust (I would have never made this if I had to roll out my own pastry). The result was delicious and I plan to make it again for Thanksgiving! Thank you so much for the recipe.
I am so excited to see you in DC next week.I have a question. The book I orded looks a bit different than the image on this post. Are they the same?
Hi Alexis — Can you show me a link to the book you ordered? I’m wondering if it might have been the UK edition, which has a different cover. (And won’t be out until February!)
It’s cold tonight in Chicago. I intend to make this, but the vegetarian version so I can share with my upstairs neighbors. Rather than pancetta, I’m going to add some red peppers.
It’s a beautiful evening here on the west coast..I saw your recipie on the Butternuyt Squash and Carmelized Inion Galette in our local newspaper…so being a foody, I decided to try it…Wednesday night…just me and my hubby…Well,,I just took it out of the oven and it looks fabulous…can’t wait to try it…it looks good enought to photograph…Shall I send it to you…This is the first of, I’m sure, many of your recipe’s I’m going to make…You’re great!!!! Thanks
I received your book in the mail yesterday and it is absolutely beautiful. The photos are wonderful and make me want to run to the store to buy ingredients ASAP! Thank you for all your hard work…on the blog and on the book!
These are beautiful! What a great recipe for this cold weather!
I made this last night and it was DELICIOUS!
Deb, I never catch spelling errors or typos on your site, so I thought you’d like to know about this one… “limiting you pot pies to chicken.”
Hi Deb! Any thoughts on substituting baby kale leaves for the swiss chard?
If you want to make it really fast (or you can’t make dough to save your life…) I’ve used puff pastry for pot pies many times and it always comes out great. I like the idea of doing beans and greens as a change from the usual chicken and mixed veg and will have to try it out.
I made this recipe tonight and it was incredible. I was a little rushed and not in the mood to fuss with dough so I opted out of the lids, but it was spectacular all the same as a stew. Both hearty and healthy, my favorite combination. I used hot pancetta and opted out of the red pepper flakes. The pancetta added big flavour without being the star of the meal – also the way I like meat in stews.
A winner as always, thank you Deb.
And I kept flipping between my cookbook and the website, it was kind of fun having both resources :)
I finally got around to making this last night, but since I wanted to get food on the table before we had to go to bed, I made a biscuit topping, dropped on top of the stew in the Dutch oven. So it turned out to be a 1 pot, 1 bowl meal, and it was delicious. I got my first food stain on the cookbook, too! I’ve been reading your blog since you wrote about your adventures in dating, and it’s been so much fun to follow you through the years.
Hi. What would you serve with these for a dinner party?
Hi Megan — I might do a salad course before or after.
I made these last week and they were AMAZING!!! Huge hit!
My wife made a what-we-had-on-hand version of this dish from your cookbook a few weeks back, and it was magnificent. Tonight, we’ll be recycling some Thanksgiving leftovers (including turkey, which seems somewhat ironic) and sharing this with the grandparents. Thanks for such a superlative recipe! Your cookbook is one of the best we’ve ever worked with.
Amazing dish, a must try!! I just made it for dinner today and the whole family LOVES it!
New reader to this site and totally addicted.
So I made the dough for this recipe for thanksgiving in a yurt and while I was making it it turned out super sticky. It freaked me out but after refrigerating it for 2 hours it was peeerrfect. It rolled out beautifully and baked beautifully. I will use this recipe as often as I possibly can. Thank you. Officially a big fan now.
My darling wife made these delicious pot pies for me this evening. I think it was the best pot pie that I have ever eaten. I’m thankful for this inspiring blog.
Finally made this tonight for a small dinner party after basically thinking about it nonstop since it was posted. It totally lived up to the billing. Left out the pancetta, since the crowd included a vegetarian and a friend who doesn’t eat pork, and I didn’t even miss it. The pastry was amazing!
Thanks, made these tonite and my whole family ate it up, including my 7, 3 and 1 year old… love finding recipes that the kiddos eat well, so thank you! Am hoping for your cookbook for Christmas, it’s actually the only idea I’ve given my hubby so far – ha!
I made this last night, and I may have been a bit tipsy from drinking while cooking, but I declared it emphatically “the best meal I have eaten in for-ever!” And I meant it, and that’s no small thing because I’m very vain about my cooking. I knew it would be good, but it was so much better than I anticipated. As someone who has fond nostalgic feelings for those frozen pot pies you put in the microwave but can’t eat them anymore because, well, they’re gross, this recipe may change my life.
Hi Deb,
I don’t think I’ve commented on your site before, but I’m so moved by your recipes, it’s finally time to tell you so. About a year ago I decided to go vegetarian, and though your blog isn’t exclusively vegetarian, you sure made the transition painless. You’re recipes are so darn … good! I even got my dad to eat some of you’re stuff (sneaking it in as a normal everyday dish) for Thanksgiving, and trust me it’s shocking to see him without meat at every meal. Thank you so much for being a kitchen inspiration!
