I'm so embarrassed, you guys.
Last Friday, I realized that I did three roasted recipes in a row. And then in What I Ate This Week, I featured a recipe with roasted green tomatoes. I'd like to promise you that I won't roast anything else until next year, but I just developed two roasted recipes for Thanksgiving. And they are delicious! What can I say? I just like to roast stuff.
But today's recipe doesn't involve roasting at all. These broccoli cheddar pot pies are seriously the easiest pot pies you will ever make. I mean, the only way they would be easier is if you used Cheez Whiz instead of making the cheese sauce. And made a crust with crushed saltines. (I feel like I may have eaten something like that in college?)
I wanted to do a pot pie for a while, but I kept putting it off out of sheer laziness. It sounded like a good idea, but after picturing myself rolling out a crust, getting flour all over the place, I told myself, "I'll do it next week." (That happened for several weeks.) But then I wondered if maybe puff pastry would work instead of crust crust. Lo and behold, that is a thing! A thing people do! People like Martha Stewart! And if it's good enough for Martha, it's good enough for me.
These Broccoli Cheddar Pot Pies come together in a snap. Steaming the broccoli takes 5 minutes, the sauce takes under 10 minutes, and they bake for just under 15 minutes. Using a puff pastry sheet instead of crust means no rolling, no flour all over the place. You can either cut the puff pastry to fit your ramekins or cut it into squares like Martha did. If I weren't making these for my blog, I probably would have cut them into squares too, but since I wanted them to look all pretty-like for you, I sized them to fit the ramekins.
The first time I tested this recipe, the result was really soupy; I realized that the broccoli was making the cheese sauce watery. I ended up upping the flour and using less milk after hashing things out with some friends on Facebook, which did the trick--now, the sauce starts out super thick to compensate for broccoli. So don't be alarmed by the thickness of the cheese sauce when you're making it! It will thin out as the broccoli releases some of its water while it bakes.
Cheesy broccoli pot pies with a flaky puff pastry crust--comfort food bliss in about 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- 1 c. reduced-fat 2% milk
- 3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 4 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- salt + pepper to taste
- pinch or two of cayenne optional
- 4 c. steamed broccoli florets about 2 small heads of broccoli
- 1 sheet puff pastry
- 1 egg whisked
- oil mister or cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Combine milk and flour in a large saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to low and simmer 3-5 minutes, until mixture is thick, continuing to whisk. Remove from heat and whisk in cheese about ¼ cup at a time. Season with salt and pepper or cayenne. Yes, it's really thick right now, but don't panic! Adding the broccoli and baking will thin the sauce significantly, so err on the salty side--I used ½ teaspoon. Fold in broccoli florets.
- Cut four pieces of puff pastry to fit tops of ramekins OR simply cut the pastry sheet into four equal squares. Cut an X in the middle of each piece of puff pastry to vent steam.
- Divide broccoli cheese mixture into four ramekins that have been sprayed with cooking spray or an oil mister. Top each with puff pastry. Brush puff pastry with egg wash. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until puff pastry is puffy and golden brown.
Vicki says
This looks sooooo good!
[email protected] says
It's drizzling outside, so this would be the perfect day for just such a meal! 🙂
Cassie says
These are gorgeous. Can't believe how simple they are too. Lovely!
Anele @ Success Along the Weigh says
What a perfect recipe for this rainy day! Can't wait to try it!
Kiersten says
And it was rainy when I took the photos too, hence the grayness. Boo!
Carol @ Always Thyme to Cook says
Fantastic. I love it with the puff pastry!
Georgia @ The Comfort of Cooking says
Love these veggie pot pies! So cute and creative. Thanks for sharing!
[email protected]'s Recipes says
Didn't know broccoli makes cheese soupy.....learned something new. Thanks!
These pot pies look amazing.
Kiersten says
I think if the broccoli were roasted or raw, it would have been okay, but since it had been steamed, it's a little on the wet side!
