Vegetable Samosa Pie – Everything you love about Samosas…in giant pie form! Oh – and with handy store bought puff pastry and loads of extra veg. 😂 Excellent centrepiece vegetarian dinner recipe. Something different yet familiar, totally delicious with a bit of (rustic) wow factor.
Those who tried the Eggplant Curry I shared last week will love the common ingredients in this!
Vegetable Samosa Pie
I don’t hold this vegetarian pie to be in anyway authentic Indian in its construct (BIG), the filling (VEG loaded!) and the use of puff pastry instead of homemade samosa pastry (handy!).
But I do hope those of Indian background can recognise that I’ve stayed respectable of traditional Samosas by using authentic Samosa filling spices.
And while this might look a far cry from those little hand held, deep fried Samosa pastries we all know and love so much, just one bite is all it will take for you to think Ah! NOW I get why she calls it a Samosa pie!
You can substitute all the vegetables except potato and onion. Potato is used to bind the filling. Onion is for essential flavour!
What you need – Vegetables for the Filling
The ingredients list for this Vegetable Samosa Pie is fairly extensive, but that’s partly because I’ve put in a decent variety of vegetables. But in fact, other than potato and onion, all the vegetables are customisable. I could’ve just made a zucchini and potato filling to make it look far simpler! 😂
So here are the vegetables I’ve used:
If you tried the Eggplant Curry I recently shared, you’ll have all the necessary spices!
What you need – Filling Spices
And here are the flavourings for the filling. Don’t be alarmed if you don’t recognise some of these – I’ve got options for you!
Black mustard seeds – they look like poppyseeds but have a slight wasabi-like bite to them. And they smell Indian, not Japanese!
Not spicy, more a fresh zing. It’s about $1.50 in small packs at Indian grocery stores – I go to Indian Emporium in Dee Why on the Northern Beaches, Sydney. Also sold in the Indian food section at some Woolworths (Australia) $1.70, and online! Used in an Eggplant Curry I shared last week (big hit!), more recently Goan Fish Curry, and meatless wonder-dish Dal. Curry leaves – imagine curry powder, in fresh curry leaf form! Adds incredible curry perfume into anything it’s used in. Fairly accessible nowadays for Sydney-siders, sold at Harris Farms, most Coles and Woolworths. Keeps for several weeks in the fridge. This too is used in Eggplant Curry and Dal. Throw in 10 or so when cooking Curried Rice, or into this Indian Chickpea Curry or Vegetable Curry – it will really take it to a new level! Substitute: dried curry leaves (not quite the same, but it’s the best sub) or Garam Masala powder;
The other spices – nothing out of the ordinary here, everything you find at local grocery stores; and
Tomato paste – for a little flavour and help thicken the liquid.
Puff pastry
I’ve taken the path of least resistance with this Vegetable Samosa Pie and used store bought puff pastry – for both the base and lid. Store bought shortcrust / pie crust pastry will also work a treat.
I don’t blind bake the base in this recipe, the filling is so juicy it will be soggy regardless. But if you’re cooking to impress and want a crispy base, use store bought or homemade pie crust/shortcrust pastry for the base, blind bake it (per that recipe), then top with puff pastry.
How to make Vegetable Samosa Pie
The vegetables are simmered with the spices until soft and fragrant, then it’s all mixed up with mashed potato to make a big pot of juicy, heavenly smelling filling. Then we simply pile this into a pastry lined pie dish (I like to use a big one), top with pastry then bake until puffed and golden!
OK, I realise that summary is VERY condensed, this pie does take time to come together.
But BOY is it worth it. Just look at what comes out of the oven! ↓↓↓
Ugh, that flaky puff pastry. I swear, puff pastry and its relative filo can make anything good. (Case in point: Chicken Pot Pie, Spinach Ricotta Rolls, Aussie Meat Pies, Sausage Rolls, Spanakopita. See? All good stuff!)
I like to serve it with a dollop of plain yogurt, just to add an extra dimension to the dish.
As for a side salad? Na! I’ve been having a (big!) slice of this Vegetable Samosa Pie for dinner, with no side salads or anything. This is a VEGETARIAN pie. It is jam packed with vegetables – almost 12 cups, to be exact! (PS Onion counts towards your veg intake – did you know that? 😇)
However, if you were to serve this at a dinner with family or friends and you wanted to add some more to the table, I’d probably add a couple of these salads:
Lastly – I realise this recipe has a lengthier ingredients list and more steps than my typical quick ‘n easy Monday night dinner offerings. But this pie is BIG. It will serve 6 to 8. So it’s dinner today and lunch tomorrow. Worth making! – Nagi x
PS Would also be wonderful in individual form – think: ramekins, even mini in muffin tins. Share if you try!
