Cheesy Pumpkin Lentil Pot Pies

Cheesy Pumpkin Lentil Pot Pies (from Amuse Your Bouche, Servings: 2, Total Time: 50 minutes)

Ingredients

·         ¼ cup red lentils

·         1 cup vegetable stock

·         Black pepper

·         ½ tsp dried thyme

·         3 Tbsp. (heaped) pumpkin purée

·         1/8 cup vegetarian parmesan-style cheese, finely grated

·         1/3 sheet puff pastry, thawed

·         1 Tbsp. milk

Directions

1.       Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2.       Combine the lentils and vegetable stock.  Simmer gently until the lentils are soft and not much liquid remains. Make sure you stir to keep the lentils from sticking to the pan.

3.       Add the black pepper, thyme, pumpkin purée and parmesan, and mix well until the cheese has melted. Remove from the heat and set aside.

4.       Spray two large ramekins (or one dish) with non-stick cooking spray.

5.       Roll out the pastry until it’s about 2 times as thin as it was frozen.

6.       Distribute the lentil mixture into bowls and drape the pastry over the top. Press it down firmly around the edge of the bowls. Either cut the excess pastry off or leave a little excess over the edges (I left the excess).

7.       Cut a couple of small slits in each piece of pastry, and brush with milk.

8.       Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown.

My husband and I both really enjoyed this dish.  It is very creamy and savory –  it actually does not have too much of a pumpkin taste.  The lentils were completely puffed up and were not hard at all – just the way we like them.  I used a little less than ½ tsp. of thyme and that worked out perfectly for us.  I think that the vegetable stock, thyme, and cheese were the primary flavors in my dish.  The puff pastry had a nice touch of brown to it and was quite crispy – a perfect contrast the creamy interior of the pot pie. 

This dish is easy to make and it perfect for two people. There are some other recipes that I have used that say they are for two people, but I always end up with leftovers (not a bad thing).  There were no leftovers to speak of with this one!  My husband dug in as soon as the pot pies came out of the oven and loved every bit of his!