A vegetable pot pie is the flaky, bubbling winter dish you deserve

Some foods don't really need much of a sales pitch - for me, anyway - and pot pie is one of them. What could be better than a hot, hearty stew, especially when it's cold outside? One topped with a flaky crust, obviously.

You may think it's not the type of thing you'd make on any given weeknight, and I get that. From start to finish, putting together crust and filling, then assembling and baking, can take some time. But what if you got into the habit, as I do, of always having pie dough in your freezer? The strategy is simple: Anytime you're baking a pie, double the dough recipe and store the extra as a present for your future self. If that doesn't work for you, take an hour one weekend to make three or four, use one that night, and save the rest for consecutive weeks.

Once you've got the dough, getting a pot pie from stovetop to oven to table is pretty straightforward.

This recipe, from the America's Test Kitchen book "The Savory Baker," has you precook root vegetables, mushrooms and greens, bind them in a gravy and bake under that golden pastry dome. I adapted the original in two significant ways: I added a can's worth of cannellini beans, for protein, and I veganized the crust and filling. (For the crust, I used my favorite vegan butter by Miyoko's, and for the filling I used miso instead of Parmesan for a hit of umami.)

For an even bigger head start on the road to pot pie bliss, you can roll, crimp and cut vents into your dough before freezing. Then, when the mood strikes, make your stew and transfer the crust right from the freezer to the dish before baking. There's no need to defrost, because frozen pastry bakes up beautifully crisp and flaky, making it the crowning touch for a cold-weather favorite.

Flaky Pie Dough

This classic all-butter pie dough will work for either sweet or savory pies -- and turns out beautifully with vegan butter, too. Work quickly with very cold ingredients for the best outcome.

If your recipe calls for 2 portions of dough prepare the dough in one batch in a large food processor or one at a time with any food processor smaller than 9 cups.

Make Ahead: The dough needs to be refrigerated for at least 4 hours, and preferably overnight, before using. It can be refrigerated for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 3 months. If frozen, defrost overnight in the refrigerator.

• 1 1/3 cups (160 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for the counter

• 8 tablespoons (113 grams/1 stick) unsalted dairy or vegan butter, diced and chilled

• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/4 cup (60 milliliters) ice water

DIRECTIONS

Lightly flour a work surface.

In a bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, butter and salt; pulse 15 times or until the butter is reduced to pea-size pieces. Add the ice water and process just until the dough almost comes together.

Transfer the dough to the work surface and shape into a disk about 4 inches wide, or into a block 3 inches by 4 inches by 2 inches. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and preferably overnight.

Vegetable Pot Pie

Active time: 45 minutes | Total time: 1 hour 25 minutes

4 to 6 servings:

Use the related recipe for Flaky Pie Dough, which you can make with vegan butter, if desired. Feel free to play around with the filling components: Use carrots and/or parsnips instead of the sweet potato and turnips, spinach instead of the chard, or sub in tofu, tempeh or another bean for the cannellini.

Make Ahead: The Flaky Pie Dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months; defrost in the refrigerator before rolling out. You can also roll out, crimp and cut vents in the dough before refrigerating for up to 3 days or freezing for up to 3 months; no need to defrost before baking.

Storage Notes: Refrigerate for up to 5 days.

Where to Buy: Wholly Wholesome roll-out pie dough can be found at Whole Foods Markets, Wegmans and other stores; locations available on their website.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 recipe Flaky Pie Dough (see related recipe) or store-bought roll-out vegan pie crust, such as Wholly Wholesome

• 8 ounces Swiss chard (about 6 large leaves)

• 4 tablespoons unsalted vegan butter, divided

• 1 large yellow onion (10 ounces), chopped

• 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, quartered if large or halved if small

• 1 teaspoon fine salt, divided, plus more to taste

• 1 sweet potato (12 ounces), scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

• 2 small or 1 large turnip (8 ounces total), scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

• 3 garlic cloves, pressed or finely grated

• 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

• One (15-ounce) can no-salt-added cannellini (white kidney) beans or other white beans, drained and rinsed

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 2 cups homemade or store-bought low-sodium vegetable broth

• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves and tender stems

• 1 tablespoon white miso

• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

• 2 tablespoons oat milk or soy milk (optional), for brushing

DIRECTIONS

Let the chilled dough sit on the counter to soften slightly, about 10 minutes. Place the dough between two large sheets of parchment paper and roll out into a 10-inch circle, flouring as needed. Rotate the dough a quarter turn every so often to ensure an even roll-out. Remove the top sheet of parchment and reserve. Fold over the outer 1/2 inch of dough, then use your fingers to crimp into a fluted edge. Use a paring knife to cut four 2-inch oval-shaped vents in the center of the crust. Slide the bottom sheet of parchment with the crust onto a large, rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate until needed.

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees.

Wash and dry the Swiss chard and remove the stems. Finely slice the stems, then stack the leaves, roll them up, and slice them into 1-inch strips. Keep the stems and leaves separated.

In a Dutch oven or other large pot over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the vegan butter. Add the chard stems, onion, mushrooms and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms have released their liquid, about 5 minutes.

Add the sweet potato and turnips. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes and turnips begin to soften around the edges, 7 to 9 minutes. Stir in the garlic and lemon zest and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Stir in the beans and chard leaves and cook just until the leaves wilt, about 2 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a bowl.

Return the now-empty pot to medium-high heat and melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of vegan butter. Add the flour and cook, stirring until incorporated, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the broth, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens slightly, about 1 minute. Turn off the heat and whisk in the parsley, miso, lemon juice, pepper and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Stir in the vegetables, along with any accumulated juices, taste, and season with more salt and/or pepper as needed.

Transfer the filling to a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate or cast-iron skillet. Place the chilled crust on top and recrimp the edges. Brush the surface with oat milk or soy milk, if desired. Line the baking sheet with one of the sheets of parchment paper you used for the crust and place the pie on top (to protect your oven in case the filling bubbles over). Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before serving.

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