ramekin | Delightful-Delicious-Delovely

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2013

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This is less a strict recipe than it is just a suggestion for using leftovers. I used leftover Vegan Cauliflower, Kale & Chickpea Curry for the Slow Cooker but you can use any kind of leftover curry or stew. I boiled up some cut up carrots & frozen peas & added them to my curry for color & because these vegetables are standard pot pie ingredients.

I used a frozen pastry dough but – if you are feeling ambitious – you can make your own favorite pastry dough recipe or try the simple one I made HERE.

I used individual ramekins but, if you have enough leftover filling, you could make a full-sized pie.

Look how cute these guys are!

I used an egg wash on the dough but, if you are vegan, you can blow that off or use a vegan alternative. And with that – I present:

Leftovers Pot Pie in Individual Ramekins

INGREDIENTS

Leftover curry or stew

Pie crust

Carrots & peas – cooked until tender (optional)

1 egg – whisked

DIRECTIONS

Heat the oven to 425 degrees.

If using ramekins, place them on your dough & cut circles around them about 3/4 inch bigger than the ramekins themselves. Set the dough rounds aside. Grease the ramekins with cooking spray or butter. Place the extra dough scraps in the bottom of the ramekins.

Bake these at 425 for ten minutes. Remove from the oven & lower the temperature to 375.

If adding ingredients to your leftovers filing – do that now.

Fill the ramekins with your leftovers & top with the dough rounds. Press them closed around the ramekins & brush with the whisked egg. Cut steam vents into the top of the dough.

You could wrap & freeze these, at this point, if you wanted to.

Otherwise, place the ramekins on a cooking sheet & bake at 375 for about 45 minutes or so. My oven is a little dodgy these days & so my temperature & baking times are hard to really get accurately. Your pot pies might take a little more or a little less time – so check them. If you are cooking them after freezing them – you might need another 15 minutes or so. Either way – they are done when they look like this. Let them set 5-10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!!!

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2013

Follow @celisemccarthy

To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.

As promised, another recipe made up from several other recipes posted this week. This one uses leftover fettuccine from my Cilantro-Serrano Pasta post and leftover Tomato Bisque and some of my Homemade American Cheese. You can use freshly cooked pasta or leftover, if you have it. The soup can be replaced with ANY pasta sauce you prefer from a simple arrabiata to a marinara to an alfredo. The cheese can also be substituted with goat or Parmesan or whatever you have handy. I used English peas because I had them & I love them.

This particular effort isn’t that pretty because green noodles & a pink sauce make for an odd combination but let me tell you – it is friggin’ DELICIOUS. I made it & just meant to taste one & stood there & inhaled an entire serving. Really, really good! I had intended to make little wonton baskets for each of these but forgot to – so a version using wontons is likely in my future. At any rate – if you use a white pasta & a red sauce – or some other more compatible color combination – your effort should come out prettier.

I cooked 6 of these ramekins in a larger pan with water that came up about half way on the ramekins – and one just out there on its own in the oven. In the future – I will blow off the whole water business because it achieved nothing that I could appreciate except maybe slowing the heating process a tad – and there is no practical purpose for that in this recipe. So – you will see images of the larger pan & water but I am not recommending you do it that way. The only thing it adds is a VERY real danger that you will scald yourself with the hot water as you remove these from the oven.

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Baked Leftover Pasta with Heirloom Tomato Bisque, English Peas & Three Cheeses in Ramekins

INGREDIENTS

4 cups cooked pasta

1 1/2 cups leftover bisque or other pasta sauce

1 cup fresh English peas (optional)

2 large balls fresh mozzarella – sliced

1 2″ cube homemade American cheese or other cheese of your choice

Fresh ground pepper to taste

Fresh basil and/or chopped fresh tomato – as garnish

Extra bisque or pasta sauce – as garnish

Fresh Parmesan to shave – as garnish

DIRECTIONS

Pre-heat the oven to 350.

Blend the pasta, sauce and whatever cheese(s) you are using (NOT the mozzarella) in a bowl. Add the peas – if using.

Spray 7 ramekins (sorry – it just worked out to 7) with cooking spray. Divide the pasta mix among them. Try not to over-fill them or they will get messy in the oven. Top with a little extra bisque/sauce & put a slice of fresh mozzarella on each. Grind some pepper on them.

Place on a cookie sheet & cover each with a sheet of foil that has been greased with cooking spray.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Remove foil & bake another ten minutes.

Remove from the oven & let cool a minute or two. These can be served in the ramekins or flipped over & served on a plate. Either way, garnish each with chopped tomato and/r fresh chopped basil and/or some freshly shaved Parmesan.

Devour & be proud of yourself for using up your leftovers! Maybe even serve with some leftover Artisan bread!!!

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