Guilt-free Comfort Food: Vegetable Pot Pie with Cornbread Crust

Macaroni and cheese, meatloaf, mashed potatoes, chicken fried steak, chicken and dumplings. What do these foods have in common? They're the ultimate comfort foods. Everyone has that special dish that immediately transports you back to your childhood. 

After a hard day at work, a stressful event or if you're feeling nostalgic, you may crave these types of foods—rich, fattening and well, comforting. Comfort foods are notoriously high in calories and fat, not exactly figure-friendly. But don't despair, we are bringing you a healthy, delicious and ultra-comforting dish: pot pie. Most pot pies are made with whole milk, cream or canned soup and lots of butter (one recipe called for 1 1/2 sticks just in the filling for four servings- yikes!) and a pie crust or biscuit topping —usually the most fattening part. 

This vegetable pot pie with a cornbread crust is a healthy alternative and keeps all the traditional flavors intact. It's a creamy filling packed with loads of veggies and cornbread —another comfort food favorite! The cornbread is made with little fat and cornmeal is actually a healthy whole grain—an added bonus! For a little meat in the dish, add 2 cups cooked chicken or turkey to the filling. Served as is, this dish tastes like a big bowl of stuffing. So good and satisfying!

Tips for lightening other comfort foods:

•  Always substitute low-fat milk for regular milk or cream in dishes such as chicken and dumplings, pot pie or mac and cheese. You won't miss the fat!
•  Use lean ground beef or ground turkey in your meatloaf and incorporate a whole grain such as oatmeal or bulger into the mix.
•  In dishes such as mashed potatoes, a little butter goes a long way. Always reduce the amount of butter used in a recipe.
• Try whole wheat pasta in your macaroni and cheese and whole wheat pastry flour for your dumplings.
• Pan fry chicken fried steak instead of frying it. 

With a little experimentation, it can be done. A fattening, old favorite can be made over into a guiltless weeknight meal. So when you are having a bad day or just feel the need for some comfort food, try this vegetable pot pie. It won't disappoint!

Vegetable Pot Pie with Cornbread Crust

Serves 6-8

Filling:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups diced, peeled, red potato (about 1 1/4 pound)
2 cups onions, diced
2 cups mushrooms (8 ounce box), sliced
1 cup carrots, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
1/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups 2% milk
1 1/2 cups fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen cut green beans
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
Few dashes of Tabasco sauce, or other hot sauce 

Crust:
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
3/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup low fat milk
1 large egg
2 tablespoons canola oil

DIRECTIONS: 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

For filling:
Melt butter in large saucepan over medium-high heat; add oil. Add potatoes and cook for about 2 minutes, then add the next 6 ingredients (through thyme) and sauté for 5 minutes. 

Reduce heat to low; add flour to vegetables and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in milk and broth, increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, add salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, Tabasco sauce, peas, corn and green beans and simmer 10 minutes or until thickened.

Spoon mixture into a 2-quart baking dish coated.

To make the crust:
In a medium-sized bowl, add cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Combine well with a whisk. 

In a separate small bowl, mix egg, milk and canola oil until well combined. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Slowly spoon the batter evenly over the filling.

Bake until the top is golden brown, about 22 to 25 minutes.

COOK'S NOTES: All the frozen veggies can go in one microwave safe bowl and heated for a few minutes in order to drain off some of the excess liquid. Partially frozen veggies are fine. If you decide to add chicken or turkey to this dish, decrease the salt to 1 teaspoon and all frozen veggies to 1/2 cup each, that way you won't end up with excess filling

Inspired by a recipe from Cooking Light magazine 2007 and Oprah.com