Watch how to make it
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Vegetable Samosa Pie
Ingredients
- 700g / 1.4lb potato , cut into 2cm / 4/5″ pieces
Filling:
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1.5 tsp black mustard seeds (Note 1)
- 1 tsp cumin seeds (Note 2)
- 1 tsp fennel seeds (Note 2)
- 15 curry leaves , fresh (Note 3)
- 1 tbsp garlic , finely grated
- 1 tbsp ginger , finely grated
- 1 onion , finely chopped (brown, white, yellow)
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tsp curry powder (Note 4)
- 1/2 tsp chilli powder , adjust spiciness to taste ((pure ground, not US Chili Spice Mi, sub cayenne)
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tomato * , chopped into 1.5cm / 1/2″ pieces
- 1 zucchini * , chopped into 1.5cm / 1/2" pieces
- 1 carrot * , chopped into 1.5cm / 1/2" pieces
- 1/2 cauliflower * (small), cut/broken into small florets (~ 3 cups)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup frozen green peas *
Puff pastry crust:
- 2 sheets puff pastry (Note 5)
- 1 egg , lightly whisked
Serving:
- Plain yogurt
- Coriander/cilantro leaves , option (decorative only, pictured)
* Asterisk-marked – can be substituted with any vegetables that can be cooked. Use 8 cups total.
Instructions
MASHED POTATO:
- Bring a pot of water to the boil then cook potato for 12 – 15 minutes until very soft.
- Drain, mash and set aside.
FILLING:
- Sizzling spices: Heat oil in a dutch oven or pot over high heat. Add black mustard seeds, cumin and fennel seeds. Let them sizzle for 15 seconds – careful, they might pop!
- Curry leaves: Then add curry leaves and stir for 15 seconds.
- Aromatics: Add garlic, ginger and onion. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes until onion is tinged with gold.
- Tomato: Add tomato paste and tomato, cook for 30 seconds.
- Spices: Add curry powder, turmeric and chilli. Cook for 30 seconds.
- Most Veg: Add zucchini, carrot and cauliflower. Stir well to coat in the spice paste.
- Water: Add water, salt and pepper. Stir, bring to a simmer then put the lid on and reduce heat to medium low (so it's simmer gently).
- Cook & reduce: Cook for 15 minutes until vegetables are soft. Then remove lid and simmer for 5 minutes to reduce liquid a bit.
- Add mash: Remove from stove. Add peas and potato, mix through well.
- Taste: Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
- Cool: Place lid on and cool for at least 30 minutes (even overnight is fine).
ASSEMBLY & BAKING:
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (all oven types).
- Grease a large pie dish with butter, or oil spray (Note 6). Drape in a puff pastry sheet.(I don't blind bake here – see Note 5)
- Fill with Filling – slightly mounded is fine.
- Fold in the corners of the puff pastry sheet.
- Top with puff pastry sheet – turn 90 degrees to the base puff pastry sheet (see photo).
- Fold the overhang puff pastry under itself – no need to be neat here, this is a rustic pie!
- Egg wash: Brush with egg, cut a 2cm / 1" cross in the middle (to let steam escape).
- Bake 50 to 60 minutes, until the top is very deep golden and flaky.
- Stand 5 minutes then slice to serve. A dollop of plain yogurt goes well with this!
Recipe Notes:
- Brown mustard seeds
- Yellow mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp mustard powder*
- 1 1/2 tsp Garam Masala* (different flavour, but is intended to make up for absence)
- dried curry leaves (not quite the same, but it’s the best sub);
- 1 tsp Garam Masala powder (add it with rest of spices).
- Puff pastry (per Chicken Pot Pies direction, in the notes): Line dish with puff pastry, place in oven at 180C/350F. After 10 min or whenever the partially cooked base starts to puff up, just push it back down. Repeat once more or as required to stop the puffing (it doesn’t take much). Then once the pastry is golden, remove from oven and let cool. Proceed with recipe.
- Shortcrust / pie crust pastry: Follow directions in this Meat Pie recipe.
- Leftovers in Fridge – 4 to 5 days. To reheat and retain crispy top – stick a strip of foil over exposed filling (so it doesn’t dry out), then bake in the oven at 180C/350F for 10 – 15 minutes until the top is crusty and the filling is hot.
- Leftovers for freezing – haven’t tried but see no reason why it wouldn’t work. Thaw then reheat per above.
- Make ahead – assemble with thawed puff pastry then either freeze (3 months) or fridge (2 days). Thaw, egg wash, bake per recipe + 10 minutes (takes longer due to chill in centre. Thawed-fridge stored / thawed-frozen-thawed puff does not rise quite as much as thawed then immediately baked, but the difference is marginal in a pie like this. Also, for those concerned, for store bought puff, thaw-freeze-thaw again poses no health issues (unlike meat).