Shaina says
Fancy! I loved broccoli and cheese sauce as a kid. I admit I've only served it to my kids a handful of times, though. This is definitely making my menu soon.
Kiersten says
Yeah, it's probably not the best idea to get kids used to eating broccoli with cheese sauce or they'll never want it any other way. 🙂 My mom only made cheese sauce with the broccoli on special occasions!
Jackie @ Domestic Fits says
I'm a veggie roaster too. It's my default method for almost every vegetable. I even roasted my butternut squash before I made soup out of it instead of boiling it like a normal person.
THIS makes me really consider stopping at the store for some puff pastry for dinner tonight. Looks so good!
Kiersten says
Yup, I think we have roasted veggies a few times a week. I resisted roasting the broccoli for this, though. So there's that!
Michelle J says
The pot pies look amazing! Perfect for warming your insides on a cold fall day! Thanks for sharing!
Kiersten says
They are totally perfect for fall and winter. I always crave comfort food at this time of year!
Lauren @ YoungNester says
Looks so great! I have those same dishes so hopefully mine will turn out just as beautifully.
Kiersten says
I've seen them on a lot of food blogs too! 🙂
Carolyn says
Okay, I am already scheming to make a low carb, gluten-free version of these. Nummy! PS - I actually read this whole post. No mention of unicorn steaks... 😉
Kiersten says
Ha! And you know, now that I read your blog, I always kind of think in my head, "Hmm, I wonder how this could be made low carb." Maybe arrowroot powder to thicken the cheese sauce? Now the puff pastry, well, you'll have to figure that one out yourself!
Kelly @ A Girl Worth Saving says
Yeah for pot pies 😛 There is nothing more warm and inviting to serve. I really need to try the individual ramekins so I don't eat more than 2 servings, lol.
Kiersten says
It really works! I have some kind of mental block when it comes to taking a second ramekin, whereas I probably wouldn't think twice about a second slice of pie. 🙂
[email protected] eco friendly homemaking says
Oh these look so delicious! I am a big broccoli fan
Richa says
that looks so good. and erfect for all the cold weather here right now.
Courtney Rae Jones says
Oh yum! 🙂 These look wonderful! I think I'll make broccoli ones for me and cauliflower ones for the boyfriend. He's silly. He hates broccoli. *hah*
Kiersten says
I was going to suggest using cauliflower or a 50/50 mix! That's funny that your boyfriend likes cauliflower but hates broccoli. Usually it's the other way around!
Jeanette says
I think I need one of these little pot pies - what a cute idea!
Natalie says
I've been thinking about making a pot pie for a while now too but keep talking myself out of it .. more because of the amount of ingredients I'd have to buy and that I'd have to eat it all myself, so I love that yours is simple and makes individual servings!
Kiersten says
I'm glad I finally stopped talking myself out of it, because these were definitely worth it. 🙂 I always have an aversion to making recipes with a lot of ingredients too!
Balvinder says
They really look gorgeous, I have to try a gluten free puff pastry first.
shelly (cookies and cups) says
Oh my word these look good.
Mumseword says
I'm not confident of baking pastry. but you make it sound
Kiersten says
Puff pastry is really easy to work with! You buy it frozen and cut or roll it to the size you need and bake it. I always manage to mess up anything involving dough, so puff pastry is one of my favorite ingredients. 🙂
Liz @ A Nut in a Nutshell says
I pinned it. I'm SO making this, but I'll probably steam my broccoli a little longer. I like it kinda on the smushy side. lol
Kiersten says
I hope you like it, smushy broccoli and all!
Sara says
If I don't have individual ramekins, do you know what size pie plate/container can be substituted? These look amazing!
Kiersten says
The filling probably ends up being about 5 cups total (4 cups broccoli + sauce), so I think that would fit in a deep-dish pie plate or even an 8 x 8 casserole dish.
Christa says
this looks amazing!
Amanda says
what size are the ramekins?
Kiersten says
They're 3 1/2-inch ramekins.