Mushroom and Leek Pie is a creamy vegetarian dish I make as soon as the evenings get cold. It has a rich leek and porcini sauce underneath and the same homemade shortcrust I use for my Steak Pie on top.
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Making it takes a bit of time, but none of it is difficult. You can put it together a day ahead and bake it when everyone arrives. It's perfect for Sunday lunch or Christmas dinner, and it's always a winner with family and friends.
Why This Recipe Works
- It's a hearty vegetarian main that even meat lovers are happy to eat.
- Pastry only goes on top, so there's no soggy bottom to worry about.
- I always add dried porcini, and it makes a big difference to the mushroom flavor.
- The homemade shortcrust is buttery and flaky, and you don't need a food processor to make it.
- You can freeze the whole pie before baking and put it straight in the oven from frozen.
- It feeds four people, and it's perfect for Sunday lunch, Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.
- If you'd rather skip the pastry, the creamy filling makes a good vegetarian stew on its own.
- Every step has a photo, which helps if you've never made pastry before.
Ingredients You'll Need
Please scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredients list with measurements, complete recipe method, recipe notes, and nutritional information.
- Unsalted butter - It lets you control how much salt goes into the pastry. Make sure it's very cold and cut into small cubes.
- All-purpose flour - It has less protein than bread flour, so the shortcrust stays crumbly and tender. A little goes into the filling too, to thicken the sauce.
- Water - Use iced water. How much you need depends on the humidity in your kitchen, so add it a little at a time. You might not need all of it.
- Egg yolk - It gives a bright golden brown color to the pastry. You can use a mixture of yogurt and oil instead.
- Leeks - Use the white and light green parts, and save the dark green tops for Basic Homemade Vegetable Stock. Slice them first, then rinse them well in a bowl of cold water, because grit hides between the layers.
- Mushrooms - I use chestnut mushrooms, which are the same as cremini or baby bella mushrooms in the US. They hold their shape better than other mushrooms when cooked and keep their meaty bite. You can use white button mushrooms instead.
- Dried porcini mushroom - This is my magic ingredient for the filling, and I love using it because the mushroom flavor is much stronger with it. They aren't cheap, but a small bag goes a long way.
- Milk - I use whole or 2% milk for the sauce, along with the porcini soaking liquid.
- Fresh thyme - Fresh thyme goes really well with mushrooms. If you only have dried thyme, use about a third of the amount.
You'll need a 10-inch (25 cm) pie dish and a rolling pin for this recipe.
How to Make Mushroom and Leek Pie?
Make the Shortcrust Pastry
The secret of a flaky shortcrust pastry is cold butter and very cold iced water. It’s also very important not to overwork the dough.
Sift the flour into a large bowl and add the salt, sugar and diced butter.
Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.
Add the water gradually, just enough to make a firm dough. You might not need all the water given in the recipe.
Knead the dough briefly on a floured surface and shape it into a ball. Wrap it in plastic wrap and rest it in the fridge for at least 1 hour before rolling it out.
Make the Mushroom and Leek Filling
Soak the dried porcini in 1 cup (250 ml) of boiling water for 15 minutes. Spoon out the porcini, roughly chop them, and keep the liquid for cooking the pie filling. Set them aside until needed.
Melt the butter in a large pan or wok over medium heat, then add the leeks. Sauté them for a few minutes, until slightly softened.
Turn the heat up, add the mushrooms and cook them until they soften and release their juices.
Add the carrots and garlic and cook for a few minutes, until the liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated.
Sprinkle on the flour and add the porcini. Cook for a minute, stirring all the time.
Pour in the milk and the porcini soaking liquid, stirring all the time to avoid lumps. Keep cooking for a few minutes, until it's bubbling and the sauce has thickened.
Add the thyme, salt, black pepper and chili flakes (if using). Transfer the filling to a 10-inch (25 cm) pie dish and let it cool to room temperature before assembling the pie.
Assemble and Bake the Pie
When the filling has cooled, take the pastry out of the fridge and leave it at room temperature for 10 minutes before rolling it out. Preheat your oven to 180° C - 356° F (fan) or 200° C - 392° F (conventional).
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry slightly larger than the pie dish. Cover the pie dish with the pastry and trim off any excess with a knife. Crimp the edge along the rim of the dish with your thumb to seal it.