So good! Oh my gosh! Just so yummy!!! Thank you for your fabulous website and recipes. This recipe is the perfect addition to my healthy (& green) recipe file. I love meals that have such complex flavor profiles with such little meat. Thank you!
I made this recipe from the cookbook this weekend and it was totally, totally scrumptious. The sour cream flavour in the pastry is beguiling and unique. The pastry top fell in the bowl while baking the first batch, but the second batch (didn’t roll the dough so thin) stayed in tact and turned out perfectly. I am definitely making this for company at the next opportunity! :) :)
A snowy Sunday today made me want to make this. I started it out as a vegetarian base but added cooked bacon to my husband’s ramekins. Absolutely delicious. First time making pie crust!!! Thank you for making this so easy.
I made the impossibly impractical decision (until now) to register for 6 Le Creuset onion soup crocks when I got married. Impractical because at the time, my nyc kitchen was roughly the size of a large dog kennel and they hardly seemed “space worthy”. One larger kitchen and this recipe later, I’m changing my tune, and they will henceforth be known as Le Creuset Smitten Pot Pie Crocks. Even if I only use them once a year now making this, they’ve earned their keep. I used dino kale as my green and made both the meat and meatless versions to cover all eaters and everyone raved. A great recipe for company because it’s hearty (only served it with a salad course) and the presentation is impressive. Plus, I had them assembled before company arrived and only had to pop them in the oven. A keeper!
First Recipe I made from your cookbook! I am 13 and love to cook, I got your book for Christmas and have not put it down since. Making this recipe was amazing and super fun! It worked out perfectly, my parents and frieds loved it. I was wondering if it’s possible to make the filling ahead of time and freeze it to have when ever my family and I felt like a quick pot pie? When I did a teen program at the French Culinary Institute we made a pot pie, this one had a hundred times more flavor and was simpler and more fun to make. Definitely making it again! :)
Hi Deb,
I join Lucia in that this is my first recipe made from your cookbook (which I have been SO excited to get!!). It was amazing. As my boyfriend put it last night, “this is probably the best thing that [we] have ever made.” It is so inspiring to have such a successful and delicious meal! made a bigger pot-pie and then two in smaller individual sizes so that we can bring to lunch, I’m going to make the whole office jealous!
Can’t wait to try more–the butternut squash and leek recipe is next on my list.
Your biggest fan,
Georgia
Hey Deb,
Yum. It was better than I expected, and I was expecting fabulous. The crust is so delicious and the vegetables in the sauce were perfectly balanced and full flavored. I followed the recipe exactly, and used canned beans for convenience. I have been cooking everything thing in your book and on your website and I am so thrilled with every recipe.
I love that you have main dishes that are chock full of vegetables, even if they are draped in rich, butter pastry.
I made this on Sunday night when my in-laws visited and WOW. Everyone was basically licking the casserole dish after it was emptied of the pot pie. I didn’t have oven proof bowls but my 1 and 3/4 quart casserole dish held it perfectly with none leftover. We made the vegetarian version (accidentally, because my husband burned the pancetta while I had to step away to feed our baby) and it was still AMAZING.
This was sooooooo delicious, you’re the best Deb!
Question, the dish really does speak for itself for a dinner party. What would you recommend to serve with it for dessert?
I love this recipe! I have made it so many times in the past three months and have shared it with so many friends! I only make one little addition: I add paprika along with the salt and pepper. So good! Love it!
Great recipe! Heard you on NPR yesterday, and the minute they mentioned which recipes were online promoting your book, I knew this was dinner (had CSA kale sitting around and the dregs from a carton of almost-bad sour cream — just needed to buy pancetta). Made in a random pan, which was too big: the lid sunk into the filling. Next time I’ll dig out a pan small enough for the filling to reach the lid. Tasted wonderful, but looked slumpy. Tossed in some sage, which was lying around. Added almost no salt — figured the low-sodium chicken broth would be salty enough. Did everything else by the book. Loved it. (A belated thanks also for the recipe for those Famous-Chocolate-Wafer-type cookies from your site that I’ve been making for a while now. They make great cookie crusts and icebox cakes. Spent a few minutes pondering a way to “extrude” the log through a heart-shaped cutter for our school’s Valentine’s Day bake sale, but then decided it was too difficult, and the kids wouldn’t appropriately appreciate the cookies — not sufficiently tarted up.) Again, thanks.
