This Healthy Vegan Meat Pie has an easy and quick press-in-pan pie crust, made of heart-healthy olive oil and whole wheat crust, and filled with a savoury mushroom tofu ‘meat’ filling.
You can make four mini pies with this recipe or two regular sized pies. If you like the look of the adorable ruffled pie pans I used you can grab your own here:
This recipe is the perfect healthy weeknight take on pot pie, filled with a crumbled tofu and mushroom ‘meat’ filling and a mix of tourtière seasonings.
This recipe is great for a hearty and elegant weeknight meal. But no one has time to make a homeade pie crust on the weeknight, right? Wrong!
My Healthy Vegan Meat Pie features a press-in-pan pie crust that is literally the easiest thing in the world to make!
Why This Healthy Vegan Meat Pie is So Easy
A press-in-pan pie crust is a crust that you form directly in the pie plate. This means you don’t have to form a dough, which means you don’t have to knead or roll out anything.
This press-in-pan pie crust take 5 minutes to make, and requires very little effort. You simply pour the dough mixture into the pie pans and press it into the pan. That’s it!
It makes a lovely rustic (bottom only) crust with a delicious nutty flavour. Best yet, the crust for my Healthy Vegan Meat Pie is a healthy version of a pie crust. It’s made of wholesome ingredients, simply olive oil, water, whole wheat flour and a pinch of salt.
To be healthier than a crust-topped tourtiere, this recipe uses only a bottom crust, and instead has a light sprinkle of breadcrumbs on top. So, you’re not just eating a bunch of pie crust in this dish.
The healthy olive oil bottom crust adds just the right amount of flaky goodness to this Healthy Vegan Meat Pie.
Making Your Press-in-Pan Pie Crust
Making this press-in-pan pie crust is super quick and easy. See the 4 photos above (from left to right) with the instructions below.
- Add flour and salt together in a medium bowl and mix.
- In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil with the water until it becomes light in colour. Right away, pour the entire water/olive oil mixture into the bowl of flour. Stir with a fork until the flour is mixed in with the liquids.
- Gather the dough together with your hands until it holds together. If more water is needed carefully add a teaspoon more water at a time.
- Dump the dough evenly into 4 mini pie plates (or 2 regular size pie plates) and press gently until it covers the pan evenly.
Making Your Tofu Crumble
To make your tofu crumble component of the pie filling simply coat with the seasoning and bake. See the 4 photos above (from left to right) with the instructions below.
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl add nutritional yeast, melted vegan butter, and soy sauce and mix together.
- Open and drain the tofu and break up to into crumbles with your hands into the bowl. Stir well ensuring all of the tofu is evenly coated in the seasoning mix.
- Spread the tofu mixture evenly onto baking sheet. Bake for 35 – 40 minutes, stirring the tofu every now and then.
- Set aside baked tofu crumble until it is ready to be added to the mushroom filling.
Making Your Mushroom Filling
To make your mushroom pie filling simply sauté the onions, garlic, celery, carrots and mushrooms then mix in with the tofu. See the 4 photos above (from left to right) with the instructions below.
- While your tofu crumble bakes, melt the vegan butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the onion and garlic, and sauté 5 minutes until the onion turns translucent and begins to brown.
- Add in the chopped mushrooms and continue to sauté until the mushrooms reduce in size, darken in colour, and begin to get juicy, approximately 5 – 10 minutes. Turn off the heat.
- Whisk the cold vegetable broth and cornstarch together in a small bowl.
- Pour the vegetable broth mixture over the mushrooms. Stir in the baked tofu crumbles, half the breadcrumbs, and all of the spices.
Assembling your Healthy Vegan Meat Pie
To assembling the pies divide the mixture evenly in your pie plates, top with breadcrumbs, bake, then garnish with parsley and serve! See the instructions below!
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- Divide the tofu mushroom mixture evenly into your 4 mini pie plates (or 2 regular pie plates).
- Top the pies with the remaining half of the breadcrumbs.
- Bake pies for 30 – 35 minutes.
- Garnish with finely chopped parsley or herbs of choice and serve!
Common Questions
Can these vegan meat pies be made ahead of time?
Yes, but Do not fill the pie crusts until they are ready to be baked or your pie crusts will be soggy. The components of the pies can be made the day ahead of time and then assembled and baked fresh. Simply make your tofu and mushroom filling and store in the fridge covered. Make your pie crusts and store in the fridge un-filled.
can these vegan meat pies be frozen?
Yes after they are baked they can be frozen (but not before they are baked). Tightly wrap the pies or store in an air-tight container and freeze pies for up to 4 months.
What should I serve these vegan meat pies with?
Traditionally a meat pie is great with ketchup! A great vegan ketchup option is 365 Everyday Value Ketchup.
Additionally, you can serve with a side of steamed green beans or a fresh green side salad.
You can SHOP QUALITY INGREDIENTS USED IN THIS RECIPE below:
Healthy Vegan Meat Pie
Ingredients
Whole Wheat Press in Pan Crust
- 3 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 1/5 tsp salt
- 12 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 6 Tbsp cold water must be cold water, not room temperature
Tofu Crumbles
- 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 Tbsp melted vegan butter or oil
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 block extra-firm tofu (12 oz)
Mushroom Filling
- 1 Tbsp vegan butter or oil
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 stock celery finely chopped
- 1 carrot finely chopped
- 16 oz mushrooms (454 grams) chopped
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 3 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 breadcrumbs in filling
- 1/2 breadcrumbs to top pies
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp dried sage
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/8 tsp ground clove
Instructions
Whole Wheat Press in Pan Crust
- Add flour and salt together in a medium bowl and mix.
- In a smaller bowl, whisk the oil with the water until it becomes light in colour. Right away, pour the entire water/olive oil mixture into the bowl of flour. Stir with a fork until the flour is mixed in with the liquids.
- Gather the dough together with your hands until it holds together. If more water is needed carefully add a teaspoon more water at a time. You do not want the dough to be too wet or it won't press together in the pan. (Your dough will be crumbly but it will come together when pressed in the pie pan).
- Dump the dough evenly into 4 mini pie plates (or 2 regular size pie plates) and press gently until it covers the pan evenly.
- Cover and place in refrigerator while making the pie filling.
Tofu Mushroom Pie Filling
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper,.
- In a bowl add nutritional yeast, melted vegan butter, and soy sauce and mix together. Open and drain the tofu and break up to into crumbles with your hands into the bowl. Stir well ensuring all of the tofu is evenly coated in the seasoning mix.
- Spread the tofu mixture evenly onto baking sheet. Bake for 35 – 40 minutes, stirring the tofu every now and then.
- Set aside baked tofu crumble until it is ready to be added to the mushroom filling.
Mushroom Filling
- While your tofu bakes, melt the vegan butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the onion and garlic, and sauté 5 minutes until the onion turns translucent and begins to brown.
- Add in the chopped mushrooms and continue to sauté until the mushrooms reduce in size, darken in colour, and begin to get juicy, approximately 5 – 10 minutes. Turn off the heat.
- Whisk the cold vegetable broth and cornstarch together in a small bowl.
- Pour the vegetable broth mixture over the mushrooms. Stir in the baked tofu crumbles, half the breadcrumbs, and all of the spices.
Assemble the Pies
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- Divide the tofu mushroom mixture evenly into your 4 mini pie plates (or 2 regular pie plates).
- Top the pies with the remaining half of the breadcrumbs.
- Bake pies for 30 – 35 minutes.
- Garnish with finely chopped parsley or herbs of choice and serve!
If you’d like to just make the crust in this recipe check out my Easy Press in Pie Crust!
Leave a Reply