Oyster Mushroom Pot Pie

This oyster mushroom pot pie is hearty, savory, and comforting, just like chicken pot pie! The creamy filling is topped with buttery puff pastry and then baked right in a cast iron skillet. Rustic and festive, it’s perfect for chilly evenings!

Ingredients / Makes 6 Servings

• 1½ cups (355 ml) of vegetable broth
• ½ cup (118 ml) of unsweetened soy milk
• 2 tablespoons of tamari
• 4 tablespoons of vegan butter, divided, plus more (melted) for brushing the puff pastry
• 1 pound (454 g) of oyster mushrooms, cleaned and ripped or sliced into 1”-2” pieces (Oyster mushrooms have a *very* similar mouth feel to shredded chicken.)
• 1 large onion (2 cups), small diced
• 2 medium carrots (1 cup) medium diced
• 2-3 medium celery stalks (1 cup) medium diced
• ¾ teaspoon of Diamond Crystal Kosher salt, plus more to taste
• ½ teaspoon of ground black pepper, plus more to taste
• 4 fat garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• ¼ cup (30 g) of all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out the puff pastry
• ½ cup (118 ml) of dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon of dried thyme leaves or 1 tablespoon of fresh
• ¾ cup (109 g) of frozen green peas
• 1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed and rolled into an 11”x11” square, OR Your favorite vegan pie crust (for the top of the pie only), thawed and rolled into an 11”x11” circle

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How to make Oyster Mushroom Pot Pie, step-by-step:

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F / 190°C.

2. Whisk the liquid ingredients– Whisk veggie broth, soy milk, and tamari in a measuring cup.

3. Sauté the mushrooms- In a 10” cast iron or oven proof skillet, over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of vegan butter. Tumble in the mushrooms and stir them into the butter. The pan will be quite full to start. Cook until the mushrooms have shrunk to about half their size and most of the liquid is cooked out, about 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a separate dish. See note 1 for additional skillet/pan options.

4. Sauté the vegetables- Plop 2 more tablespoons of vegan butter into the pan. Let it melt then use a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits sticking to the bottom. Add the onions, carrots, and celery, plus the salt and pepper. Stir the vegetables all around. Cook until tender, about 7-10 minutes more.

5. Add the garlic, stir it into the veggies, and cook until sweetly fragrant, 1 minute.

6. Sprinkle the vegetables with flour and stir it in to soak up the butter. We are cooking the raw flavor out of the flour, not toasting it. This takes about 2 minutes.

7. Deglaze the pan with wine, scraping up any remaining bits off the bottom of the pan. Cook until it no longer smells like alcohol, 2 minutes.

8. Add the mushrooms back to the pan and pour in the vegetable broth mixture, followed by the nutritional yeast and thyme. Gently stir it all together (the pan will be quite full again). Bring to a simmer and continue to stir until it thickens, becoming a rich gravy, about 5 minutes.

9. Stir in peas. Turn the heat down to low and taste for seasoning, adding more salt, pepper, or thyme to your liking. Slide the pan off the heat.

10. Roll out your puff pastry- Sprinkle your work surface lightly with flour and roll out 1 sheet of thawed puff pastry into an 11” square.

11. Drape it over the top of the skillet and trim away the corners. Press the dough so it forms to the rim of the pan, keeping in mind the pan will be hot. Cut a few steam vents on the top and brush it all over with melted butter.  See note 1 for additional pan options and note 2 for more dough options.

12. Bake at 375°F / 190°C for 40 minutes. Remove the skillet from the oven (The handle will be hot!) and let the pie cool to a reasonable temperature for eating. Scoop out generous portions with a spoon and dig in!

Storage-

Transfer any leftovers to a sealed container and store in the fridge for up to 5 days. If you wish to freeze the pot pie and bake it later, transfer the cooked and cooled filling into a deep dish pie pan and cover the top with puff pastry. Wrap the pie in plastic wrap and the cover it with tin foil. Place in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight or on the counter before baking.

I hope you enjoy this vegan pot pie recipe and the magic of mushroom season as much as I have. And while you’re pulling out the cozy sweaters and getting into an autumnal mood…