I made it last night for my husband and me, using a deep-dish pie plate. Delicious! It was enough for 2 dinners, so next time I’ll divide the dough and filling in half before baking; I assume both the dough and filling will freeze well. The crust was a treat to roll out and to eat! Next time, I’ll up the filling a bit by dicing the chard stems and saute-ing them with the other vegetables. I appreciate having a new way to use chard, one of my favorite foods.
I’ll admit I was skeptical, but can I say WOW! I made this tonight for dinner, but switched out the pie crust for gluten free drop biscuits. This is my new go to pot pie recipe.
This was great! If I want to make this to serve 6, can I just increase everything in the dough recipe by 50%?
I made this with leftover chicken breast and gravy, rosemary from the garden and a variety of veggies. It was absolutely wonderful. The crust is superb. And I froze two …..worked well. One suggestion is to grease the outside of the ramekins so the dough that falls over the sides is easier to eat.
Deb, this was my first attempt at pot pie and any form of pastry from scratch, ever- and it turned out PERFECTLY. It’s Fall here in Melbourne (yes it does actually get chilly here- and that’s coming from a Canadian), so this will be on heavy rotation in the coming months. Thank you so much!
Love this recipe so much! I’ve commented before but wanted to comment again to say that I’ve made it with ground beef, ground deer as well as chicken. I’ve also added whatever veggies I have in the fridge and every time, it is just as delicious! Everytime my husband asks for “pot pie” this is the recipe he means (or a variation of it!)!
I’m finally getting around to making this! After an absolutely horrible dinner disaster last night, I needed something really special, something to look forward to, for tonight and this is it!
The pastry on these pies tasted like a slice of heaven. It was oh so very good! :)
I made this today for the first time. Like Lara, in comment 118, my dough fell into the filling. I was careful to make small vents as suggested in the recipe, but the dough literally separated at the rims of the bowls as if it had been cut. The center fell into the stew and the sides remained on the bowls. The only thing that I could think of that might have caused this was pressing the dough too firmly onto the bowls. Your thoughts, Deb? It was super delicious despite the less than perfect presentation.
We LOVED this pot pie! I’m always looking for a different use for greens and this recipe is delicious, thanks, i had trouble with the crust too and was relieved to read that I wasn’t the only one. I wondered if I should have draped it onto the filling more? It was still delicious, very flaky and easy to work with, but I’d like to make the recipe for a dinner party, with a pretty, intact crust – thoughts?
Hi Barb — What kind of trouble did you have with the crust?
I also had trouble with the crust (twice now) falling in and also getting separated from the rim of the bowl. I’ve refrigerated the dough for an hour each time and this time I refrigerated again after rolling out (while I finished assembling everything else). Love this recipe, but I would also love to produce pot pies that look as good as they taste. I’m wondering if maybe there’s a way to blind bake the crust to the approx. right shape. Or I think another commenter suggested keeping the vents small.
Deb, I think Barb is referring to the crust issues that I mention in comment 260 and Lara mentioned in comment 118, i.e. the crust separated at the rim of the bowl as if cut with a knife and fell into the filling.
Wow! I made this tonight and while the filling was good, the pastry was SO amazing, I may be emailing it to everyone I know as we speak. Wish I hadn’t waited so long to try this one. Thank you!!
I *love* this recipe! Was in a rush to finish making the filling by lunchtime yesterday, so I added more pepper and some cumin to the bean stew and served them lid-less with gluten-free wasabi crackers. YUM! I’m going to have to troll through these comments to find a gluten-free lid recipe…THANK YOU!!! Surely, your cookbook has reached Arya by now ;-)
We bought your cookbook and have loved it. Every recipe we’ve tried has been delicious. And this one is our favorite! My husband calls it “Pancetta Perfection”. Thanks for sharing your talents! Your photographs are beautiful and your recipes are show-stopping.
Let’s just say I thought I was destined to fail with this recipe. For starters, I read the directions incorrectly and made the dough with only one cup of flour. When I realized my mistake only after adding the wet ingredients, I also realized I was out of AP flour and had to sub whole wheat pastry flour. Strike 1. Then, after carefully adding half of the broth to my roux, I managed to dump the remaining broth all over my stove and pants. While stirring frantically with one hand I eyeballed a new mini-batch of broth with hot water and bouillon. Strike 2. The sauce wasn’t thickening, no doubt because I had screwed up the broth ratio. I added some cornstarch and it worked, but seemed to over-thicken it. Strike 3. When I finally put everything together and had my ramekins in the oven, I sat patiently by for 30 minutes only to realize that when I had turned my timer on I’d turned my oven off and the pies had just been hanging out in vain. Really? Did that just happen? Let’s just say I’ve had finer moments in the kitchen. But lo and behold, the pot pies turned out perfectly – the filling was delicious and the crust was perfect. This recipe is a fail-proof gem. You can trust me on that one.
