Clean Out the Fridge Vegetable Pie

Gluten-free | Sugar-free | Dairy free option | Vegan-friendly | Meat option

Makes 8-10 portions as a side dish

Why it’s delicious

If you are like me and you love the idea of a tasty veggie pie that is baked and caramelised till golden, then this recipe is your healthy vegetable side dish new best friend! 

Its deliciousness is only matched by its versatility as you can use any vegetables that you want with the option to add meat or keep it vegetarian or vegan. 

Helpful hints and tips

Ideally you will use a springform cake tin for this recipe as it is the easiest way to unmould your pie. 

This recipe requires Bridget's Sticky Sauce, a healthy cooking sauce I use in many of my recipes. It's simple, healthy and packs a lot of flavour without adding unnecessary calories. If you need the recipe, you can get it here.

The choice of vegetables is up to you with this pie so it's a great recipe to use if you want to clean out the fridge. 

You can also add protein if you like in the way of chicken, beef, bacon, tofu, hemp seeds or nuts. The sauce that you use is also optional and you can pick from either Bridget's Roasted Tomato Sauce, my healthy Satay Sauce or my Green Alkaline Curry sauce. If you have my eBook Cookbook MORE from Bridget’s Healthy Kitchen, you can also use one of my healthy curry sauces from there.  

Told you it was versatile!

Ingredients

1. 500 g (1.1 lb) thinly sliced vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, zucchini, fennel, capsicum, eggplant, leek, mushrooms, onions, thick spinach leaves, silver beet (swiss chard) or squash
2. 300 g (10.5 oz) Bridget's Roasted Tomato Sauce, or Satay Sauce, or Green Alkaline Curry sauce or one of my other healthy curry sauces. 
3. 250 g (8.8 oz) protein (optional) like nitrate free bacon, sliced chicken thigh, drained and shredded jackfruit, leftover beef or lamb etc
4. 4 tbsp Bridget's Sticky Sauce
5. 4 tbsp chopped fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, sage or parsley 
6. Mineral salt and freshly milled black pepper
7. 50 g (1.7 oz) grated cheddar, parmesan or vegan cheese (optional)
8. 4 tbsp nutritional yeast

Method

1. Preheat your oven on 190C (390F) and line a springform cake tin with non-stick baking paper. 
2. The secret to making a successful pie is to ensure your vegetables are cut thinly and evenly so all the vegetables cook evenly, so take your time slicing your vegetables as thin and evenly as possible. 
3. Stir the sticky sauce through the roasted tomato or and ready all your remaining ingredients. 
4. Starting with a layer of vegetables, stack some of the veg into the base of the cake tin and season with a little salt and pepper. If you are using protein, add a thin layer on to the vegetables. 
5. Add some of the sauce and smooth it on to the stack. Sprinkle with some fresh herbs and then continue to repeat these steps, pushing and compacting the layers with the back of a large spoon as you go, finishing with a layer of vegetables and a sprinkle of herbs. 
6. If using cheese, distribute evenly over the top and sprinkle with nutritional yeast finishing the pie with a little salt and pepper. 
7. Place the tin into a roasting tray to catch the drips and then bake in the oven for 35-45 minutes. 
8. Depending on the vegetables you use and how thin you have sliced them will determine how long the pie takes to cook. Test for readiness by carefully inserting a sharp knife into the pie. You are looking for resistance, if the pie ingredients still feel a little firm, leave the pie in for longer. 
9. If the top of your pie begins getting too dark, cover with a piece of baking paper while the pie continues to cook through.
10. Serve hot by unmoulding the pie in the roasting tray as there will still be more drips and either cut and portion the pie into wedges and place onto plates or place the whole pie into a deep dish and allow people to help themselves. 
11. This pie freezes well in portions or will last in the fridge for up to 5 days.