Pot pie is always a satisfying cold weather comfort food and this hearty biscuit vegetable pot pie is no exception! The casserole is filled with wholesome savory flavor and plenty of vegetables including mushrooms, peas, broccoli, and carrots. The ultimate pairing for the creamy filling is a simple homemade biscuit topping. Made from 5 easy ingredients, the biscuit topping comes together in minutes and you can even prepare it ahead of time.
Is this pot pie or casserole? Maybe both? Pot pie is usually prepared with pie crust and baked in a pie dish. It’s so satisfyingly delicious and my double crust chicken pot pie is our go-to when we crave the regular version. But today I’m showing you how to make a vegetable-filled rendition topped with biscuits. After cooking the creamy filling on the stove, you can bake the assembled casserole in a deep-dish pie dish or any 2.5-3 quart casserole dish. Though I’m always a pie crust aficionado, my family prefers the biscuit topping! (And it’s easier to make, assemble, and serve too… a win-win-win.)
This Biscuit & Vegetable Pot Pie Casserole Is:
- well-seasoned with garlic, pepper, thyme, and parsley
- creamy, soft, and crispy-crumbly all in one
- customizable based on the vegetables you love
- topped with easy buttery biscuits instead of puff pastry or pie crust
- not soggy, a common problem with puff pastry topped pot pie
Before you begin this recipe, let me set you up for success with some helpful information.
Homemade Pot Pie Biscuit Topping
We’re using the same crispy/crumbly biscuit topping that I often serve with this biscuit breakfast casserole. Unlike when making regular homemade biscuits, folding the dough and using a biscuit cutter aren’t necessary steps. You need a pastry cutter or food processor to cut the cold butter into the dry ingredients. Using floured hands, grab handfuls of dough and shape into thick discs.
- 4 of the 5 Ingredients Are Used in the Filling: The ingredient list below looks long, doesn’t it? The wonderful thing is that 4 of the 5 ingredients required for the biscuits are repeated in the vegetable pot pie filling.
- Make the Biscuits First: Prepare the biscuit dough first so that it can chill in the refrigerator until you’re ready to top and bake the filling.
- Preferred Over Puff Pastry: I know many prefer pot pie with puff pastry on top (SO GOOD!) and while that’s doable with this vegetable pot pie filling, you’ll run into some sogginess. I tested this recipe with store-bought and homemade puff pastry (used the “rough puff” dough from these homemade berry turnovers) and the bottom of the topping was soggy each time. I rolled the dough thin, vented the filling with slits in the dough, did not lay the dough directly on the filling (suspended it by attaching to pie dish as best I could), cooked the entire dish longer, and again– each time that bottom section of dough that faces the filling was soggy.
- Not Soggy: Biscuits are a lot sturdier than buttery pastry, so they solidify and cook easier on top of a creamy base. As long as you bake the vegetable pot pie long enough, only the very bottom of the biscuit that touches the filling will be moist– and that’s not because it’s uncooked– it has soaked up some filling.
Can I make this with pie dough? Yes, you can top this vegetable casserole with pie dough and I have detailed instructions below.
Ingredients in Vegetable Pot Pie Filling (& Substitutions)
- Butter: Like many of our baked goods, this vegetable filling starts with butter. Butter adds flavor and along with flour, helps the filling properly thicken.
- Vegetable Base: Chopped onion, celery, and carrots make a common flavorful and aromatic base to many soups, sauces, and stews. In this recipe, I also add mushrooms. Feel free to use more of one and less of another and if you wish to skip the mushrooms, substitute with more vegetable add-ins as noted below.
- Garlic: I usually use 3 cloves of garlic, but feel free to use 4 for extra flavor.
- Flour: Flour thickens the gravy.
- 3 Main Seasonings: Flavor the filling with salt, pepper, and fresh thyme. If you don’t have fresh thyme, you can substitute dried as listed in the printable recipe below.
- Vegetable Broth: Vegetable broth and whole milk are the liquids in this filling. When testing this recipe, I used different brands of vegetable broth. Keep in mind that some are saltier than others. (Some tasted straight-up sweet!) Stick with 1 teaspoon of salt as listed in the recipe below, and then when the filling comes off heat, give it a taste and add more salt if you feel the filling needs it.