Tonight we had pot pie but not this one. I had chicken on hand so that was what I made. I came here for guidance for a lid. I used the pastry recipe – I knew I could count on you – and it was AMAZING. I keep going back to the kitchen to break some off from around the dish (I made it in a big ovenproof bowl, like you don’t have any soup crocks) and eat it. Thank you Deb!
Do I’m guessing I can replace the vinegar with lemon juice?
Dorothy — Yes.
So*
Hi Deb –
I made this for the 2nd time tonight. The 1st time, I used some frozen puff pastry dough we already had (also subbed cream of chicken soup to save time on he sauce). It was delicious.
Tonight, I made the dough myself, according to the recipe. It turned out very wet and was difficult to work with because it kept tearing. We worked in some extra flour, but still had all the edge dough fall right off the bowls and the dough covering the pies sunk down into the filling. It was still mighty tasty, but not pretty. Would you recommend using more flour or perhaps less liquid? Or is the dough supposed to be very wet?
Natalie — The dough is definitely on the sticky side, especially as it gets warm. The trick is to keep it cool cool cool, re-refrigerating it as needed, even mid-rolling, if it feels damp. It just means that the butter is softening. I work as quickly as I can and roll it out in as few movements as possible.
Hi! Made this last Saturday following recipe exactly, and everyone LOVED it! Making again tonite with some slight variations – i don’t have pancetta or beans, so replacing with leftover chicken & a diced potato. Great recipe & love your site :-) thank you!
I made this last night but I used bacon instead of pancetta and only made the “filling” part of it so we had it as soup. It was delicious! So good and easy to make. Thank you!
I made this dish with shortening, olive oil, and the sour cream substitute Tofutti for a dairy-free friend and the pastry was still amazing. Highly, highly recommend!
Oh, my… HAPPINESS!!!
We made this dish for the first time last night and it was insanely delicious! It might just be the best thing I have ever served my family and I consider myself a decent cook. Thank you so much for this one, Deb. A masterpiece for sure!! (And thank you for saving me from the chicken, pea, carrot business that I despise)
Now pardon me while I light up the stove top to start again…
I’m planning to make this this week! I’m a vegetarian and recently realized that I am disappointed by store-bought vegetable broth every single time. Do you have any suggestions for what kind of vegetables would make a good homemade vegetable broth for this?
I’ve made this recipe several times – so delicious!! I’ve had the same issue as many other commenters, though, about the pastry crust — the edges fall off onto the baking sheet and the top sinks and and doesn’t cook through. Rather frustrating. Does anyone have any tips to share?
made these tonight and it was the worst yet with the pastry. I’ve made the pot pies in larger vessels before and tonight I used soup crocks hoping it would make a difference. they all sunk in the middle fell into the filling and now will just be soggy and the pool of butter on the baking sheet underneath is crazy. I don’t know if I’m doing something wrong or if there’s perhaps just too much butter in the dough?
I made this substituting kale for the chard and smoked non-nitrite/nitrate bacon in place of the pancetta. I think the kale stands up nicely to the other flavors. Thanks for a great starting point for endless variations. Despite the reports of others—no trouble with the crust.
I made this last night for dinner. I am lazy. Instead of making pot pies, I called it stew, and served it with quick buttermilk biscuits (from the Cook’s Illustrated Baking Book, my bible). I also subbed kale for the chard, because the chard at Whole Foods looked sad and pathetic yesterday. Also, I added a pinch of dried rosemary and dried thyme to the gravy. I called this a “grandma dinner:” a dinner worthy of grandma’s table. It was delicious. Thank you for being a constant inspiration in the kitchen!
I made this last night, and the pastry was amazing. Unbelievable. This is becoming my go-to dough for all pot pies. The filling was not the biggest hit with my husband (is a bummer, because I have lots of it left, and I see lots of bean stew lunches in my future), but I see unlimited possibilities to customize the filling to our tastes.
Re: dough falling off the bowls. I did not have this problem at all. My dough was made a day ahead and cold directly from the fridge. I went over the edge of the bowl with the egg wash to stick it in place and only gently pressed it around the edge.
I made this over the weekend. SO incredible! The filling was the perfect blend of rich and earthy, and just the right consistency. We inhaled every bite.
The dough was delicious and flaky, and simple to throw together, but I could. not. get it to cooperate on top of the pies! I wouldn’t call myself a noob with pastry dough, but this one had me stumped. The first night, I think I (a) let it warm up a bit too much and (b) rolled it a bit too thin, because even with very small vents, it stretched and tore right off the edges of the bowls. The second night, I thought I’d outsmart it by making sure it stayed extra cold and leaving it a little thicker, but maybe it was just *too* thick this time because it plopped straight into the filling. This in spite of egg washing the rim of the bowl!
