Since I had a pie crust in the freezer and some vegan taco meat from earlier in the week, I made an Entirely From-Scratch Vegetarian Taco Pie. Homemade salsa, fresh guacamole, even the vegetable stock for the seitan was homemade. Not only could you taste the love, you could hear the mix tape that it made for you playing in the background.

If I don’t have vegan taco meat already made next time, I’ll try substituting refried beans and Spanish rice, which will cut down significantly on the prep time. I might work in some tomatoes, but I digress. What I’m trying to say is, taco pie, I love you, and I’m looking forward to a lifetime together.

Ingredients:

• 1 9” Pie Crust
• 1.5 cups Vegan Taco Meat (or bean substitute)
• 1 cup Shredded Cheese (recommend sharp cheddar)
• 1 Onion, diced
• 4-6 Garlic Cloves, diced
• 1 cup Mushrooms, sliced
• .5 tsp Cumin Powder
• .5 tsp Paprika
• .5 tsp Chili Powder
• 2 tbsp Grape Seed Oil
• Sour Cream
• Guacamole
• Salsa

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Prep crust in a 9” pie dish. Not a bad idea to pre-bake it for a few minutes, but I didn’t and it was fine.
3. In a pan, heat the oil over medium and add the powdered spices for a few minutes to season the oil. Then add the onion and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes. Finally, add the mushrooms and sauté for another 5 minutes.
4. Layer ingredients in the pie crust: taco meat first, then mushroom and onion mix, topped with cheese.
5. Bake for 30-45 minutes until crust and cheese are golden brown.
6. Serve with salsa, sour cream, and fresh guacamole (I just mush up an avocado with a couple sprinkles of chili powder and garlic salt).