Whenever I think of pot pies, I think of those little frozen, boxed pot pies that you get in the freezer section of the grocery store. Those frozen disks filled with all sorts of nasty shit made many appearances in my childhood. Hungry after school? Go home,grab pot pie from the freezer, give it a few stabs with a fork and toss it into the oven..
Well one day I did exactly that. Came home from school, grabbed a pot pie out of the freezer, grabbed a sharp knife (wait a knife?) and stabbed the pie. One hole. Stabbed it again. Two holes. One more time for good measure. three holes, and. knife goes through pie and into my hand. I can remember it like it was yesterday. I was so shocked that I just stood there for a few minutes just staring at the whole situation. Imagine that, a little girl holding a knife with a frozen pot pie stuck on it covered in blood, screaming. Ugh.
Needless to say, after that, I never touched one of those frozen pot pies again.
But this is not one of those nasty frozen pot pies. This is a one pot,(skillet) full of warm and hearty goodness. Seasoned tender veggies and beans covered in a creamy polenta crust that has no need for any sort of stabbing. And bonus.. only one pot to clean up! And it's all cool and autumn-y out so we don't want to die when to oven is on!!!
Pot Pie WInner!
The stuff. Onion, zucchini. potato, carrot, tomato, canaille beans, corn meal, boiling water, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper, and a little olive oil.
So If you are missing, or not wanting to use any of the above veggies, don't. Just sub in more of another or ad something different. Same with the bean. If you had chick peas or navy beans… its' all going to taste good.
Chop up all the veggies, except the tomato and toss into a oiled skillet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and the italian seasoing and stick on medium heat. We want to give the veggies a little cooking head start, but the majority of the cooking will happen in the oven. With that said, turn your oven on.
Veggies looking good.
Once the veggies have become slightly tender, add in the beans and the tomatoes. Keep cooking for a little while longer, just to soften up the tomatoes.
While thats going on, get the polenta ready. Add a little salt to the cornmeal and grab yourself a whisk. Slowly poor boiling water over cornmeal while constantly mixing with whisk to prevent big lumps. (it's ok if there rare a few small lumps)
Dump the polenta onto veggies
And smooth over the top. Sprinkle with lots of pepper and stick it into hot oven to bake.
Some time later(about 45 minute) the polenta is all cooked and crispy, the veggies underneath are all creamy and soft, and the whole thing is ready for consumption.
Grab you bowls, grab you forks… Big scoops right into bowl
And happy eating it is.
-C
Polenta Veggie Bean Pot Pie
serve 3-4
- 1 carrot
- 1 small onion
- 2 stalks celery
- 1 medium red potato
- 2 tomatoes
- 1 small zucchini
- 1 cup canaille beans
- 3 tablesoons italinan spice blend*
- 3/4 cup corn meal
- 3 cups boiling water
- salt and pepper
- olive oil
*I make my own italian spice blend, which consists of basil, oregano, thyme, marjoram,, rosemary, and garlic powder. I think most blends are the same, minus the garlic so make your own use a pre blended mixture, just look to see there is garlic in it. If not, add a teaspoon or two of garlic powder to the veggies.
Preheat oven to 425.
Oil a large (I used a 12 inch) cast iron skillet or such oven. Chop up all the veggies, except the tomatoes, into smallish, mouth sized chunks and toss into skillet. Add in seasoning and a good few pinches of salt and pepper. Place on medium heat and cook for about 8 minutes, or until the veggies start to release there juices and are slightly tender. Now chop up the tomatoes and toss those into the pot along with the beans, in with the veggies. Cook for another 5 minutes or until all the veggies are slightly tender.
In a large jar or bowl, whisk together a pitch or two of salt and pepper to the cornmeal. While continuously whacking, pour the boiling water over the cornmeal. Pour/ spread cornmeal mixture over veggies, then smooth it out to form the crust. Season with salt and lots of pepper and place into oven. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the polenta is cooked and has turned a nice golden brown. Remove from oven, let cool for a few minute, then serve.
Some folks might enjoy some type of cheese so if you want to, give it to them.