Brush the pastry with the egg yolk.
Make some decorations from the leftover pastry with a small knife or small cookie cutters if you want a fancy-looking pie.
Make a hole in the middle to let the steam out during baking.
Bake the pie for about 25 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown. Let it cool slightly before serving.
Recipe Tips From the Chef
- Keep the butter and water very cold, and stop kneading as soon as the dough comes together. Overworked pastry turns out tough.
- Let the pastry sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before rolling it, so it's easier to roll out.
- Slice the leeks before washing them, then rinse them well in a bowl of cold water to get rid of any grit.
- Cook the mushrooms on a high heat and don't stir them too often. Keep cooking until all the liquid they release has gone, or the filling will be watery.
- Pour the porcini soaking liquid in slowly and leave the last spoonful in the bowl, because that's where the grit settles.
- Add the milk a little at a time and keep stirring, or the sauce can go lumpy.
- Taste the filling before it goes into the dish, and add more salt and pepper if it needs it.
- Always let the filling cool completely before you put the pastry on. A warm filling melts the butter in the pastry, and the crust goes soggy.
- If the top browns too quickly, cover it loosely with foil for the rest of the baking time.
Variations
- Top the filling with mashed potatoes instead of pastry for a vegetarian cottage pie.
- Stir a spoonful of Dijon or wholegrain mustard into the sauce for a little heat.
- Add a splash of dry white wine after the mushrooms, and let it cook off before you add the flour.
- Stir a handful of grated cheddar or Gruyère into the sauce for a cheesy filling.
- You can add cooked diced potatoes, spinach or caramelized onions to the filling.
- Use a mix of wild mushrooms like chicken of the woods, oyster or chanterelle for a stronger flavor. Fresh porcini mushrooms work great too!
- For a vegan pie, use vegan butter in the pastry and filling, oat or soy milk in the sauce, and brush the top with plant milk instead of egg.
Storage and Make Ahead Instructions
Leftover mushroom pie keeps for up to 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat it in the oven at 180° C - 356° F for 15 to 20 minutes, until it's hot all the way through. Cover the top loosely with foil if the pastry starts to get too dark. The microwave is fine for a single slice, but the pastry goes soft.
To get ahead, you can keep the pastry dough wrapped in the fridge for up to 3 days, and the cooked filling for up to 2 days. If you prefer, assemble the whole pie the day before, cover it and keep it in the fridge until you're ready to bake.
The pie freezes well for up to 3 months. It's best to freeze it uncooked, once it's covered with pastry and brushed with egg yolk. Bake it straight from frozen without defrosting, and give it about 15 to 20 minutes longer in the oven. Cooked leftovers freeze well once they've cooled to room temperature.
Serving Suggestions
I love having my Mushroom and Leek Pie with Pomme Puree - Creamy Mashed Potatoes and some steamed green vegetables.
For Sunday lunch, it goes well with Sauteed Potatoes, Rutabaga and Carrot Mash or Honey Roasted Carrots and Parsnips. For Thanksgiving, serve it as the vegetarian main next to Green Bean Casserole with Fresh Green Beans.
If you want something lighter, a fresh salad like Coban Salad - Çoban Salatası or Austrian Potato Salad (Erdäpfelsalat) is all you need on the side.
Recipe FAQs
The most common mistake is a watery filling. It happens when the mushrooms don't cook long enough to lose their liquid. Another one is putting the pastry on a warm filling, which melts the butter in the pastry and makes the crust soggy. If you overwork the dough, the pastry will be tough.
Shortcrust is the traditional choice for a leek and mushroom pie, and it's what I use in this recipe. It's buttery and crumbly, and you can make it by hand in a few minutes. Store-bought puff pastry works too if you want a quicker pie. Lay a sheet over the cooled filling and bake it the same way.
Yes, they're a classic pairing in British cooking. Leeks have a mild, sweet onion taste and mushrooms have an earthy flavor, so they work really well together in pies, soups and risotto.
An old fashioned leek and mushroom pie has leeks and mushrooms in a white sauce made with butter, flour and milk, with a shortcrust pastry lid on top. My version follows the same idea, with carrots, fresh thyme and a little dried porcini added.
Related Recipes
For more great British recipes why not try:
Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.