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Dozer on site at the new RTE HQ – kitchen going in today! (PS HQ is a fancy description for my little lower ground floor to be converted into a dedicated work space 😂)
Dearest Maui
Thank you for sharing these lovely recipes n good ideas
The pie is a family pleaser
I love the work you put into making food a Delicious Dream
You’re so welcome! – Nagi x
this was excellent Nagi, thankyou x
Fantastic results ! Thank you Nagi. A great lockdown recipie.
Hi Nagi, I just tried this recipe for the first time . I find the filling quite soggy, even after “resting” for 3 hours. Looking at ur video, it doesn’t seem like 2 cups of water. Can u pls confirm it’s 2 cups of water? I think I will put less water next time
Hi Suzanna, yes that’s the correct amount. Did you take the lid off whilst cooking to reduce the liquid? N x
Yes, I followed steps 7 & 8, 15mins with lid on, then 5 mins with lid off. More liquid than your video looked after the 15+5mins. Will try it with next water next time. Thanks
This recipe is amazing!!!! My husband loves Indian flavours and LOVED this pie. I loved it too even though I am more of a ‘chow mein’ person. It took a while to make but ‘rewarded’ mr fot a couple of nights of no further cooking. Thank you!
Great recipe. Used my Kmart mini pie maker. Made 12 pies
That’s great to hear John! N x
This is a really solid recipe. I like the amount of veggies and the way the spices appealed to my cauliflower and most cooked vegetable hating son. It seems like a lot of work but it isn’t really, not once you’ve measured out the spices. I did cook the veg in my pressure cooker to speed it up, and then reduced excess water at the end. It was easy to make the filling one day, assemble the pie the next. That said, there was soooo much filling, I ended up making 4 extra hand samosas to use it up.
Next time I’m going to try making it into cupcake pan pies, so DS10 can take to school in a thermos for lunch. Being dairy free, we tried it with mango chutney, which I quite liked but DS liked it with tomato sauce.
Made this yesterday. Ate a quarter hot last night. Ate a quarter cold for lunch today. Gave two quarters to friends who now think I am the bees knees and a wonderful cook !! If only they knew 🙂 A wonderful meal. I used one sheet of puff by rolling it big enough to do the full pie dish lining and then the cover over the top. My daughters trying it this weekend!! Yummmmmm !!!
I made this recipe and I loved it. Yummy.
I made individual pies in texas muffin tins – it made 14 pies! Samosas for days 😁 lucky they were delicious. I also made a tamarind sauce/chutney to go with them which worked beautifully (just searched random recipes online) Thanks Nagi x
Wow, such a satisfying pie!
(Husband, big meat eater – “Yuuummm, lovely,”)
Served it with a tomato, onion, cucumber spiced salad and yoghurt mint sauce that I usually make to go with poppadoms.
My smaller pie dishes made x2, so I froze one. Should defrost and reheat ok in a gentle oven. I’ll let you know!
Wahoo, that’s great to hear Diane! N x
Made it ate it loved it definitely be made again thank you Nagi
I (and many of my friends) make loads of your recipes, but this one is a real ‘cracker’. My husband was very impressed. Dropped the fennel seeds out but other than that stuck to the recipe. It was FANTASTIC! and I am looking forward to the left overs tonight. I had enough filling left over for a very long sausage roll.
By the way, I have to say that I think Dozer must be the most adored and laid back dog of all time. Love him.
Made this today for the family – it was fabulous. My 16 yo anti-vegetarian didn’t even notice or comment, other than to stay it was really good! Thanks!!
Wahoo!! That’s great to hear Janine! N x
Do you need to defrost the pastry before using?
Hi Edwina, yes you need to let it thaw so it’s pliable and you can put it into the pie dish. N x
Our family loved this! We were skeptical whether a vegetarian dish would be satisfying but it was! My 7 & 10 year old kids loved it! Thanks Nagi for this recipe!
Wow! I made this last night for veggie husband,daughter and son in law, using gluten free shortcrust. It was a hit. But the leftovers today cold with sour cream and mango chutney were to die for. This is my eighth successful outcome of your recipes ( Greek chicken four times). So very grateful Nagi. And as a lab owner I am delighted to follow the exploits of Dozer!
My mouth was watering when I read this recipe and looked at the pics and video – so I put on my apron and started cooking! It was delicious – turned out beautifully and even the base was crisp. I used chicken stock instead of water but otherwise stayed true to the recipe – looking forward to tucking into leftovers! Thanks Nagi – I really enjoy all your posts and love the Dozer updates! 🙂
We made this and it was AWESOME. Such a great meat free recipe. We baked it in a cake tin and our pastry was crispy all over including the bottom. Leftovers were even better. I used half a teaspoon if hot ground chilli and it had the perfect warmth without being spicy (though i love spicy food 😊). This will definitely be done again in our home. Your site is my go to when looking for a recipe.
Perfect Tarnya!! N x
I was wondering if you have a recipe to make this samosa pie, but with mince meat instead
I don’t just yet Jean! One to add to the list 🙂 N x