SAEDNEWS: These savory pot pies trade traditional poultry for smoky pancetta, tender white beans and wilted Swiss chard — a cozy, make-ahead dish that proves pot pies aren’t just for chicken.
For weeks the author pictured the cookbook boxed and traveling like a character from a novel — arriving at a dock, loading onto trucks, waiting in a warehouse until the release date. That fanciful narrative gives way to a more practical confession: while the book was finally printed, she had only fleeting access to copies and, in the meantime, plenty of recipes she’d made and kept to herself. Family members began to notice.
Among the recipes she couldn’t stop making — and one that reliably draws praise from her husband — are these Pancetta, White Bean and Swiss Chard Pot Pies. The recipe reframes what a pot pie can be: beneath a flaky pastry lid sits a velouté-like sauce (a broth thickened with a butter–flour roux) enriched with pancetta for smoky depth, white beans for body and tender greens for brightness. The author points out that the pancetta is optional — omit it and cook the vegetables in olive oil to keep the dish vegetarian — and recommends using any sturdy green you have on hand if Swiss chard isn’t available.
If you don’t own ovenproof crocks, the writer recommends using two-cup ovenproof bowls (or a single casserole with one large pastry lid). For busy nights, make a double batch of the stew and the lids in advance; keep them separate and bake to order for a few nights while the filling and pastry stay fresh in the fridge.
Item | Detail |
|---|---|
Serves | 4 |
Prep | Make lids and filling separately; lids chill 1 hour |
Oven | 375°F (190°C) |
Finish | Bake 30–35 minutes until crust is bronzed and filling bubbles |
Make-ahead | Dough: up to 2 days in fridge or months in freezer; filling: up to 1 day in fridge |
Quantity | Ingredient |
|---|---|
2 cups (250 g) | all-purpose flour |
1/2 tsp | table salt |
13 tbsp (185 g) | cold unsalted butter, diced (1 stick + 5 tbsp) |
6 tbsp (90 g) | sour cream or whole Greek yogurt |
1 tbsp (15 ml) | white wine vinegar |
1/4 cup (60 ml) | ice water |
1 | egg (beaten with 1 tbsp water, for egg wash) |
Quantity | Ingredient |
|---|---|
2 tbsp (30 ml) | olive oil |
4 oz (115 g) | pancetta, 1/4-inch diced (about 3/4 to 1 cup) |
1 large (or 2 small) | onions, finely chopped |
1 large | carrot, finely chopped |
1 large stalk | celery, finely chopped |
Pinch | red pepper flakes |
To taste | salt and freshly ground black pepper |
2 | garlic cloves, minced |
Thinly sliced | Swiss chard leaves from an 8–10 oz (225–285 g) bundle (about 4 cups) |
3 1/2 tbsp (50 g) | butter |
3 1/2 tbsp (25 g) | all-purpose flour |
3 1/2 cups (765 ml) | sodium-free or low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth |
2 cups | white beans, cooked and drained (or from 1 1/3 15.5-oz / 440-g cans) |
In a large, wide bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add the diced cold butter and, using a pastry blender or your fingertips, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture looks like little pebbles. Continue until the texture resembles uncooked couscous. In a small dish, whisk the sour cream (or Greek yogurt), vinegar and ice water; add this to the butter–flour mixture. Use a flexible spatula to stir until a craggy dough forms. If needed, use your hands to bring it together into one ball. Pat it into a flattish disk, wrap in plastic and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour (or up to 2 days).
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium–high heat in a large, wide saucepan. Add the diced pancetta and brown it, turning frequently, until it colors and crisps on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove the pancetta with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels; transfer to a medium bowl. Leave the rendered fat in the pan.
If needed, add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and heat until shimmering. Add the onions, carrot, celery, red pepper flakes and a few pinches of salt. Cook over medium heat until the vegetables are softened and begin to color, about 7–8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add the Swiss chard and cook until wilted, about 2–3 minutes. Season with additional salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Transfer the cooked vegetables to the bowl with the pancetta and set aside.
Wipe out the large saucepan (don’t worry if a few browned bits remain). Melt the butter over medium–low heat, then add the flour and whisk to combine. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the roux takes on a little color. Whisk in the broth a ladleful at a time, mixing completely between additions; after about one-third of the broth, you can add the remaining broth more quickly, two to three ladlefuls at a time, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Once all the broth is added, bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until thickened to a gravy-like consistency, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in the white beans and the reserved pancetta–vegetable mixture.
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Divide the filling among four ovenproof 2-cup bowls (about 1½ cups filling per bowl) and set the bowls on a baking sheet. Divide the chilled dough into four pieces and roll each into a round large enough to drape over the bowls with about a 1-inch overhang. Brush the rim of each bowl lightly with egg wash to help the pastry adhere. Drape a pastry round over each bowl, pressing gently to seal, brush the tops with egg wash and cut small vents to allow steam to escape. Bake until the crust is lightly bronzed and the filling is bubbling, about 30–35 minutes.
The dough, wrapped twice and placed in a freezer bag, keeps up to 2 days in the refrigerator and several months in the freezer. The filling can be prepared up to one day in advance and stored covered in the refrigerator.
These pot pies deliver cozy, autumnal flavors with a flaky lid and a rich, bean-forward filling — and they scale easily for make-ahead dinners or a single large casserole.