- Whole Milk: I tested with half-and-half, but ultimately chose whole milk because it thickens the filling very well AND it’s what we need for the biscuit topping, too. (Half-and-half is too heavy for the biscuits.) If you need a nondairy milk suggestion, I recommend plain oat milk or almond milk. Keep in mind that the filling won’t taste as creamy and rich.
- Parsley: Parsley brightens and balances the overall flavor. I like to add it right at the end so its freshness doesn’t become lost under the stronger flavors and ingredients.
- Vegetable Add-Ins: Here’s where you can have a lot of fun by adding the vegetables you love most or have on hand. I usually use a mix of frozen peas, fresh or frozen broccoli, and fresh or frozen cauliflower. Other options are canned and drained corn, green beans, white beans, and/or chickpeas. Frozen corn or frozen or fresh green beans (chop into bite-size pieces) work well too.
Skillet: Feel free to cook and bake this pot pie casserole all in 1 pan using an oven-safe skillet, like we do with this skillet pot pie recipe. I recommend an 11-12 inch skillet that’s at least 2 inches deep.
If Using Frozen Vegetables in Pot Pie, Do Not Thaw
If you’re using frozen vegetables in this vegetable pot pie, you do not have to thaw them before stirring them into the filling.
Can I Add Potatoes?
Yes, you can add potatoes to this biscuit vegetable casserole. I recommend adding 1 cup peeled and chopped potato (or sweet potato) when you add the broth. To make room for this addition, remove the mushrooms or 1 cup of vegetable add-ins at the end.
Can I Make This with Chicken?
Yes. I recommend using the filling from this chicken pot pie recipe and the biscuit assembly/baking instructions below.
The photo on the left below shows the mixture after adding the flour, salt, pepper, and thyme. Note that I removed the pan from heat so I could have proper lighting to photograph this stage of the cooking process. You do not remove it from heat at this point. The photo on the right below shows the thickened filling before you pour it into the casserole dish to top and bake. ↓
How to Use Pie Crust Instead of Biscuits
Feel free to skip the biscuit topping and use pie crust instead. After cooking the filling in step 2 below, cool for 5 minutes as directed and then pour into a greased 9-inch deep dish pie dish that’s 2 inches deep. Roll out 1 chilled disc of homemade pie dough (here is my pie crust recipe if you’d like to try that) or store-bought pie dough to a 12-inch circle. Drape over filling. Cut slits in the top to form steam vents. Crimp or flute the edges to seal. Lightly brush the top of the pie crust with egg wash, which is 1 egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon of milk or water. Bake at 375°F (191°C) for 35-40 minutes or until the top of the crust is golden brown. After the first 20 minutes of bake time, I place a pie crust shield on top to prevent the edges from burning. For a double crust vegetable pot pie, I recommend using my chicken pot pie baking instructions and this vegetable filling.
Description
This hearty vegetable pot pie is served casserole style with a 5 ingredient homemade biscuit topping. Some of my favorite vegetables to use are mushrooms, carrots, broccoli, peas, and cauliflower. See the recipe notes for substitutions and other ingredient suggestions.
Biscuits
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled), plus extra for hands
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder (yes, Tablespoon!)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons (270ml) whole milk, divided
Filling
- 1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons; 60g) unsalted butter
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion (1/2 of a large onion)
- 1 cup sliced or diced carrots (1–2 large carrots or a handful of baby carrots)
- 1 cup sliced or diced celery (2–3 stalks)
- 1 cup (120g) roughly chopped mushrooms
- 3–4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/3 cup (42g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- 2 cups (480ml) vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk
- 2 cups (about 300g or 10 ounces) mixed vegetables (such as frozen peas, frozen or fresh broccoli and/or cauliflower florets, see note)
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (or 2 teaspoons dried)
- Make the biscuit topping: Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl or use a food processor. Add the cold butter and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter or pulse several times in the processor. Cut/pulse until coarse crumbs form. Add the milk, and then stir/pulse until the dough comes together. Dough will be very shaggy and a little wet. If it’s too dry, fold in another Tablespoon of milk. If it’s too wet, fold in another Tablespoon of flour. With generously floured hands, shape biscuit dough into 8-9 1-inch thick discs. The amount of biscuits you need (and their diameter) depends on the size and shape of the baking dish you’re using for the pot pie. Dough is sticky, so keep your hands floured. Biscuits don’t have to be perfect or neat. Place shaped biscuits on a lined plate or baking pan, cover tightly, and refrigerate until ready to use in step 4 or for up to 2 days.