Regardless, delicious mistakes either way, so absolutely no regrets. I was just bummed that my pies were not as pretty as yours, Deb. I’ve made a ton of your recipes, always with great success, but this crust just did not want to cooperate. Any suggestions are welcome, because I so want to make this (or the chicken pot pie recipe) again!
This was our dinner last night. From beginning to end this recipe was easy to execute. I find something oddly meditative about stirring rue. Heh.
I did make smaller vents in the dough (just several slits with a paring knife) and found the crust puffed up nicely.
These little pies were a *huge* hit with my husband and I. I may have over stuffed my self by an order of magnitude. I am seriously looking forward to baking these again soon…or maybe again tonight…
Thanks for all the recipes.
Best ,
Ash
Hi There,
What is the best way to pre make these pot pies?
A. Make filling and freeze it. Make dough and freeze it? Then thaw and put together when needed.
B. Make complete pie and freeze. Thaw the bake.
C. Make complete pie and freeze. Bake frozen.
Thanks for any tips! Would love to have these in the freezer for last minute guests.
Melissa Michiels
Melissa — Sadly, I haven’t frozen it at all. My most cautious suggestion would be to make and freeze the filling — a tupperware-type container would be fine — make and freeze the dough (even rolled out in circles) and when you’re ready to bake it, assemble them in bowls. Whoops, my bad, that’s what you said in A, which would get my vote. B might work as well; C makes me nervous because it’s hard to get things baked while still frozen evenly cooked.
I bought individual disposable tins to freeze these in (maybe 1 1/2-2 cups capacity each?) and topped each with puff pastry and froze. Baked straight from the freezer and always turned out great (I think it worked well because of the small quantities)! Sometimes you might have to throw some foil over the lid if it’s browning too quickly before the filling warms through. Making them this way (frozen in disposable containers) makes great little gifts to send to new moms, bereaved, sick, etc.
Absolutely delicious! I made it as a casserole and it was wonderful. Took about 45 mins at 375. This crust is amazing – seems like the same one as your zucchini galette with garlic, ricotta and Parmesan, which is another one of my favorite recipes of yours. I might up the amount of chard/greens, but otherwise will keep as is!
Hi Deb,
I’m a huge fan of yours!! This was my first attempt at making pot pies, and a roux. My sauce never turned into a sauce, it stayed an off-white, thick, almost gluey paste. What did I do wrong?
I’m not sure what happened. You definitely added all the liquid, yes? The sauce is supposed to be slightly thickened (and it thins more when the vegetables are added back) but it shouldn’t be gluey. :(
I’m not sure, either. I did add all the liquid, but it never thinned out. I’m definitely going to try again, just thinking about it makes me hungry! I’ll go slower this time. Congratulations on your exciting news! I feel like we’re friends!
I’m late to this party, but I wanted to add my two cents. I made these in wide mouth half pint jars; it made 8, and worked beautifully. They were a smash hit at my Pi Day party last night; people opted to eat round two of these over having the (completely obscene and delicious) chocolate banana cream pie from David Lebovitz that I also made. Due to the tragic lack of leftovers, I already bought the ingredients to make these pies again; I suspect they’ll become a regular at my house.
I made them without pancetta, and they were stunningly good.
I’m also very late to the party, but I need to chime in as well. I made this last night, and it. Was. AMAZING. I couldn’t bear to not include the beautiful rainbow chard stems, so I diced them and sauteed them with the veggie mix as well. I then realized that I had FAR too much filling for my 4 tiny 12 ounce individual casserole dishes, so I scaled back the amount of chicken broth so that the filling was a bit thicker (and wouldn’t turn into soup), used only half of the pastry for the lid, and made it in a deep casserole dish. I’m not joking or ashamed when I say that I licked not only my own plate, but the casserole dish AND the saute pan that it all started in. A keeper, for sure.
I made these (with maple smoked ham instead of pancetta) and now my roommate keeps bugging me to start a food truck. “Fifteen dollars a pop!” he exclaims. (Then again, that’s not so outrageous for San Francisco food truck prices.) He actually just lent me twenty bucks this evening on the unnegotiatable condition that I make more pot pies. Thanks a lot, Deb. I think.
Deb I will absolutely love you forever (not that I don’t already!) just because of the way you described the amount of chard! The bane of my cooking existence is the recipe that calls for a “bunch” of something!!!!!! How in the world do I know what a “bunch” is? Please promise me you’ll NEVER use an amount described like that! Sorry for all the exclamations, but accurate amounts are rather important, especially when making a dish for the first time. By the way, will you be in the Chicago area?
heee! just did this recipe but cut out the celery (didn’t have any) and added delicata squah. It was glorious! thank you :)
Could this be made in a larger pan, ah la family style? I want to make this for my family’s Halloween party but don’t have that many oven safe bowls!
