OMG. I made pot pies!!

Butternut Squash and Beefy Mushroom Pot Pies w/Flakey Taleggio Crust | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

I know this may not seem like a big deal to most of you, but for me, it kind of is. I have never made a pot pie before.

Growing up we never ate pot pies for dinner, and in my few years of cooking I just never had the desire to make one. That is until I saw these pretty Staub cast iron mini cocottes, and it hit me that I really wanted to make a pot pie.

Butternut Squash and Beefy Mushroom Pot Pies w/Flakey Taleggio Crust | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

I am not joking when I say that the sole purpose I developed this pot pie recipe was because of the mini cocottes. I kind of fell in love with them and bought two on the spot, plus the cute pumpkin because I obviously had to have that too. No brainer.

I only bought two cocottes though because one, they are kind of expensive and two, the barn is going to suck me dry and I am trying to control the amount of dishes I buy… that part is clearly not going so well.

Speaking of the barn, things are finally happening. I have to say my mom/new general contractor is KILLING it. She has got people working back-to-back and our end of November/beginning of December deadline is looking just a little more do-able. Still going to be cutting it so close, but I am finally feeling good about it now. YA!

Butternut Squash and Beefy Mushroom Pot Pies w/Flakey Taleggio Crust | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Ok, so I made these cute pot pies w/flakey taleggio crust using a mix of butternut squash, mushrooms and beef. I just have to say though, you can totally skip the beef and add more veggies in place. I wanted to make a super hearty pot pie, but if beef is not your thing just leave it out. It’s honestly no big deal.

The butternut squash and mushrooms are the star in these pot pies anyway. Oh and that crust. Wow, that crust is delicious. Cheesy taleggio and puff pasty is a match made in pot pie heaven. Yep, pot pie heaven you guys.

Butternut Squash and Beefy Mushroom Pot Pies w/Flakey Taleggio Crust | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

I think that pot pies can sometimes be tough. One of the reasons I never made a classic pot pie is because I was fearful that they would be bland and boring. I think that the secret to a good pot pie is letting the stew cook as long as possible. I am not sure if you need to do this with a chicken pot pie, but it’s been my experience that low and slow is always the way to go when it comes to stews. So if you can, cook it all day and then assemble the pies when you get home from work or wherever.

It’s actually a really easy one-pot meal to make. Perfect for a busy week day or better yet a lazy Sunday when you want something cooking on the stove all day long to make the house smell amazing and feel super cozy.

Butternut Squash and Beefy Mushroom Pot Pies w/Flakey Taleggio Crust | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Oh and I have to say, if you are trying to impress, I feel like this pot pie would be a good meal to make. It’s that pretty, golden and puffy crust that gets people every time. And I mean with good reason too. I think the crust it my favorite… it’s the puff pastry. That stuff is good.

Butternut Squash and Beefy Mushroom Pot Pies w/Flakey Taleggio Crust | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest
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4.04 from 29 votes

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

The Recipe

Butternut Squash and Beefy Mushroom Pot Pies w/Flakey Taleggio Crust.

By halfbakedharvest

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: beef, mushroom, pot pie

Delicious and hearty pot pies

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours 45 minutes
Total Time 5 hours 5 minutes
Servings 6 Servings
Calories 608 kcal

Ingredients

  • 4 slices thick cut bacon chopped (optional)*
  • 2 1/2 pounds stew meat or short ribs cubed into bite size pieces (optional)*
  • 2 carrots chopped
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic minced or grated
  • 8 ounces of mushrooms sliced (use 12 ounces if using no meat)
  • 1 1/2-2 cups butternut squash cubed (about 1/2 a small squash)
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt + pepper
  • 1 (12 ounce) beer I used pumpkin beer
  • 2 cups beef broth plus as needed
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme + fresh thyme for stewing
  • 1 teaspoon dried rosemary + fresh rosemary for stewing
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 sheet frozen puff pastry thawed
  • 6 ounces taleggio cheese cubed
  • 1 large egg beaten

Instructions

  1. Heat a large dutch oven over medium heat. Once hot, add the bacon and cook until crisp. Remove from the pot and drain on a paper towel lined plate. To the same hot pot add the cubed beef and brown all over. Depending on the size of your dutch oven, you may need to brown the meat in batches. Once the meat is browned, remove it from the pot.
  2. If needed, add a drizzle of olive oil to the same pot you browned the meat in. Once hot, add the carrots, onions and garlic. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until soft. Toss in the mushrooms + butternut squash and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Add the beef back to the pot with veggies. Add the butter and flour, tossing well to coat all the veggies + meat. Season with salt and pepper. Cook one minute and then deglaze the pot with the beer, scrapping up any browned bits off the bottom of the pot. Add the beef broth, smoked paprika, thyme, rosemary, oregano, crushed red pepper and bay leaf. Bring the stew to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. If desired you can add 2 sprigs of fresh thyme and rosemary(I did). Stir in the reserved bacon. Cover the pot and simmer for 2 1/2-4 hours, the longer the better. If you can, simmer the stew all day, it can be cooked up to six hours over low heat.
  3. When the stew is ready, remove from the heat and stir in the fresh parsley. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
  4. Grease 6 mini ramekins (or just leave the stew in the oven safe pot you cooked it in and make one big pot pie). Divide the stew among the ramekins. Unroll the puff pasty and cut it into 6 squares. Sprinkle a little cheese over top each ramekin and then place the puff pastry over-top the cheese. Tuck the sides of the pastry down into the ramekins.
  5. Brush the tops of the pastry with the beaten egg and then sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Place the ramekins on a cookie sheet and bake for 35-45 minutes (maybe more or less depending on the size of your pot pies) or until the pastry is puffed and golden brown. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with fresh parsley and salt. Enjoy warm!

Recipe Notes

*To make this vegetarian, leave the meat out and just start the cooking process at step two. Use a little olive oil and double the amount of mushrooms in the recipe. You may want to add about 1 cup more of butternut squash as well.

Butternut Squash and Beefy Mushroom Pot Pies w/Flakey Taleggio Crust | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

That bite. Ohhhmmyyygoshhhh. That was a good bite.