This vegan pot pie is filled with creamy jackfruit, butterbeans and leek, and topped with crispy slices of potato- the ultimate comfort food!

Vegan pot pie in pan with portion taken out

We are right in the midst of comfort food season here in England at the moment. Whilst it doesn’t get super cold, it’s pretty grey, dark and rainy. I crave comforting dishes which make me feel warm inside, but are also simple to make. This vegan pot pie is filled with creamy jackfruit, butterbeans and leek, and topped with crispy slices of potato. It’s a perfect grey weather dinner!

This pie is really easy to make and only uses two pots and a chopping board, keeping the washing up to a minimum. You start by making the simple creamy tomato filling in the bottom of your casserole dish, and par-boiling the thinly sliced potatoes. Then you just layer up the potatoes over the jackfruit and butterbean filling, and crisp it up in the oven for half an hour.

This really is a whole meal in itself, but for a touch of green I like to serve it with garlicky sauteed kale or some simple green peas.

What goes into this vegan pot pie?

I love this recipe as not only is it simple, it’s really cheap to make and gives you four hefty portions. You make the filling with canned butter beans, jackfruit, passata and coconut milk, some fresh leek and dried herbs. The topping is nothing but potatoes- it doesn’t get much cheaper than that!

Cheap comfort food doesn’t have to mean unhealthy though. This recipe is full of goodness and whole food ingredients. I know the temptation to indulge over winter is strong. Whilst it’s healthy to treat ourselves at times, if we can keep our comfort food healthy, that’s got to be a bonus right?

How to make this jackfruit pie

Making this vegan pot pie is really simple. All of the chopping you need to do is thinly slicing your potatoes, leeks, and garlic. Then pop your potato slices into a saucepan of salted water and bring to the boil. Simmer them for 10 minutes until they’re tender but not falling apart. If you’re worried about overdoing them, you can bring them out early, as they’ll carry on cooking in the oven later. Run some cold water over them after you drain them, to stop them from cooking further.

The next part is best done in a cast iron or other stove-to-oven pot. If you don’t have one of these, you can do this in a large pan on the stove, then transfer it to an oven proof pot or dish before adding the potato.

Heat a little oil in your pan, and add the leeks and garlic. Cook this, stirring regularly, for around 5 minutes until they’re softened. Then just throw in the remaining ingredients- beans, coconut milk, jackfruit, passata and the herbs and spices. Give them a real good stir, then leave it to simmer for 20 minutes. You can stir this occasionally if your pan is prone to sticking.

After 20 minutes, give it another stir and break up and jackfruit chunks with the back of a spoon. Season the jackfruit pie mix to taste with salt and pepper. Layer your sliced potatoes on the top and brush them with a little oil, then put it in the oven for 30 minutes until golden brown. You can turn the grill on for the last 5 minutes if you want a really crispy top.

layering sliced potatoes on top of pie filling

The best equipment to make vegan pot pie

You don’t need any massively special equipment to make this vegan pot pie, but there are a couple of things which might make your life a little easier. I really like to use a mandolin to slice my potatoes. This is just such a quick way to slice all of the potatoes, and it means they’re all evenly sized. But if you don’t have one or want one, then a sharp knife will do the trick.

The second one is a cast iron pan which I mentioned before. These are so handy as you can move them straight between stovetop and oven, which often saves on a lot of hassle and washing up. You don’t need a super expensive one in my opinion- they all do the same thing. But again, if this isn’t on your radar, just transfer the filling between pans.

Can I prepare potato topped pie in advance?

You can most definitely prepare pot pie in advance. Prepare this all the way up to the layering stage, so that you have your parboiled sliced potatoes on top of your cooked filling. It will keep like this for a good 24 hours, covered and in the fridge. Then when you’re ready to eat, just pop it in the oven for half an hour until your potatoes are golden brown (just make sure you allow the dish to come up to room temperature before putting it in a hot oven!).

If you want to cook the whole thing, you can do, but will need to reheat it in the oven until piping hot before eating. You might find that your potatoes get a little too crispy if you do this. Covering it whilst cooking will help this a little bit.

How to store the vegan pot pie

After cooking, store the potato topped pie in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can also portion up and freeze the pie for up to 3 months. I would recommend defrosting the portions before heating through, to make sure you don’t have a hot outer and a frozen inner. You can microwave it if you want softer potatoes, or oven bake for crispier potatoes. Either way, cook until piping hot through.

Ingredient substitutes

To make this super purse friendly, you can substitute the ingredient fillings depending on what you have in the cupboard. Don’t have butter beans or jackfruit? Make it a bean pie recipe and just use two cans of whatever beans you have kicking around. Pinto, cannellini, mixed beans, haricot, or black eyed beans would all work well. Passata can be replaced for a can of chopped tomatoes if that’s all that you have.

For the topping, sweet potato would also work really well. You could even try thin slices of butternut squash or swede if you fancied something totally different!

This is a really versatile dish, so use what you have, and let me know how it goes!

Need some more hearty vegan freezer fillers?

Make a dish of vegan pumpkin casserole for a real winter warmer.
For something a little spicy, I love to cook up a big batch of this chilli ‘non’ carne.
These vegan mushroom pies are the perfect size for a hearty freezer dinner.
For Middle Eastern flavours, try these Lebanese cabbage rolls.
Or if you’re looking for a British breakfast classic, cook up some homemade vegan baked beans!