Never mind! It helps if I read the whole instructions first ;) Can’t wait to make this!
I work with food pantry which also includes garden and nutrition education. Today we are serving your pot pie recipe, (vegetarian, casserole style, tripled) for our monthly community lunch and conversation. Patrons of the food pantry will join us for lunch while we talk about issues related to food security in our community. Thanks for such an affordable, adaptable pot pie recipe!
Kayte — Thank you!
OH MY GOODNESS, this was a delightful hit at our house! How did you get the crust to not break off into the bowl while cooking? did I not allow it to drape enough onto the filling? LOVED THIS… love the entire cookbook!
Yow! Thanks for posting this again. I cooked the veggies in bacon grease as I didn’t have any bacon or pancetta. Amazing!
I followed other people’s suggestions and turned it into a soup. It’s fantastic. I made it with lacinato kale, or cavolo nero, which in the Pisa (Tuscany) area is the basis of a delicious soup with white beans and lots of Tuscan bread. Since it’s impossible to find the right bread here (trust me on this), I just ate it with some tasty, freshly baked bread, and a touch of Parmesan (OK, more than a touch) on top. And that made my Thanksgiving. Well, that and the fabulous cannoli pound cake.
I’m making these for a dinner party on Xmas Eve, any recommendations on what side dishes to serve it with?
Woah. This was good. Your cookbook is fantastic -Thanks for helping me learn to cook!
What wine or beer pairing would you suggest for this fantastic meal!?!
Simply wanted to post that I’ve made this a few times. I’ve made it with chard, dandelion greens, and collard greens. I’ve made it with the recommended pancetta and with mushrooms as a substitute; both are tasty. I personally found the version with collard greens and pancetta the best one so far (and I typically don’t eat collard greens). My lids don’t look exactly like yours, Deb, but they are fairly easy to put together and are tasty when baked.
I am vegetarian and often use smoked salt to get that yummy smoky ‘meaty’ flavor in recipes that call for smoked meat. I tried smoked sea salt in the white bean and chard pot pies, adding a bit in both the filling and the sauce instead of plain salt, and it is fabulous. This is now one of my very favorite fall/winter recipes.
I just made these! I had some seitan bacon in the fridge, so I threw that in instead of the pancetta. These were delicious! Perfect comfort food. Thanks!
I have made these pot pies twice and will do so again. The crust is fantastic, so flaky and delicious. I have used pancetta and ham in the filling and both were delicious. I don’t have soup crocks either and made a full-size pie – the filling just barely fits in my ceramic 8 in pie dish. It never occurred to me to make non-chicken pot pies, and I’m so glad I came upon this recipe.
I highly recommend saving the remaining dough and cooking it the oven along with the pie. My family eats the dough remnants up like crackers – it is that good!
I have made this many times – it is one of my husband’s and my favourite recipes from this site. I often double the recipe and freeze half in glass containers that hold two servings each. I cut the raw dough so that it fits inside the container, cut small slits, and freeze with a lid on. The smaller portion bakes straight from the freezer in about an hour.
I made this New Mexican-style with green chile, pinto beans, and elk steak replacing the pepper flakes, white beans, and pancetta, respectively. It was delicious! Thanks for the recipe idea.
Also, I just used the chopped chard stems instead of celery.
For me, this recipe was a ton of work, and despite coming out very tasty, I’d just as soon make a much simpler meal with the same flavors but without the hassle. Like a stew with the same ingredients but without the “sauce” step, and good crusty bread to dip in the stew instead of the hassle of a crust on top. But if the urge to make a pot pie ever strikes again, I’ll start with this recipe for sure.
Mmmmm I’ve made this several times and it never disappoints! This time I was a little low on ingredients (only a few large kale leaves and no celery) so I was thinking how I could bulk up my veggies. I added some chopped crimini mushrooms to the veggie mix and they were perfect! And I couldn’t resist deglazing with some white wine… yum! I have to admit I almost always use puff pastry for the lids on these because… I am lazy!!!! It works perfectly. Ps. This was the perfect thing to make after making pizza beans since I had most of the ingredients still from making a big pot of beans for that recipe!
I’ve made this twice now. First time as written, second time de-glazing the pan with white white, and stirring in 2 Tbs chopped thyme along with the beans. Really kicked it up a notch ;)
Ugh. White wine, not white white.
Sounds more than awesome!
My local supermarket is hit or miss with Swiss Chard and i routinely have frozen spinach on hand. Could I substitute frozen spinach in this dish and how much would be ok? I feel like one standard 10oz block even defrosted and drained would be too much.
I subbed the bacon with mushrooms and a touch of liquid smoke!
