Go Back
Print
Individual Creamy Leek & Butter Bean Pies - Georgie Eats

INDIVIDUAL CHEESY LEEK & BUTTER BEAN PIES

I love pie. It's the food I find myself cooking when I'm in need of something comforting. This filling with cheesy, creamy leeks and butter beans only adds to their cosiness. I like these little individual pies as I can freeze a few of them, saving them for another chilly day.

Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings 6 individual pies

Ingredients

  • olive oil
  • 3 leeks cleaned & sliced into rounds
  • 100 g unsalted butter
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 tsp English mustard powder
  • 85 g plain flour
  • 750 ml milk
  • 125 g cheddar cheese grated
  • 400 g jar butter beans drained & rinsed
  • salt & freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 x 500g blocks ready-made puff pastry
  • 1 egg beaten
  • to serve: mash, gravy, greens

Instructions

  1. Heat a good glug of olive oil in large frying pan over a medium heat. Once hot, add the rounds of leek and a good pinch of salt and fry for 3-4 minutes on each side, until lightly caramelised. Remove from the pan and set aside.

  2. In the same pan, melt the butter over a medium heat. Add the garlic and mustard powder, whisk well and cook for a minute or so, until the garlic has softened slightly. Add the flour and continue to whisk for 2-3 minutes, to form a paste. Pour a little milk into the pan and whisk energetically until completely smooth. Then repeat this step, adding small amounts of milk and whisking until smooth, until you have a silky, creamy sauce.

  3. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring frequently, for 8-10 minutes, until thick and glossy. Stir the grated cheddar, softened leeks and butter beans through the sauce, then season to taste with salt and black pepper. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool.

  4. When you are ready to bake your pies, preheat the oven to 180°c (fan assisted)/390°f/gas 6.

  5. Roll 2/3 of the puff pastry out on a lightly floured surface to a 3-4mm thickness. Cut out 6 circles large enough to each line a 13cm pie dish, then line each pie dish with the pastry, pushing it into the sides and letting it stand a little above the rim. Spoon three large tablespoons of the filling into each pie case, so that it sits just below the rim (you may find you have a small amount of leftover filling depending on the size of your leeks – not a bad thing! Either make another pie or two with any leftover pastry you have, or eat it as a side dish at another dinner). Roll out the remaining pastry to a 3-4mm thickness and cut out 6 circles the size of your pie dishes. Brush the edges of the pastry bases with egg wash, then lay the rounds of pastry on top, crimping the edges together at the side. Prick the top a few times with a knife, then glaze with beaten egg.

  6. Put the pies on a baking tray and glaze again with egg wash. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until deeply golden and crisp. Serve with all the trimmings - mash, gravy and greens.

Recipe Notes

If you don't need all 6 pies all at once, I would make them all up, egg wash and all, and freeze whatever you aren't going to eat straight away. You can cook them straight from frozen - just add an extra 10 minutes or so onto their cooking time.