Perhaps it’s the rare, chilly sunshiny winter days we’ve been experiencing that is making me yearn for the golden rays of summer, the hazy heat filled air and the abundant colourful vegetables. I think it is also to blame for our inspiration in the kitchen lately; we’ve ramped up cooking, getting creative with the seasonal produce on offer at the market. From experimenting with deep red beet hummus to refining an old favourite using sweet potato, we’ve been cooking up a storm.
We came into a lot of red onions recently, sweet and punchy with purplish hues, we’ve mostly roasted and tossed them with other vegetables, but building on that, we came up with this roasted vegetable pie – a delectable savoury pie with a spiced crust filled colourfully with a few simple vegetables.
The handy meat pies I ate when I was a child inspired this pie. It takes me back to the bustling markets and transport stations in Accra on a hot afternoon, and (mostly) women carrying glass cases piled high with crescent-shaped, flaky pastry filled with minced meat, onions and peppers.
In this meatless inspiration or homage, if you will, a mix of onions, tomato and peppers is seasoned and roasted, then baked in a spiced pie crust; melty soft onions, flavourfully intense tomatoes and tender sweet caramelized peppers come together in a flaky crust to create a wonderful and rich fusion of flavours and texture.
It might not be evident at first glance, but this is simple pie to put together, with a modest list of readily available ingredients. Both filling and crust can be made in advance. For this particular one (pictured), I used slow-roasted tomatoes we’d made in the summer and stored in the freezer for year-round use.
I’d initially wanted to make hand pies, but soon realized that I didn’t have enough dough; you can switch things up by doubling the crust recipe to make hand pies instead (bake at 350 degrees F. for 25 – 30 minutes).
This was my contribution to supper one Sunday this past January; a tangy and tasty pie with vibrant comforting flavours.
Warm, satisfying and crumbly, savoury pies make a great main dish, appetizer or side, and they’re especially delightful this time of year.
Roasted Vegetable Pie
Bake this! Simple yet impressive savoury vegetable filled pie, made with a buttery flaky coconut oil crust. It’s tasty, comforting and perfect for entertaining or weeknight dinner, and there’ll be leftovers for lunch!
Ingredients
For crust
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour or white whole-wheat flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika or ground cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup (4oz) coconut oil, chilled and cut into pieces
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 – 3 tablespoons chilled water, as needed
For filling
- 6 plum tomatoes, quartered lengthwise with core and seeds removed
- 1 large bell pepper, sliced
- 1 large red onion, sliced
- 1 bunch green onions
- Few sprigs of parsley, plus more to garnish
- 1 tablespoon dried herbs (such as rosemary, thyme, oregano and coriander), divided
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder (optional), divided
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin, divided
- 1 teaspoon paprika or ground cayenne pepper, divided
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- Salt to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper to finish
Instructions
Make crust
- In a food processor, combine flour, sugar, garlic powder, cumin, paprika, sea salt and coconut oil
- Pulse until well incorporated and mixture looks like coarse meal
- Add apple cider vinegar while machine is running, then add water, 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough forms
- Flatten dough into a round disc, wrap in a plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or for as long as 24 hours, until you’re ready to use
Roast Vegetables
- Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F., and line a large rimmed sheet pan with lightly oiled aluminum foil or parchment paper
- Place tomatoes in a large bowl, sprinkle 1/3 of herbs, garlic powder, cumin, paprika and salt over tomatoes
- Add 1/2 tablespoon olive oil, toss gently to coat and arrange on the prepared pan, cut sides up, in a single layer, leaving space for the pepper.
- Toss pepper with 1/3 dried herbs, garlic powder, cumin, paprika and 1/2 tablespoon olive oil, spread next to tomatoes on prepared baking pan and roast for 20 – 25 minutes, until softened and tomatoes begin to caramelize
- Using same bowl and baking sheet, combine onions and green onions, sprinkle with the remaining herbs, garlic powder, cumin, paprika and salt over onions, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and toss to coat
- Arrange onions on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer, and roast for 20 – 25 minutes, until onions are softened and caramelized
- Toss pepper with the remaining dried herbs, garlic powder, cumin, paprika and olive oil, spread on prepared baking pan and roast for 20 – 25 minutes, until softened.
Assemble
- Roll crust dough to about 10 - 12 inches in diameter – large enough to cover a medium (8 – 9-inch) pie pan with a bit of an overhang
- Use crust to line a medium (8 – 9-inch) pie pan, trim and flute the edges
- Fill crust with roasted vegetables, a layer at a time spreading evenly, and top with a few sprigs of parsley
- Bake pie in oven preheated to 350 degrees F. for 50 – 60 minutes, or until pie is cooked through and crust edge is golden brown
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Alternatively, you can mix crust by hand – combine first seven ingredients, once dough has a crumbly texture, add apple cider vinegar and water a spoonful at a time, kneading until dough forms
- To skip rolling the crust, pat dough into the prepared pie dish with your hand, spread dough to cover the base and use your fingers to press it up the sides of the pie dish. Reserve a piece of the dough to cover patches.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1 SliceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 246Total Fat: 14.5gSaturated Fat: 11.9gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 149mgCarbohydrates: 27.2gFiber: 3.6gSugar: 7.3gProtein: 4.8g
The nutritional labels are a product of online calculators such as verywellfit. Even though I try to provide accurate nutritional information to the best of my ability, these figures should still be considered estimates.
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