Seitan Pot Pie With Buttercup Squash.

I haven’t made a pot pie in 100 years (or maybe a year), but now that we’re knocking on October’s door, my thoughts are turning to piping-hot comfort foods.  Seitan pot pie is just the ticket!

The prep work is a breeze, especially when you use store-bought crust (as I did tonight).  To be fair, sometimes I’ll take the time to make my own, and it’s really not that hard; but on work nights, it’s often all I can do to put a few convenience items together and call it dinner.  That’s where we are today. ;)

First of all, I started in on the buttercup squash.  Rather than wrestling with it in its raw state, I decided to cook it whole.  So onto a pizza pan it went, and into the oven at 375. All told, it needs to cook for 45 minutes to an hour to cook through, which times out just perfectly with the seitan pot pie!

Next, it was time to tackle said pie.  In a mixing bowl, add one can of drained peas and carrots and one small drained can of kernel corn.  Add the seitan to the mixture and top with three-quarters of a cup (or so -- eyeball it and make adjustments where needed) of mushroom gravy.  Next up, it’s time for the seasonings – garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and thyme to taste.  Stir your filling to blend it well and add it to the pie crust.

Now, what I’m about to confess is going to sound sort of janky.  It’s not my proudest moment, but then it’s not my least proud, so let’s just come out with it.

I first made this pot pie when I was in college, and I didn’t know that pie crusts came in two styles – prebaked in the pie plate, and roll-out.  So when shopping for this recipe, I purchased the only kind I knew about – the pie-plate kind.  (As a side note, now that I’m vegetarian, I have a hard time finding a roll-out crust that doesn’t have lard, so we’re still largely a crust-in-the-plate family when I don’t make my own.)

When I got to the part of the recipe where I needed a crust to top off the dish, I simply turned the second crust out of its pie plate and molded it atop my pot pie.  It’s easier – and, sometimes, tidier – than it sounds. Voila! A complete seitan pot pie.  Scoff if you like, but it works for me!

With the pie covered, I simply put the dish in the oven at 375 for 35 minutes.  After the time has elapsed, check to ensure everything has heated through, and once you find that it has, you're almost there.  Place your pie in the middle of the table -- it's cute enough.  Then slice open the squash, scoop out the seeds, and spoon the orange flesh into a serving dish (and add some cinnamon, if you like).  And dinner is served!  Autumn fare, just in time for October.

:)