I hope you enjoy the process of making this creamy vegetarian Mushroom and Leek Pie as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂
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Mushroom and Leek Pie
Ingredients
For the Shortcrust Pastry
- 1 stick unsalted butter (diced and cold) (115 g)
- 1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour (160 g)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ¼ cup very cold water (60 ml)
- 1 egg yolk (for egg wash)
For the Mushroom Filling
- ¼ stick butter (30 g)
- 1 lb roughly sliced chestnut or button mushrooms (450 g)
- 10 ½ oz sliced and washed leeks (300 g)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 carrot (peeled and sliced)
- 1 cup boiling water (250 ml, for soaking the porcini)
- ½ oz dried porcini mushroom (15 g)
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour (30 g)
- ¾ cup whole or 2% milk (200 ml)
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme (leaves only, chopped)
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon chili flakes (optional)
Instructions
Make the Shortcrust Pastry
- Sift the flour into a large bowl and add the salt, sugar and diced butter.
- Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.
- Add the water gradually, just enough to make a firm dough. You might not need all the water given in the recipe.
- Knead the dough briefly on a floured surface and shape it into a ball.
- Wrap it in plastic wrap and rest it in the fridge for at least 1 hour before rolling it out.
Make the Mushroom and Leek Filling
- Soak the dried porcini in 1 cup (250 ml) of boiling water for 15 minutes.
- Spoon out the porcini, roughly chop them and keep the liquid for cooking the pie filling. Set them aside until needed.
- Melt the butter in a large pan or wok over medium heat, then add the leeks.
- Sauté the leeks for a few minutes, until slightly softened.
- Turn the heat up, add the mushrooms and cook them until they soften and release their juices.
- Add the carrots and garlic and cook for a few minutes, until the liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated.
- Sprinkle on the flour and add the porcini. Cook for a minute, stirring all the time.
- Pour in the milk and the porcini soaking liquid, stirring all the time to avoid lumps. Keep cooking for a few minutes, until it's bubbling and the sauce has thickened.
- Add the thyme, salt, black pepper and chili flakes (if using).
- Transfer the filling to a 10-inch (25 cm) pie dish and let it cool to room temperature before assembling the pie.
Assemble and Bake the Pie
- When the filling has cooled, take the pastry out of the fridge and leave it at room temperature for 10 minutes before rolling it out.
- Preheat your oven to 180° C - 356° F (fan) or 200° C - 392° F (conventional).
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry slightly larger than the pie dish.
- Cover the pie dish with the pastry and trim off any excess with a knife.
- Crimp the edge along the rim of the dish with your thumb to seal it. Brush the pastry with the egg yolk.
- Make some decorations from the leftover pastry with a small knife or small cookie cutters if you want a fancy-looking pie.
- Make a hole in the middle to let the steam out during baking.
- Bake the pie for about 25 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown.
- Let it cool slightly before serving.
Notes
- Keep the butter and water very cold, and don't overwork the dough, or the pastry will be tough.
- Leave the chilled pastry at room temperature for 10 minutes before rolling it out.
- Slice the leeks first, then rinse them well in cold water to remove any grit.
- Cook the mushrooms on a high heat until all their liquid has evaporated, or the filling will be watery.
- Leave the last spoonful of porcini soaking liquid in the bowl, because that's where the grit settles.
- Let the filling cool completely before you put the pastry on.
- For a quicker pie, use a sheet of store-bought puff pastry instead of shortcrust, or top the filling with mashed potatoes.
- For a vegan pie, use vegan butter, oat or soy milk, and brush the top with plant milk instead of egg yolk.
- Leftovers keep for 5 days in the fridge and 3 months in the freezer. Reheat them in the oven at 180° C - 356° F for 15 to 20 minutes.
- To freeze before baking, cover the pie with pastry, brush it with egg yolk and freeze it. Bake it from frozen and add 15 to 20 minutes to the baking time.
- You'll need a 10-inch (25 cm) pie dish.
Dorothy says
This is such a great recipe, easy and delicious. Step by step instructions and photos are a great hep for beginners like me. Thank you for the recipe !
Darren says
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!! Made this tonight the filling was delicious and with the pastry was just perfect.
Emilia says
This recipe is great. It tastes delicious. I served it with mashed potatoes and greens.
Penny says
This pie is delicious, I made this for Sunday lunch and it was a hit! Great recipe.