Pies are often seen as indulgent treats, laden with sugar, butter, and unhealthy fats. But what if you could enjoy the comforting taste of pie without the guilt? This article explores a variety of healthy pie recipes, from savory to sweet, that are packed with wholesome ingredients and bursting with flavor. Whether you're a seasoned baker or a beginner, you'll find a recipe to satisfy your cravings while nourishing your body.
Savory Pies: A Nutritious and Satisfying Meal
Savory pies are a fantastic way to incorporate vegetables and lean proteins into your diet. They make a complete and satisfying meal, perfect for a cozy night in.
Healthy Chicken Pot Pie
This Healthy Chicken Pot Pie is a champion of wholesome comfort food. With its creamy filling, extra veggies, chunks of juicy chicken, and surprisingly light calorie count (just 380 calories for a huge serving!), you can feel fantastic about eating a quarter of this pot pie.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions:
- Shredded Chicken: Provides healthy protein. Use store-bought rotisserie chicken for a quicker option, or cook your own using methods like stovetop, baked, Instant Pot, or Crock Pot. For a vegetarian option, substitute an additional 2 cups of chopped vegetables for the chicken.
- Lots o’ Veggies: Carrots, celery, peas, and pearl onions are classic pot pie vegetables. Use frozen peas and onions for convenience. For an even faster option, swap the carrots and other vegetables for a bag of mixed frozen veggies, though it’s still recommended to keep the fresh celery.
- Mushrooms: Controversial but delicious! They give the filling a rich, savory depth.
- Unsweetened Almond Milk: A low-calorie base for cream sauces and fillings.
- Fresh Thyme: Absolutely worth it for this recipe.
- Pie Crust: Using only a top crust saves significant calories. You can use a homemade Whole Wheat Pie Crust or store-bought.
Preparation:
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly coat a 9-inch pie dish with baking spray.
- Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook until browned, stirring occasionally. Add carrots, celery, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Cook until the mushrooms have browned more deeply and the carrots begin to soften.
- Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and cook for a few minutes. Slowly pour in the almond milk, stirring constantly. Bring to a low boil, scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Continue to let bubble until thickened. Stir in the chicken, peas, onions, and thyme.
- Spoon the chicken mixture into the prepared pie dish. Roll the pie dough into a circle large enough to cover your dish. Brush the edges of the pie dish with the egg wash, then lay the dough over the top so that it overhangs the sides. Trim the overhang to a 1/2 inch larger than the edge of the dish. Gently press the dough onto the sides of the dish so that it sticks, then brush all over with the remaining egg wash. With a sharp knife, cut 3 slits in the top.
- Bake until hot and bubbly on the inside and the crust is deeply golden, about 25 minutes. Let rest a few minutes before serving.
Make Ahead, Storage, and Reheating:
- The filling can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months (let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating).
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Reheat leftover chicken pot pie in a pie dish in the oven at 350 degrees F until warmed through.
- Freeze leftovers in an airtight freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months.
Other Savory Pie Options
- Vegetarian Pot Pie: A meat-free alternative packed with vegetables.
- Turkey Pot Pie: A delicious way to use leftover turkey.
- Creamy Leek, Pesto & Squash Pie: A moreish pie filled with leek, cannellini beans, and squash.
- Healthy Fish Pie: A simple and healthy take on a classic fish pie.
- Vegan Shepherd's Pie: A warming vegan supper with porcini mushrooms, leeks, carrots, and butternut squash, topped with crispy potatoes.
- Chilli Cornbread Pie: A gluten-free dinner option using gram flour for the cornbread crust.
- Spicy Beef & Black Bean Pie: A warming beef pie that packs in four of your five-a-day.
- Spicy Peanut Pies: African-inspired peanut pies that provide all of your 5-a-day, plus iron, fibre, folate, and vitamin C.
- Chicken & Leek Pies: A superhealthy pie using filo pastry to keep it low in saturated fat.
- Mushroom, Spinach & Potato Pie: A low fat, superhealthy, vegetarian midweek meal.
- Butter Bean, Mushroom & Bacon Pot Pies: Mushroom, bacon, kale and tarragon pies topped with butter bean mash for a healthy main meal.
- Cod & Prawn Pie with Saffron Potatoes: Elevate fish pie with a touch of saffron.
- Spiced Shepherd’s Pie: A healthy, low-fat shepherd's pie that can be frozen for later.
- Easy Creamy Chicken and Leek Pie: Creamy individual pies topped with fluffy mash.
- Indian Potato Pie: A versatile vegetarian pie that tastes great hot, warm, or cold.
- Winter Vegetable Pie: One portion contains all 5 of your recommended 5-a-day intake.
- Masala Chicken Pie: A Bombay potato-topped coconut curry bake that's healthy and low-fat.
- Turkey Tortilla Pie: Top a chilli con carne with snipped tortilla wraps for a healthy one-pot.
- Slow Cooker Shepherd's Pie: A low-fat and low-calorie shepherd's pie with three of your five-a-day.
