An easy and low-cost Vegan pie you will love

This month is Veganuary, the month where people across Britain commit to following a plant-based diet. Whether you want to help the planet, save animals or simply feel fantastic, there are lots of reasons for you to get involved this year. Challenge yourself and join the hundreds of thousands of people going Vegan this month.

If you’re going to take the pledge and eat more veg’ this January, there are a whole host of recipe ideas and tips on the Veganuary website to help you get inspired, including our favourite Meat-Free Pie from Yorkshire Vegan. With National Pie Day just around the corner and Veganuary in full swing, this is the perfect home-comfort dish to make for friends and family.

Based on a traditional mince and onion pie, you can season to your own taste, add in extra veg’ or swap the soya mince for lentils if you prefer. The filling is freezable so you could save it for a hassle-free mid-week dinner.

Vegan Mince and Onion Pie Recipe

Ingredients:

• 500 g soya mince

• 1 onion, chopped

• 1 -2 tablespoons of oil

• 250ml of vegan gravy

• 1 tbsp. ketchup

• 2 teaspoons vegan Worcestershire sauce

• Black pepper

• 1⁄2 teaspoon oregano

• 1 pack of ready to roll vegan shortcrust pastry

• 1 pack of ready to roll vegan puff pastry

The filling:

• Finely chop the onion and soften in a large pan with the oil.

• Once softened, add the soya mince and cook-off, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes. The kind of soya mince I used needed to be rehydrated first so make sure you follow the instructions for that. If you are using frozen, break it up a bit and add it to the pan.

• Add in the gravy, ketchup, Henderson’s, pepper and oregano to the pan. Stir it all together then cook over medium heat. Try to reduce the mixture down so that it’s not too wet. You should be able to drag a spoon through the pan and have the mixture stay apart for a few seconds.

• This can then be refrigerated until you are ready to use it. It will freeze too so you can make lots this time and then defrost ahead of time in the future.

The pie:

• Get your pie dish or dishes ready and roll out the shortcrust pastry as per the instructions so you have enough to cover the bottom and the sides of your dish.

• Line the bottom and sides of your dish with the pastry and then blind bake at 200C for around 15 mins until the pastry turns golden. You can prick the pastry on the bottom of the pan with a knife to stop it rising and help it cook a little better.

• While your pastry is blind baking, you can roll out your puff pastry for the top as per the instructions on the packet.

• Once your shortcrust is ready, add the filling and then place the puff pastry on top. Crimp around the edges and then make a couple of holes in the top with a sharp knife to let the steam out.

• Brush with soya milk (or other non-sweet plant milk) and bake at 200C for around 30 mins or until the top is lovely and golden.

Fresh, home-cooked vegan meals like this can seem idealistic at first, but if you meal plan for the week in advance and keep on track of the groceries needed, it will become second nature. We use the Big Shop and Menu Planner  to help us get organised in the kitchen, it has plenty of space to plan from Monday to Sunday and it features categorised shopping lists below which can be perforated when needed!

Ideal for keeping close-by when cooking, this pretty planner has a magnetic backing so you can stick it to the fridge or, if you prefer, a hanging hole to affix it to the wall.

There is also a spacious pocket at the back to store receipts, coupons and more recipe inspiration! There is plenty of space to note down all of your groceries and we’ve added some extra categories such as ‘condiments, spices & herbs, ‘beauty & pharmacy’ and ‘snacks’ to make shopping trips quicker and easier.

Going vegan for January will be easy as pie using the Big Shop and Menu Planner.