This was very good! My gravy took way longer to get thick though – more like 20+ minutes – but is a great recipe. I did everything but the sauce ahead of time (lid, filling, etc.). Thanks, Deb!
Can I use pastry flour for the lids?
You can, but it’s not necessary to make them good.
First of all, this is my all time favorite pot pie. The flavors are to die for. I scanned the comments and didn’t see anything about this, so hopefully I’m not repeating a questions, but I’m wondering if anyone (the author or followers) has tried this as a full pot pie (crust on bottom and top)? I want to do some full pies but am worried whether it will be soggy on the bottom. Any insights or suggestions would be much appreciated.
Any luck with this as a double crust pot pie?
It can be a little soupy but has worked just fine. I try to thicken it up a little more than usual to account for cutting pieces from one pan rather than having individual bowl servings.
Is there a reason when i made this that the the lid immediately fell off the bowl? It wasn’t in the oven for 5 minutes when it slide right off. I did the egg wash on the edge and side of the bowls but it didn’t help. The dough had also chilled for well over an hour. Help!
Deb, your older recipes are just as fresh and vibrant now as your new recipes.
I easily scaled this up for five people using a little more of the filling ingredients and 4T flour/butter and 4 c. stock for the sauce. For the lids, I made buttermilk biscuits (had some buttermilk and cream to use up). I cut them into 5 large rounds with a wide mug and then 10 ‘ears’ with my little 4oz liquid measure. Looked just like a mouse when all was said and done. We called it mouse pies and the kids inhaled them. Glad we made 5 and wished we had made 10.
I had never made a pot pie before. In fact, I think before I made this I may have never had more than a bite of someone else’s pot pie at a restaurant. This was amazing! I made it over a week ago and I can’t stop thinking about it (I came back to the recipe just to reminisce). I followed the recipe exactly and it was warm, comforting and delicious. If you’re hesitating about this one, stop hesitating and go buy some swiss chard. I feel completely insane that I took time out of my day to write this, but it was THAT good.
This was delicious! The only subs I made were bacon for pancetta and frozen “mixed leafy greens” for the chard so I didn’t have to go to the store; otherwise I followed the recipe to the letter. I’m normally not a successful pie-crust-maker but this crust worked perfectly for me and was easy to handle. I made one larger 8″ pot pie and five small 3″ pot pies.
This is seriously one of the best things I’ve eaten in a while. I doubled the pancetta, but otherwise followed the recipe. So. Freaking. Good.
“2 cups white beans or from one and a third 15.5- ounce cans”
I don’t understand what you are saying above.
Is it 1 can (15 oz) and a 1/3 of another (15 oz) can??
Thank you so much!
Yes, it’s supposed to be 1 can of beans and 1/3 of another. To be honest, I only use 1 can and usually up the carrots and add mushrooms. There’s really no difference in taste/outcome doing it that way.
This was super tasty! The crust is absolutely melt in your mouth and the soup situation tastes good enough to eat on its own (not that you will because why would you when you can include the crust?)
I used regular Greek yogurt because it’s what I had on hand. I also used a 4 cup ceramic bowl for baking because this is also all I had.
Like Deb says, you can definitely skip the pancetta or replace it with a less expensive (and hard to find?!) option. I don’t think I would miss it!
I always forget how much I like this recipe until I make it and fall in love all over again. I leave out the pancetta and use the swiss chard stem instead of celery.
Deb, I made this recipe today amidst the COVID-19 stay home situation, because it matched up with a bunch of random ingredients I had in my house. It was a huge hit. My 4 year old and 7 year old both ate it. Thanks for doing what you do. Together we can do this.
This was an amazing recipe! I made this last night and I ended up switching out broccolini for the Swiss chard and it was great. Another great recipe Deb!! I can’t wait to make this again
This design is wicked! You definitely know how to keep a reader entertained. Between your wit and your videos, I was almost moved to start my own blog (well, almost…HaHa!) Excellent job. I really enjoyed what you had to say, and more than that, how you presented it. Too cool!
Arg just made this for dinner and followed the directions to the letter but lids all have broken apart and pieces are currently sliding down the sides of my bowls. Curse you dough. Glad I didn’t take the encouragement to do this for a dinner party! Any tips? What did I do wrong?
Hi Eleanor…
I would guess probably the following:
1) You probably didn’t put enough egg wash around the lids’ rims before you put the crust on them. It happened to me one time; completely forgot about it and my crusts slid down the bowl’s sides. Now I ensure that I put enough egg wash to “glue” the lids to the bowl.
2) Your dough was probably too warm, which means that the butter melted too quickly. I’ve made this a bunch of times, and I actually usually consume one and freeze the other 3 for dinners at a later point. That means that I typically freeze my pies and then defrost in the fridge before I put them in the oven; the lids are still pretty cool. If you’re going to make all 4 at once, I would recommend putting them in the fridge for probably half to an hour, just so that the dough/butter can firm up again.
