Today I have a recipe for you that is good enough to make you step away from the grocer’s freezer section,and make your very own  pot pie from scratch. The name is certainly a mouth full but it is really not that hard to make and I am welling to bet that one bite of this pizza pot pie will change the way you look at pot pies forever. The frozen ready made pot pies don’t even stand a chance!

Hannah of Rise and Shine was our October 2013 Daring Bakers’ hostess and she challenged us to bake our own double crusted savory pot pies. Using any from-scratch crust and filling we choose, we were allowed to get completely creative with our recipe, showing off the savory flavors and fillings from our own home or region.

Hannah provided us with her chicken pot pie recipe and her chicken Mediterranean pizza pot pie recipe. I chose to make the Mediterranean pot pie recipe but modified the recipe a little to make it vegetarian.I omitted the Chicken from the filling and I also used my favorite dough recipe for the crust and I added dried basil and oregano to the flour to give it extra flavor.

I had my doubts making this recipe. It was my very first time using or eating artichokes. Then there was all the spinach! but I pressed on, it is a DARING bakers challenge after all!

The result was honestly the best pot pie I have ever made or tasted. The garlic gravy was wonderfully tasty without being over powering or too garlic-y. I was tempted to eat it by the spoon full! it was that good! The flavors in the filling complimented each other beautifully and once the filling and gravy were combined, I took one bite and knew that this was going to be a great pot pie. What remained though, was the biggest test! The kids!

Whenever I photograph something for the blog, the kids  race to take “the special plate” featured in the pictures so I knew they will at least try it. What I did not expect were all the oooh and ahh and yummmmms that followed 🙂 The kids actually loved it so much that they demanded the leftovers for the lunch the next day!

If you are looking for a new and refreshing way to enjoy vegetables, or you want a hearty meal that is still full of vegetables and great flavors to enjoy at dinner, give this recipe a try. You will love it!

Thank you so much Hannah for a wonderful recipe. I know I will be making this again and again.

Vegetarian Mediterranean Pizza Pot Pie:

Servings: about 8

Ingredients

For the Crust:

3 cups flour

1/4 cup vegetable  oil

1/4 cup yogurt

1 tablespoon yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 cup warm water (the water should be slightly warm to the touch not hot)

Creamy Garlic Gravy:

3 tablespoons (45 ml) (1-2/3 oz) (45 ml) butter
3 tablespoons (45 ml) (1 oz) (26 gm) flour
1 cup (240 ml) milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1/4 cup mozzarella cheese

Filling:

1 small onion, sliced into thin wedges

4 medium-large artichoke hearts, cubed

2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced

1/2 cup (120 ml) (½ oz) (15 gm) tightly packed fresh spinach leaves, slivered

1/3 cup (80 ml) (2 oz) (60 gm) kalamata olives,pitted and roughly chopped

1 teaspoon (5 ml) fresh oregano leaves

1/2 cup (120 ml) (2 oz) (60 gm) crumbled feta cheese

pinch of salt and pepper

To top the dough

1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

Pinch of salt, black pepper

Directions:

Proof the yeast by mixing it with the sugar and water in a cup, the yeast should foam and bubble if it doesn’t then it has gone bad and you need to replace it with new package.

Melt your butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan.

Sprinkle flour over the butter and whisk together.

Cook for a short minute as it bubbles, then pour in the milk.

Whisk and bring it to boil, then stir in salt, pepper and garlic.

Whisk until it’s as thick as honey.

Remove from the heat and stir in cheese. Set aside while you prepare the components for your filling.

To make the filling

In a pan saute the onions in olive oil until they become translucent.

Add the artichokes and cook for 3-4 minutes.

Add the diced tomatoes and stir for a couple of minutes

Add the spinach and olives and stir gently until the spinach is wilted.

Take off the heat and add the feta cheese

Taste and and add the salt and pepper

To make the pizza pot pie

Preheat the oven to hot 220°C/425°F/gas mark 7.

Lightly grease a 10-inch (25-cm) cast iron skillet or similar sized baking dish. You can also make this into individual small pot pies like the one you see in the top picture.

Roll out your pizza dough on a floured surface with flour sprinkled on the top of the dough, so it spreads six inches beyond the edges of your pan on all sides.

You will need plenty of flour under the dough and on the top surface to keep it from sticking to itself and the counter.

Lay the dough into your pan, without pulling it, so it fits into the pan with the extra dough hanging over the edges. Repair any holes that may have appeared.

Tip: (one way to transfer the dough to the pan with minimal tears is to fold the dough in half then fold it again , (just make sure you flour it well before you fold it so that it doesn’t stick together)that makes it easier to move to the pan. Once you place it in the pan you can unfold it)

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the lower third of your oven, until the crust is golden brown. Serve immediately while warm.

Storage & Freezing Instructions/Tips:

The pie is best made and eaten right away. You may store leftovers in the refrigerator for several days or in the freezer for a month. Re-heat thawed leftovers covered in foil in the oven until heated through.