This cozy roasted Butternut Squash, Chickpea and Spinach pie is spiced with warming harissa and encased in flakey filo pastry. It's surprisingly easy to make, but looks super impressive, which makes it perfect for special occasions.
A show stopping vegan and vegetarian friendly pie recipe is very handy to have up your sleeve for Holiday feasting days such as Thanksgiving and Christmas. It's also super handy for Pot-Lucks and Sunday lunches where you want to bring something a bit special to the table.
If you want to go full on Christmas, definitely check out my Vegan Christmas Wreath Pie which has more layers of goodies and looks extra fancy. Oh, and if you are entertaining for the holidays, I highly suggest serving this with some Vegan Roast Potatoes and some Vegan Sausage Stuffing Balls for the full festive experience.
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🥧Ingredients
The ingredients for this flaky vegetarian filo pie are pretty simple. Full quantities listed in the recipe card.
- Butternut Squash- Choose a heavy for it's size squash. Alternatively you could use frozen or pre-chopped squash. I like to use butternut squash as they are reliable and easy to find, however if you want to, you can use other squashes (eg kabocha, Queensland blue or honey nut) or even pumpkin.
- Chickpeas- precooked chickpeas from a can, tin or bottled. (or even ones you have pre-cooked yourself)
- Baby Spinach- I use a large 250g (half pound) bag of spinach, but you could also use frozen.
- Filo Pastry- also known as phyllo pastry, is found in most supermarkets in the fridge or frozen section. It's almost always vegan, and I find it quite forgiving to work with.
- Olive oil- cooking quality olive oil is needed for making the pastry crispy and crunchy, and also for roasting the squash.
- Garlic- fresh whole garlic cloves! You will be roasting these in with your squash to squeeze out into the pie filling. Use as many as you wish! (I suggest at least one whole head of garlic)
- Harissa- This middle eastern spice is now very easy to find in most supermarkets. It's smokey, tangy and spicy. Some harissa is spicier than others, so do a teeny taste test before -using too much!
- Oregano- fresh or dried oregano adds a subtle warming herbal flavour.
- Smoked Paprika-
- Cumin
- Stock Cube (or powder)
- Salt & Pepper to taste.
See recipe card for quantities.
👩🍳Instructions
Follow along with these handy how-to instructions so you can make the perfect Butternut & Spinach Filo Pie!
1 In a roasting tin (or air fryer basket) combine the squash, chickpeas, garlic cloves (with their skins on) and herbs.
2. Add the harissa, a pinch of salt and olive oil and mix well. Roast at 180C/375F for 30-40 mins or air fry 180C/375F f for 25 mins or until soft.
3. In a large frying pan sautee one garlic clove in a little olive oil. Add all the spinach and let it wilt down. Sprinkle over a little bit of stock cube powder (or boullion powder.
4. Once the squash is soft and a little bit browned on the edges, remove from the oven/air fryer. Squeeze out the garlic cloves into it. Roughly mash.
5. Grease an 8"/20Cm springform cake tin with olive oil. Add 3 or 4 layers of filo pastry overlapping to form the base and sides. Make sure to brush oil on each side of the pastry.
6. Put the mashed squash mixture into the tin and even it out .
7. Add the spinach to the top of the squash and spread it out evenly.
8. Use the edges of the filo pastry and wrap over the sides of the pie like a parcel. Use extra strips of filo pastry scrunched up to cover the top. Be sure to brush a little olive oil on all sides of the pastry.
9. Bake the filo pastry pie in your oven at 200°C/392°F for around 35 minutes or until golden and flakey on top. I like to remove the sides of the springform pan about 25 minutes into baking, and put back into the oven. This ensures you have an evenly crispy golden outer!
Hint: Make sure to not overbake the squash before using in the pie. You still want it to have a enough moisture to mash and be not too dry as a filling.
🌶️Substitutions & Variations
This vegan filo pie is already dairy and egg free. Follow these suggestions for other common changes you might want to make.
- Gluten Free - there are some gluten free filo pastries available, so choose those. Alternatively you can use a gluten free puff pastry. If you do this, you might need to cut a pie lid- or use overlapping cut out shapes.
- Less spicy/no spice- Harissa can be quite spicy, depending on where it is from. Try Rose harissa or green harissa for a slightly less spiced version. Or omit the harissa altogether and just use a little sun dried tomato paste or pesto, cumin and smoked paprika.
- Other vegetables: Switch the butternut squash with carrots or sweet potato.
- Double Spinach: The last time I made this pie, I wished I had doubled the spinach! Just add double the spinach, cook it down well then add to the top of the pie.
🔪Equipment
You will need a round cake tin and an oven for this recipe. I suggest using a springform 8" /20cm tin. Springform cake tins are great for this kind of filo pie because you can pop the edges off to get a lovely crispy outer, before you finish baking.
🥫Storage
This vegan filo pie recipe can be made ahead of time (great for Thanksgiving or Christmas when you need to transport it to somewhere!) and left in it's tin. Reheat in the tin until warmed through.
To keep leftovers: keep in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container. To freeze, cover and freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat in the oven directly from frozen.
❗Top tip
Make sure to brush all the layers of filo pastry with olive oil. This makes them crispy and golden, rather than dry and not so delicious.
❓FAQ
Generally filo pastry is only made from wheat flour and water. You add fat to help it bake by brushing on oil or melted butter. This can make it a healthier choice depending on the oil you choose to us.
Between 3 and 4 layers of filo, with a little oil brushed between each layer should be sufficient for most pies or pastries. Not all filo is the same width, however, so for a thinner version, add another layer.