If in a hurry, would phyllo dough or store-bought pie crust work?
Pie crust, probably. Phyllo, no.
OMG!!! I read your post this morning, had all the ingredients and made this scrumptious “pot pie” for dinner. WOW! Over the top fantastic. I can’t wait to make/eat it again soon. Thanks Deb!
Soup was good, topping a total failure. I must have made it too moist since I was halving the the topping and measurements must not have been precise enough. I’d make the soup again and just float some cheese-topped toasted bread and broil. For this batch, I fished out and dumped the topping after about 10 minutes in the oven when I saw it was submerged in the broth and just ate the soup.
I made this on a cold, gloomy night on the eve of a month long lockdown. It made my little apartment smell SO GOOD, and the taste lived up to expectations. I made the crust with skyr because it’s what I had on hand. No problems! I also made one big pie because I don’t have small oven safe bowls. Sadly I did not egg-wash the rim beforehand, so things got a little slippery while in the oven (thus resulting in some bubble over), but it didn’t matter. So yummy and will definitely make again.
I love these so much! I love to make them with bacon and sometimes I forget the tops and just eat it as a delicious bean soup. Thank you so much.
Just what I was looking for! Made a single large pie in a deep pie plate just…because. I used the whole crust recipe but realized after that halving it would have been much more sensible since it was too thick to properly bake through- but the crust was excellent, so flaky! Kept it vegetarian without the pancetta and added thyme and a little sage for Thanksgiving vibes.
Could this be made into hand pies? With the same dough??? What changes would you recommend if any?
Thank you.
This was delicious as written, but when I worked out the calories found it was nearly 1,000 per bowl! 😳That’s insane, and they’re not worth more than half the day’s calories in one shebang. They were quite tasty, so I may make them again— but if I do I will bake them in 8 mini-pie tins so they are more reasonable portions.
This was definitely a bit of a project – tackling it after a long workday was not the best idea! But they were so delicious, and so worth it.
I used French lardons instead of pancetta (I think fairly interchangeable?) and kale instead of chard.
I’m lousy with pie crust and baking in general, but these lids were easy to put together and very tasty. I made the dough in the food processor before putting it in the fridge. One recommendation is putting whatever you’re not using at the moment back in the fridge while you roll the others out. I had one lid get a bit sticky and hard to work with as it warmed up.
These were the ultimate comfort food for us, and I want to make pot pies all the time now!
Delicious! Used uncured bacon as replacement for pancetta, fresh swiss chard from the garden, and canned northern beans. Though I made this in the middle of summer, this most certainly is the PERFECT fall/winter meal.
Is it possible to make these and freeze them? I’m having a baby in December and want some easy dinner options to store in the freezer.
I make and freeze all the time. These last wonderfully in the freezer for a few months. Just defrost before you cook them.?
Made these for the first time tonight. So, so good! A lot of depth of flavor in them. Thanks for the recipe!
I’ve made this many times and currently making right now for a friend with new baby. We love it. It’s a labor of love but really worth it.
Delicious! Great change up to the typical costco pot pie hubby almost bought.
I made this (vegetarian version) for dinner last night and it was fine. Then I came back from a walk in the snow and heated up some leftovers. It was everything I hoped for and more. Make the filling the day before assembling and serving and this dish will sing for you (without losing the beautiful crispness of the crust in the microwave like I did)
I have made these so many times. they are honestly my favorite dish. I make a whole bunch and free them in the little tin foil pans. Thanks so much!
I am about to make this for probably the 6th or 7th time. Except for the first time, I wimp out on the crust and use puff pastry on the top. Otherwise, I follow the directions as provided. I do like to use my own chicken broth, but have used boxed vegetable broth and boxed chicken broth and the recipe does not suffer. They freeze very well, I underbake them by just about 5 minutes, cool throughly, wrap individually, thaw, and reheat in the toaster oven. I have substituted bacon for pancetta when I can’t get it, but using pancetta really makes a difference in flavor.
I’m not sure I have the right words to express how extraordinary these potpies were. I made two variations to use things I had at the house; 1. used finely diced ham and increased the quantity to 16oz 2. Only had one bunch of Swiss Chard so I added an 8oz clam shell of baby kale. I don’t think it changed it much or if it did the results still had us wanting more. I used small one cup ramakins because that’s the only ovenproof small dishes I own; the size was perfect. We didn’t need a side as all the bases were covered. This dish takes a little more time than I have on a weeknight but would make a marvelous dish for guests, a dreary day when you’re not going out anyway or because you need to be healed from the inside out.