- Make the filling: Melt the butter in a large skillet, pot, or 11-12 inch oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, mushrooms, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until vegetables have softened and released some liquid. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and thyme until flour has absorbed all the liquid. Stir in the broth and milk. Cook and simmer for 7-9 minutes or until thickened into a thick soup-like consistency. Stir in the mixed vegetables and parsley, and then remove from heat. Taste and add more salt, pepper, thyme, or parsley to taste if desired. Cool for 5 minutes.
- As it’s cooling, preheat oven to 400°F (204°C).
- Pour filling into greased 2.5 – 3 quart baking dish or 9-inch deep dish pie dish that’s 2 inches deep. Arrange cold biscuits on top, squeezing them in as necessary to fit.
- Bake for 25 minutes, and then keeping the pot pie in the oven, turn oven up to 425°F (218°C) and bake for 5-6 more minutes or until biscuits are golden brown on top.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving. Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Reheat as desired.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Biscuit topping can be made up to 2 days in advance. See end of step 1. You can also freeze the shaped biscuit dough for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before assembling on top of filling. Filling can be prepared 1 day in advance– cover and store in the refrigerator. Bring filling to room temperature before baking. It’s best to arrange the shaped biscuit dough on the filling immediately before baking so the biscuits do not absorb too much filling and become soggy. You can also prepare and freeze the filling for up to 3 months (freeze the shaped biscuits separately). Thaw at room temperature, give it a stir, and then cover with thawed biscuits and bake as instructed.
- Optional Add Flavor to Biscuits: Since you’re using it in the filling and if you have extra, feel free to add 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried), 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (or 1 teaspoon dried), and/or 1 minced garlic clove to the biscuit dough when you add the salt. You could even add 1 cup of your favorite shredded cheese when you add the salt.
- Onion/Celery/Carrots/Mushrooms: Feel free to use more of one and less of another, such as skipping the celery and adding 1/2 cup extra each carrots and onions. If you wish to skip the mushrooms, substitute with more vegetable add-ins at the end of the recipe.
- Flour: Flour thickens the gravy. Feel free to use 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch instead.
- Vegetable Broth: When testing this recipe, I used different brands of vegetable broth. Keep in mind that some are saltier than others. (Some tasted straight-up sweet!) Stick with 1 teaspoon of salt as listed in the recipe, and then when the filling comes off heat in step 4, give it a taste and add more salt if you feel the filling needs it. Feel free to substitute with chicken broth if desired.
- Whole Milk: Whole milk is best in the filling and biscuits. Avoid lower fat milks and if you need a nondairy milk suggestion, I recommend plain oat milk. Plain almond milk would be the 2nd best option for nondairy. Keep in mind that the filling won’t taste as creamy and rich.
- Vegetable Add-Ins: Use 2 total cups of mixed vegetable add-ins. A mix of frozen peas, fresh or frozen broccoli, and fresh or frozen cauliflower is great. Other options are canned and drained corn, green beans, white beans, and chickpeas. Frozen corn or frozen or fresh green beans (chop into bite-size pieces) work well too. If using frozen vegetables, do not thaw.
- Can I Add Potatoes? Yes. I recommend adding 1 cup peeled and chopped potato (or sweet potato) when you add the broth. To make room for this addition, remove the mushrooms or 1 cup of vegetable add-ins at the end.
- Canned biscuits: Though I recommend homemade (yum!), you can use canned biscuits. Follow this recipe as written, subbing canned biscuits for homemade. If prepping the casserole in advance, place sliced canned biscuits on top of casserole immediately before baking.
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