You need to thaw filo pastry that has been frozen, otherwise it will shatter when unrolled. Filo pastry that has been kept in the fridge can be used straight away.
Christmas and Thanksgiving Mains:
Want some other Festive mains ideas? Try these!
All about the sides.
These are just some of my favourite dishes to serve as sides for a big gathering:
📖 Recipe
Butternut Squash, Chickpea and Spinach Filo Pie.
Ingredients Note:
For accuracy, I measure all ingredients in metric as standard, then convert and test the recipe for American cup measurements etc.
(Heads up Aussie and UK readers- your measurements in cups are sometimes different, so please use metric or check you have the correct cup and spoon type!!)
Ingredients
For the Butternut Squash & Chickpea Filling
- 550 g (4 cups) Butternut Squash (peeled and cubed (around 3cm)- About 1 medium squash, cut up and peeled weight. )
- 480 g (3 cups) cooked chickpeas ((2 x tins or 3 cups))
- 2 tablespoon harissa ((to taste))
- 8 garlic cloves (, still in their papery skins)
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
For the Spinach
- 250 g pack baby spinach leaves ((9 cups) you can use more or less if you like! )
- 3 cloves garlic (, finely minced)
- 1 teaspoon stock powder or cube
- Salt & pepper to taste.
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
To make the pie
- 270 g pack filo pastry (Pack is usually 7-10 sheets. Approx 270g)
- olive oil to brush between the sheets
Instructions
- Tip all the ingredients for the Butternut Squash and Chickpea mix into a large roasting pan.
- Give it all a good mix around to thoroughly coat everything in the spices, adding just enough oil to keep everything moist and prevent it from sticking.550 g Butternut Squash, 480 g cooked chickpeas, 2 tablespoon harissa, 8 garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
- Roast on 220C/ Gas Mark 7 for 30- 35 mins or so, stirring occasionally. OR air fry on 200 for 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven once the squash is soft and squishy and slightly caramelised on the edges.
- Squash the roasted garlic out from it's skins, then roughly mash the chickpeas, butternut squash and garlic together.
- Make the spinach mix in the meantime, by softening the garlic in a big frying pan or saucepan. Dump the entire bag of spinach into the pot, add the stock cube powder and give it all a stir.250 g pack baby spinach leaves, 3 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon stock powder or cube, Salt & pepper to taste., 1 teaspoon olive oil
- Clamp a lid over the pan so the spinach wilts and cooks down.
- Remove from the heat, then once the spinach is cooled a bit, drain (you don't want any extra liquid to make the pie soggy!) and roughly chop the spinach so it's sort of a rough puree.
To assemble the pie
- First, slick your springform pan with olive oil. Heat your oven to 200℃/395℉
- Then, brush olive oil onto 4-5 layers of pastry, before arranging them in a slightly overlapping way so that they cover the bottom & sides of the pan, with loads left hanging over the top270 g pack filo pastry, olive oil to brush between the sheets
- Then,layer in the butternut squash & chickpeas, before adding the spinach.
- Fold the edges that were left hanging over the top over the filling, then, slick some more sheets of filo with oil, and tear & crumple them up, to sort of squish over the top in a pretty way to form the crust.
- Bake for around 20 mins until the filo is slightly browned and crispy.
- Serve with salad or greens, and maybe some tahini sauce to drizzle.
Notes
🌶️Substitutions & Variations
This vegan filo pie is already dairy and egg free. Follow these suggestions for other common changes you might want to make.- Gluten Free - there are some gluten free filo pastries available, so choose those. Alternatively you can use a gluten free puff pastry. If you do this, you might need to cut a pie lid- or use overlapping cut out shapes.
- Less spicy/no spice- Harissa can be quite spicy, depending on where it is from. Try Rose harissa or green harissa for a slightly less spiced version. Or omit the harissa altogether and just use a little sun dried tomato paste or pesto, cumin and smoked paprika.
- Other vegetables: Switch the butternut squash with carrots or sweet potato.
- Double Spinach: The last time I made this pie, I wished I had doubled the spinach! Just add double the spinach, cook it down well then add to the top of the pie.
Ellen says
Can I make this then reheat it the next day ? I'm not an expert with filo pastry so not sure if it will be suitable for reheating.
Louise-Claire Cayzer says
Yes you can, It reheats well. You can make it so that the filo is not quite 'golden' when cooked, then pop in the fridge until the next day. When reheating, put some foil over the top while heating through to stop the top filo pasty burning, then take the foil off and cook until golden. Should take total about 20-30 mins (depending on your oven)
Majella says
Lovely flavours but weird result - the chickpeas just tumble out when I cut the pie and it’s all a bit dry. I think next time I’ll only roast the squash and mash half of the the chickpeas with a potato masher to give it some texture and make it hold together.
Louise-Claire Cayzer says
Thank you for the feedback. Mashing the chickpeas is a good idea to help it hold together.
Babsie says
This was absolutely delicious! So easy to make. Fabulously flavoursome. Thank you!
Louise-Claire Cayzer says
I'm so glad you liked it! Yay!
Tessa Finn says
I reckon you intended something to happen with the garlic that cooked with the squash. I assumed they were to be squished out. Was I right?
Louise-Claire Cayzer says
AH - yes-. Good spot! Squished out & mixed in with the squash. Thanks for that, I'll update the recipe!
Imogen Michel says
How big is a large pack of baby spinach leaves for this recipe? I had a look and an seeing ranges from 260g to 1kg depending where you shop!
Louise-Claire Cayzer says
Hi Imogen!
Thanks for pointing that out. The packet I used was approximately 250g. I'll amend the recipe to reflect that x