Creamy Cannellini Pie
This is one of those recipes we keep coming back to on cold evenings when we want something that genuinely feels like a hug. Creamy cannellini beans, sweet leeks, and a buttery mash topping that goes golden in the oven. It's proper comfort food but it's all plants, which still feels like a little win every time. The filling is rich and satisfying without being heavy, and honestly the mash on top might be our favourite part. Make this on a Sunday and you'll be thinking about it all week.
Before You Start
- Preheat oven to 200°C fan
- 6 individual pie dishes
- Large saucepan
- Large frying pan
- Colander
- Potato masher
- Chill pies in fridge for 20 minutes before baking
Ingredients
- 600g Maris Piper potatoes
- 2 tbsp plant-based butter
- 100ml unsweetened plant-based milk
- Salt and pepper
- 3 leeks
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 2 tbsp plant-based butter
- 2 x 700g jar of cannellini beans
- 3 tbsp pesto
- 2 tbsp plant-based crème fraîche
- 1 vegetable stock cube
- 150g spinach
- Salt and pepper
- 1 x 320g ready-rolled plant-based puff pastry sheet
- 2 tbsp plant-based milk
- 1 tsp English mustard
Method
For the mash
- Peel and the quarter the potatoes, add them to a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Put the pan over a high heat, sprinkle in a generous pinch of salt and bring to the boil. Once boiling, cook the potatoes for 10-15 minutes until tender
For the pie filling
- Wash and trim the leeks, then cut into rounds
- Peel and crush the garlic
- In a large frying pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Once foaming, saute the leeks with a pinch of salt for 6-8 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute. Drain the beans and add to the pan, along with the pesto, creme fraiche, stock cube and 300ml boiling water and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 8 minutes to allow the flavors to develop. Add the spinach for the last minute of cooking and allow it to wilt in the heat of the pan. Taste and season with salt and pepper
Return to the potatoes
- Drain the potatoes into a colander and leave them to steam dry for 5 minutes
- Pour the potatoes back into the saucepan, add the butter and milk and mash with a potato masher until smooth
- Taste the potato and season with salt and pepper
- Keep warm until ready to serve
Prepare the pastry
- Preheat the oven to 200*C fan setting
- Remove the pastry from the film and cut circles from the pastry, slightly bigger than the size of the pie dish. You can use the base of the pie dish as a guide. Set aside
- Tip the pie filling into 6 individual pie dishes and top with the pastry circles
- Mix the milk and english mustard together until the mustard has dissolved and you have a yellow mixture
- Brush the pastry with the mustardy milk. Chill the pies in the fridge for 20 minutes so the pastry firms up
Bake the pies and serve
- Preheat the oven to 200*C fan setting
- Bake in a hot oven for 25 minutes until golden brown
- Serve the pies with the mashed potatoes
Tips & Variations
- Get the mash right: Make sure your potatoes are fully tender before mashing. Undercooked mash on top of a pie is a crime. Drain them really well and mash while they're hot for the smoothest result.
- Don't rush the leeks: Give them a proper 8 to 10 minutes in the pan over medium heat. You want them soft and almost melting before you add anything else. That's where so much of the flavour comes from.
- Golden top: If your mash isn't browning enough in the oven, stick it under the grill for the last few minutes. That slightly crispy top is absolutely worth it, trust us on this one.
Why This Works
The trick here is building real depth in the filling before anything goes in the oven. Sweating the leeks down properly in butter until they're soft and sweet is what makes this taste so good. The cannellini beans bring a creaminess you just don't get from other beans, and they soak up all those flavours beautifully.