Vegetable Pot Pie

This is another recipe inspired by small amounts of lots of things in my fridge... I've always wanted to make a veggie pot pie so figured, why not?!  This is a huge mix of lots of different recipes I found online and what I had available, but I really liked it.  It turned out to be slice-able and really filling!  I ended eating it for a few days, and it tasted great in the chilly weather with a little bit of hot sauce on top.

Ingredients

1 tbsp butter

1/2 medium onion, sliced thin (~3/4 cups)

2 cloves garlic, sliced thin

1 head fennel, sliced thin (~3/4 cup)

10 oz cremini mushrooms, cut into quarters

2 carrots, sliced into ~1/4 inch thick rounds (~3/4 cups)

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 cup all purpose flour

2.5 cups vegetable broth

2 stalks celery, cut into 1/4 inch slices (~3/4 cups)

3/4 cup bell peppers, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (I used mixed colors- red, orange, and yellow)

1/8 cup dried parsley

1 tbsp Italian seasoning

2 scallions, sliced thin (~1/2 cup)

1/2 cup asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces

3/4 cups edamame

2 cups mashed potatoes

1 sheet puff pastry, defrosted

Directions

1.  In a large heavy bottom pot, heat the butter on med heat.  Add the onions, garlic, and fennel and saute for 5 mins.

2.  Add the mushrooms, carrots, salt, and pepper  and cook for 10 mins.

3.  Sprinkle the flour on top of the veggies, a little bit at a time, and mix well so that there are no lumps (Note, this will be very thick and hard to stir- the main thing is to try and get rid of the lumps).

4.  Once the flour is incorporated, slowly add the broth, 1 cup at a time, stirring continuously so that lumps do not form.  Bring this to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring continuously so that it doesn't stick.

5.  Add the celery, bell pepper, parsley, Italian seasoning, scallions, asparagus, and edamame.  Cook for an additional 5 mins.

6. Press mashed potatoes into the bottom and up the sides of a 8 or 9 inch baking dish that is at least 3 inches deep. Pour the vegetable filling inside.  Place the pie crust on top then tuck in the edges.  Cut a few slits on top to vent the pie.

7.  Bake at 400 F for 25-30 min until the top crust is golden brown.  Let it sit 10 minutes before cutting.