Pot pie recipe with broth only?

November 12, 2024 10:32 AM

A couple of years ago I used to make this pot pie recipe which was not vegan or vegetarian but which didn't have any dairy in the sauce, just broth. I cannot find it. Do you know of such a recipe?

I dimly recall that it was just broth with some cooked flour in it to thicken, but I don't remember any of the proportions. I remember being surprised that it had no dairy. It definitely didn't have almond milk, oat milk, etc.

Otherwise it was pretty standard - chicken, vegetables, potatoes, some herbs.

posted by Frowner to Food & Drink (8 answers total)

I use chicken stew in pot pie. Chicken, broth, carrots, onions, potatoes, mushrooms, herbs, salt, pepper, some fat to saute onions and maybe celery. Simmered down to a nice sauce that will thicken with the flour in the crust(s). I typically use a puff pastry top because it's so easy and delicious. It doesn't need dairy, though the pastry usually has butter.
posted by theora55 at 10:38 AM on November 12 [3 favorites]

I make a more southeastern US style pot pie with biscuit crust on top, which may not be what you have in mind, but instead of a sauce with dairy, I make mine using broth and corn starch following the recipe on the back of the corn starch container. I cook the sauce in the microwave until it thickens, and it's all ridiculously easy.
posted by hydropsyche at 10:39 AM on November 12 [1 favorite]

I don't have a specific recipe, but it's not a hard thing to do - you just use some non-butter kind of fat to start the roux with the flour (I've used olive oil), and then mix in broth to whatever thickness you want the sauce once the roux has cooked a bit. My mom, prior to the days of commonly calling a roux-based sauce by its French name in the US, would have called it a brown sauce (or gravy) as opposed to a white sauce (or gravy).
posted by LionIndex at 11:02 AM on November 12 [4 favorites]

this nyt recipe seems close to what you’re describing
posted by Why Is The World In Love Again? at 11:13 AM on November 12

This recipe emphasizes non-dairy and gluten-free ingredients, but the basic proportions for a 12" pie are:

1/3 C butter
1/3 C all-purpose flour
3-1/4 C chicken stock

Between that and the NYT recipe linked above, you should be able to figure out the proportions for your own needs. And as LionIndex says, it's a pretty forgiving process. I've started out with what I think are the proportions I needed, then ended up adding more of one ingredient or another partway through because it was too thin or too thick, and it all turned out fine.
posted by Greg_Ace at 11:30 AM on November 12 [1 favorite]

I never put milk or cream in mine. Gelatin and a roux, per Bravetart (though i do use butter, and usually do a biscuit topping with buttermilk; all avoidable).
posted by supercres at 1:01 PM on November 12 [1 favorite]

When I make pot pie it's usually after Thanksgiving and I use leftover gravy as the sauce. My gravy doesn't have any dairy in it, just the fat from the turkey cooked with flour to make a roux, then turkey broth as the liquid. Assuming you're starting without the drippings from a roasted bird, you can use oil (or butter) cooked with flour in a 1:1 ratio to make the roux, then roughly 8 times the roux amount of broth for your liquid. (i.e. 2 tbsp. oil cooked with 2 tbsp. flour, then 2 cups broth and boil to thicken).
posted by Daily Alice at 1:08 PM on November 12 [1 favorite]

Yes, equal amounts by volume of fat and flour for the roux. I prefer butter, but TBH "vegan butter" which is a type of margarine is very good for this purpose. Chicken stock for the liquid.
Right now, I have an insane amount of goose fat, but I don't see it as optimal for making a roux.
I would use a lot of mushrooms in my stew, the texture is nice and they are healthy, too. And store-bought puff-pastry, which is rarely made with butter.
posted by mumimor at 1:13 PM on November 12