These pies are based on a cheesy lentil pie I tried a couple of months back and LOVED but wanted to see if I could make my own grain-free and vegan version and … I am so so happy with the results! I loved the combination of the crumbliness of the topping and the creamy lentil filling. The nutritional yeast does a great impression of a parmesan-like cheese flavour, I was very impressed. It also adds a lot of protein to this recipe, along with help from the lentils and nuts.
One thing I will say, for anyone who decides to make this, is that it is so filling! There are a lot of nutrients crammed into a relatively small looking portion. So I would recommend using ramekin dishes to make the pies instead of traditional pie dishes. I struggled to make it through half of the portion pictured, even though it was delicious and my taste buds wanted me to eat the whole thing… Another thing is, the recipe makes 6 pie servings so you may want to halve the ingredients for a smaller serving, or freeze some of the pies (uncooked) for later use.
- 165g / 1 cup whole cashews, soaked for at least 1 hour in warm water
- 65g / ⅔ cup ground almonds
- 16g / ⅓ cup nutritional yeast*
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried mixed herbs
- 2 tbsp arrowroot powder or tapioca flour
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- Rinse and drain the cashew nuts and place them in a food processor with the ground almonds, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, herbs and arrowroot powder. Mix until it creates a dense, breadcrumb texture.
- Add in the olive oil and mix again until the mixture begins to ball together like a dough.
- Remove from the food processor and wrap in cling film. Place in the fridge whilst you create the pie filling...
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp mixed herbs
- 250ml / 1 cup vegetable stock
- 200g /1 cup lentils, soaked for at least 1 hour in warm water
- 200g / 1 cup chopped tomatoes
- 24g / ½ cup nutritional yeast
- Black pepper, to taste
- Optional: Dairy-free milk to brush on top of the pies
- Preheat the oven to 170c.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Fry the onion, garlic and herbs for a few minutes until softened.
- Pour over the vegetable stock and bring to the boil.
- Add the lentils and chopped tomatoes. Stir and reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- When almost all the liquid has been absorbed, add the nutritional yeast and give the mixture a good stir. Cook for a further couple of minutes.
- Add black pepper to taste.
- Pour the filling into the ramekin/pie dishes.
- Take the pie crust dough out of the fridge and roll it to about 3mm thick. Cut out circles to fit on top of the ramekins and pierce holes on the top to let some of the steam out.
- Brush a little milk on top of the pies to help give it a shine and deeper colour.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until the tops are golden brown.
- Serve and enjoy!
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