- Quick Cottage Pie: A quick cottage pie that uses low-fat buttermilk in the mash.
- Curried Chicken Pie: A hearty and healthy slice of heaven.
Sweet Pies: Indulge Without the Guilt
Sweet pies can be a part of a healthy diet when made with the right ingredients. These recipes focus on natural sweeteners, whole grains, and plenty of fruit to create delicious and guilt-free desserts.
Healthy Blueberry Pie
This healthy blueberry pie is easy to make, even for a beginner baker. It's made with a no-roll, oat flour pie crust, fresh or frozen blueberries, and a simple crumb topping that's absolutely delicious.
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Key Ingredients and Substitutions:
- Blueberries: Use fresh or frozen blueberries. If using frozen, rinse them under cold water until the water runs almost clear, then strain and pat them dry.
- Oat Flour: Use store-bought or make your own by blending old-fashioned oats in a high-speed blender until they become a fine powder.
- Granulated Sweetener of Choice: Use coconut sugar, regular granulated sugar, or a sugar-free granulated sweetener such as monk fruit, granulated erythritol, or Truvia. Note that granulated erythritol is about 70 percent as sweet as sugar, so you may need to add more to taste.
- Cornstarch: Used to thicken the blueberry filling.
- Cinnamon: Optional, but highly recommended for the crumb topping.
- Egg: One large egg for the pie crust.
- Olive Oil: Use olive oil for its health benefits, or substitute canola or vegetable oil.
Preparation:
- Preheat the oven to 415°F and position the rack in the center of the oven.
- Prepare the pie crust: Whisk together the oat flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the eggs and olive oil. Pour the wet into the dry and mix together with a large spoon until everything comes together and you can form a ball. Press the dough into the bottom of a 9-inch pie plate and up the sides. Be sure to press evenly on the bottom to work the excess crust up the sides. Set aside.
- Prepare the filling: Rinse and drain the blueberries thoroughly. You want them slightly damp but not wet. Place the blueberries in a large bowl and pour over the lemon juice. Gently mix to combine. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the granulated sweetener of choice, oat flour, cornstarch, and cinnamon. Pour the mixture into the bowl of blueberries and gently mix until everything is thoroughly combined. Pour the blueberry mixture into the pie crust and spread it evenly over the crust.
- Prepare the crumb topping: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the oat flour, granulated sweetener, and cinnamon. Pour the olive oil into the bowl and mix to combine. Using your hands, sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the blueberries.
- Bake: Place the pie on a baking sheet and transfer the baking sheet and pie to the preheated oven. Bake at 415°F for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375°F, cover the pie loosely with a piece of aluminum foil, and continue baking for 60-75 minutes or until the filling is bubbling throughout.
- Transfer the pie to a cooling rack and allow it to cool so that the filling will set.
Healthy Apple Pie
A low calorie apple pie that serves up all the taste and texture you’ve come to love in traditional apple pie but it’s only 177 calories per slice. And with only 2g saturated fat, 3mg cholesterol and 61mg sodium, it’s a heart healthy apple pie the whole family can enjoy.
Tips for a Healthier Apple Pie:
- Make it from scratch to control the ingredients.
- Use less shortening in the crust and add some whole grain flour to up the fiber content.
- Rely on the natural sweetness of fresh apples instead of dumping in a ton of sugar.
Common Apple Pie Problems and Solutions:
- Soggy crust: Make sure to pre-chill your crust dough.
- Overly runny filling: Use a thickener like flour or cornstarch.
- Undercooked apples: Slice your apples thinly and bake long enough for the filling to fully bubble.
Variations:
- Swap both flours with a 1:1 gluten-free baking mix, and be sure your thickener (like cornstarch) is certified gluten-free.
Other Healthy Sweet Pie Recipes
- Healthy Banoffee Pie: A healthier version of the classic pie with a graham cracker crust, a smooth and creamy banana filling, a light and fluffy whipped cream topping, plus a generous sprinkle of shaved chocolate.
- Grasshopper Pie: A healthy take on the minty and refreshing pie with a homemade chocolate cracker crust and a naturally-colored, smooth and creamy filling.
- Healthy Peanut Butter Pie: A soft peanut butter crust and a thick, rich, and fudge peanut butter filling.
- Healthy Peanut Butter Chocolate Crunch Pie: A crunchy, chocolatey, rice krispy-like base topped with a rich peanut butter filling.
- Healthy Key Lime Pie: Perfectly tart and sweet, rich and creamy, and healthy and delicious!
- Turtle Pie: Dairy free and vegan.
- Single-Serving Pie Pops: Low sugar, dairy free, and vegan.
- Healthy Pumpkin Pie: Sweet, creamy, and packed with pumpkin and spices!
- Healthy Maple Pecan Pie: A healthier take on traditional pecan pie.
- Vegan Pecan Pie: A vegan-friendly version of pecan pie.
- Apple Pies Served in Apples: A unique and creative apple pie recipe.
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