Savoury Sweet Potato and Pepper Pie

Let's be honest, vegan pies are expensive. Going by the usual two for £2 Linda McCartney ones you get. That's £1 per pie. Asda and Morrison's did their own, though I'm not sure if they still do - hoping so because they were lovely, still about 75p a pie. But it's getting to that time of year again where the leaves are changing, there's a chill in the air, the sun is setting earlier… and all you want to eat is pie and mash. And I'm not sure my pocket can handle a £7 a week pie habit. It might not sound like much but hey, I'm skint; and knowing how to make good pie is one of my favourite things about myself.

I did the maths and this pie costs about £1.50 to make. Granted I made the pastry myself (another life skill) and most of the ingredients were either reduced or on discount/rollback. But this is one kickass pie that yields six generous servings and you can't argue with that.

Serves 6 - one medium-sized pie

• Enough pastry to line a 20cm/8in round baking tray. So about… 250g of JusRol? Or homemade (recipe coming soon).
• 2tsp oil
• 1 large red onion, sliced
• 2 fat cloves of garlic, minced
• 150g mushrooms, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• A 350g pack of sweet potato and butternut squash - I always hunt these out in the reduced veg section and got a few bags for 28p each.
• 1tbsp mixed herbs
• 1 veggie stock cube
• Salt and black pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200℃. Roll out the pastry onto grease proof paper and lower into the baking tray. Cut off the loose edges and save the rest for the pie lid, rolling it into a ball and putting in the fridge, wrapped in clingfilm.
2. Heat 1tsp of oil in a large pan and saute the onion and garlic over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
3. Add the herbs, salt and pepper, and stock cube, along with the sweet potato and cook for another 5 minutes. Add 150ml water and reduce the heat, simmering for 10 minutes.
4. In a separate pan, saute the mushroom and pepper in the rest of the oil. I like to add a pinch of smoked paprika and a dash of veggie-friendly worcester sauce but they're not essential.
5. Once the sweet potato and butternut squash have softened, remove from the heat and mash a little for a creamier texture. Add the mushrooms and peppers and stir to combine all the ingredients. Once cooled a little, spoon into the pastry and roll out the remaining pastry. I made less than I thought so I cut it into strips and layered it, but if you have enough you can cover it completely or make whatever pretty pattern you want to.
6. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until the top is golden brown.
7. Cut into generous slices and serve with mash, your favourite veg, and a pint of something nice. Enjoy!

Variations

• Protein packed pie: add half a tin of chickpeas or 100g cooked lentils with the sweet potato and butternut squash; 75g vegan chicken style pieces, or 2 precooked and chopped veggie sausages along with the mushrooms and peppers.
• Mmm, Creamy: once all of the ingredients are mixed, leave to cool for a while and add 2tbsp of plain soya yoghurt/Greek style yoghurt or hummus.
• So cheesy!: add 50g of strong cheddar or goats cheese, or your favourite vegan alternative.

Get your Popeye on: add 100g of spinach (fresh or frozen and thawed) at the end for a tasty iron boost.