Samosa Casserole

Last year, Vegetarian Times posted a recipe for a Samosa Casserole.  I can’t call this recipe my own, but I have made a few changes to the original recipe posted here.  This recipe is filling and satisfying.  I decided to add chickpeas to the original recipe to make it feel more like a complete meal.  Also, I have found that I need to increase the spices in many of the Vegetarian Times recipes.  This is definitely one of those recipes.  I have increased the amount of spices and added a couple of extras to add to the flavor of the recipe.  We cut this casserole into 6 servings but those are VERY generous servings.  You could easily do 8 (maybe even 10) servings.  This is a great recipe to make on the weekend and have for the busy week ahead.  Here’s my modified version of this recipe:

Crust

-1 cup whole wheat pastry flour or whole wheat flour

-1/4 tsp salt

-2 TBSP vegetable oil

 Spices

-1 TBSP black, brown or yellow mustard seeds

-1 heaping TBSP of curry powder (or more if you like a strong curry taste)

-1 tsp ground ginger

-1-2 tsp cumin

-1/8-1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

-1/4 tsp turmeric

-1/4 tsp salt

Filling

-1 1/4 pounds of potatoes (I just use what I have on hand-you can peel or not peel-whatever you want to do)

-1 onion (diced)

-1 cup chopped carrots

-1 head cauliflower (chopped into small pieces)

-3-4 cloves of garlic

-1 cup frozen peas

-1 cup cooked chickpeas

-1 cup low sodium veg broth

-1/2 TBSP agave nectar or sugar

-2 TBSP non-dairy milk

1.     First step is to make the crust.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Whisk together flour and salt in a bowl.  Stir in oil until clumps form.  Add 6-10 TBSP cold water-1 TBSP at a time until dough holds together.  Shape into ball, cover with a damp towel and set aside. 

2.     Mix spices together in a small bowl and set aside. 

3.     Cook potatoes in boiling water with a little salt for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.  Drain, return to pot and mash with potato masher leaving a few small chunks. 

4.     While potatoes are cooking, cook the onions and garlic for a few minutes with a little veg broth.  Once onions are starting to brown, push the onion/garlic mixture aside in the pan and throw in the spices to the other side of the pan.  Let them toast for about 30 seconds making sure they do not burn.  Once you can smell the spices toasting, mix the spices with the garlic and onion.  Add the carrots and cook for another 2-3 minutes.  Then add the cauliflower.  Cook for about another 5-10 minutes or until the ingredients are getting tender.  Then add the peas, the rest of the veg broth, chickpeas and agave nectar.  Cook for another 5 minutes or until all ingredients are tender.  Add in the potatoes and mix all together.  Transfer ingredients to a sprayed 9 x 13 casserole dish. 

5.     Roll out crust dough to fit a 9 x 13 pan (on a floured work surface).  Cover filling with dough, pressing down to make sure no air pockets remain.  Cut X in the center to vent steam; brush with non-dairy milk just before baking.  Bake for 40-50 minutes or until crust is golden.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.