Plant-Based/Vegan Natchitoches Meat Pies
RECIPE BELOW!! (Pronounced Næ’ Kih-dish) We LOVED this plant-based twist in the traditional & famous Natchitoches Meat Pie!! ⚜️ What’s even better is that it’s relatively easy & it’s packed with healthy Whole Foods that TASTE like the real thing!
I've turned the beloved meat pie into a plant-based vegan's dream! I know, I know: can you really call this a meat pie if there's no meat in it? Good question. I kept the name "Natchitoches Meat Pie" with the Vegan/Plant-Based identification so people know what I'm trying to mimic (you’ll understand if you’re from around west Louisiana at least)! And it's pretty good, if I do say so myself!
Lentils provide a great medium for mimicking ground meat, which is the standard in the meat pie. In general, they have a mild yet earthy tone & taste to them. They’re small & soak up the flavors you add, making them an incredibly versatile legume! All it takes is a little time for those flavors to incorporate and you have a delectable dish!
Here I used green lentils, which I highly recommend, color, taste & nutritional value.
This recipe can make 6-8 meat pies. We use any leftovers for meal prep for the week! Eat as a main with veggies as sides, or serve over rice (our go to).
Vegan/Plant-Based Natchitoches Meat Pies
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry lentils, rinsed & drained
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 1 bell pepper, diced (green or red or both)
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic (~2 cloves)
- 1 qt low sodium vegetable broth, DIVIDED
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 Tbsp vegan Worchesteshire (Lord Sandy's or Kroger generic brands are vegan)
- 4 9" pie shells (white, whole wheat, cauliflower -- we've tried them all! Cauliflower crisps the best)
- Salt & Pepper, to taste
- Cajun spice blend *optional, though great taste with a spice kick!
Instructions
- PREP: Set pie crusts out to thaw. Chop veggies. Rinse & drain lentils.
- SAUTÉ ONION, CELERY, & BELL PEPPER in a stockpot over medium/high heat until soft in vegetable broth, adding more broth as it evaporates out (can sauté in olive oil if you'd like). Add garlic, salt, & pepper & cook until fragrant (about 1 min).
- ADD 3 CUPS OF VEGETABLE BROTH TO THE POT & BRING TO A BOIL. Add your 1 cup of rinsed lentils into the pot. Add salt, pepper, bay leaf, and cajun seasoning to your liking.
- COVER, REDUCE HEAT, & LET SIMMER 20 MINUTES, or until lentils are nice and soft. REMOVE FROM HEAT and let cool (mixture needs to be reasonably cooled before placing in the pie crusts or it'll start cooking/melting the crust)
- While the lentils cook, get your pie crusts thawing from the freezer.
- ASSEMBLE MEAT PIE: Preheat oven to 400 Fahrenheit. Cut thawed pie crusts in half & place on flat surface. Fill each half with about 1/2 cup of filling, leaving space around edges for closing. Press edges shut, then use a fork to crimp the edges closed. Cut slits for steam to vent, and brush with olive oil.
- BAKE: Place on greased cookie sheet & bake for about 20 min, or until is golden brown in color. Let cool slightly before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- Depending on your stove & temperature as you sauté, you may run out of vegetable broth for the 3 cup measurement to add for the lentils. No worries - just supplement with a little water.
- When you set out your pie dough to fill it, DON'T put it on a greased surface like I did. It makes the dough very hard to work with!