Chickpea Crockpot Pie with Biscuit Topping
I’m done glorifying busy.
I don’t need busy as an excuse anymore for
why my youngest child wore her Halloween costume to school today (minus the mask, of course)
why the beds look like they were made by a seven-year-old (they were)
why (Ihatetosayitbuthavetoadmititandtotallyregretit) I frequently used to (andsometimesstillcan) be a big fat jerk to my husband.
Busy does not mean bad (nor does it excuse it).
In fact, busy often means really, really, really good.
My busy day was off-the-charts good
making apple cinnamon pancakes for my family for breakfast
getting greeted at the front of the school by the H2O Club and their shiny, happy, grateful-to-you faces (did you see the update?!)
watching a jump rope assembly featuring grade schoolers doing push-ups while jump roping to “Gangham Style” (I can barely do push-ups not jump roping)
helping a kindergartner figure out how to spell “All the cool colors in the world remind me of ham.”
True story.
Busy doesn’t deserve glorification.
That kind of day deserves glorification.
Celebration.
A warm, cozy bowlful of tender vegetables in a creamy, homey sauce, topped with a big biscuit hug.
And the beauty of this easy, healthy, comforting meal, is that it was made for these kind of days.
These glorious, busy days.
I hope they never end.
Chickpea Crockpot Pie with Biscuit Topping
Inspired by this recipe from CookingLight.com
Makes 8 servings
****View Nutrition Facts****
Filling:
- 2 T. olive oil or organic butter, divided
- 2 c. diced peeled baking potato
- 2 c. diced carrot
- 1 c. chopped celery
- 1/2 t. salt
- 1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 1/2 T. whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 1/2 c. organic or non-dairy milk (unflavored and unsweetened)
- 3/4 c. vegetable broth
- 2 c. frozen petite green peas
- One 14 1/2 oz. can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 t. dried thyme
- 1 t. dried basil
- 1/2 t. dried oregano
Biscuit topping:
- 1 c. organic or non-dairy milk (unflavored and unsweetened)
- 2 t. lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/3 c. whole wheat pastry flour
- 1/3 c. unbleached all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 t. baking powder
- 3/4 t. baking soda
- 1/4 t. salt
- 1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper
- 4 1/2 T. organic butter or non-dairy margarine, cut into pieces
- 1/3 c. grated fresh Parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast
- 1/2 t. dried basil
To prepare filling, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons oil or butter to pan, then add potato, carrot, celery, salt and pepper. Sauté 5 minutes or until vegetables are slightly tender. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Transfer vegetable mixture to a 5-quart slow cooker.
Heat remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil or butter in pan over medium-high heat. Add 2 1/2 tablespoons flour, stirring with a whisk. Cook 1 minute, whisking constantly. Gradually add milk and broth, stirring with a whisk. Cook over medium heat 3 minutes or until thick and bubbly, stirring constantly with whisk. Pour sauce into slow cooker. Stir in peas, chickpeas, thyme, basil and oregano. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook on low for 3 1/2 hours or until vegetables are tender.
To make biscuit topping, combine milk and lemon juice or vinegar and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper. Cut in butter or margarine until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in cheese or nutritional yeast and basil. Add “soured” milk, stirring just until moist.
Increase slow cooker heat to high. Drop biscuits onto filling in 8 equal mounds. Cover and cook on high for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until biscuits are done. Uncover and let stand 5 minutes before serving.
This looks amazingly delicious! Any suggestions to make it gluten free? Thanks for the post! (And who isn’t a jerk to their husband sometimes?!
I honestly think if you did half oat flour and half brown rice flour and then maybe added a pinch of xanthan gum, you’d have some mighty tasty biscuits!
Great idea Sarah, thank you!!
Looks yummy but are there supposed to be chickpeas in the recipe somewhere?
Hahahahaha! Correcting that….
Yum. I was just thinking about chickpea pot pie this morning. And with this snow storm that is hitting Iowa right now, I can not think of anything more comforting than a big bowl of this (accompanied by a large glass of wine, naturally).
Naturally
Cannot wait to make this!!!! Thank you! And thanks for the inspiration, too!
My pleasure!
I think that you wrote this message for me today! I was a terror this morning, and really, it was unnecessary. I heard someone commenting recently about choosing to be happy, and often the busiest days (or the days without a drop of sunshine), I need that reminder. Thank you!!! I think I owe my fiance this recipe as an apology.
There will be a day when we are older, and maybe alone, quite possibly lonely, when we long for days like today. Let’s shortcut the process and love ‘em now.
So happy the boys reached their goal!
Oh, me too!
That looks like such good comfort food on this snowy, wintery day that we are having! I’ll make it soon, minus the celery.
Lulu? Is that you?
Yes, glorious, busy days. Can’t wait until school assemblies are in the mix over here. ha. This recipe looks magnificent and the boys LOVE chicken pot pies.
I better get my act together and try this one. 
Do you think this could be made without a crockpot?
Does the biscuit portion tastes like a biscuit or more like a dumpling?
Both!
My super busy days thank you SO much for this!!
This looks fantastic! It reminds me a little bit of the biscuit-topped chili my mom made when I was growing up. I’ve been looking for a whole grain drop biscuit recipe, so I’m looking forward to giving yours a try!
By the way, thanks for your help regarding the potato soup yesterday…it was a big hit! Seth slurped up all the leftovers for lunch today.
Yay! Happy to hear it!
I am literally in tears over the “all the cool colors in the world remind me of ham” line. OMG. I cannot wait til Wes is talking and saying crazy things!
Oh, and I’m sending you warm and fluffy biscuit hugs tonight – love you sweet friend
Thanks, doll.
This looks delicious! I want to see if I can’t finnagle a gluten free option for the biscuit topping. As my least month wears on, this seems like the perfect warm-me-up treat.
I suggested earlier that a combo of oat and rice flour + a pinch of xanthan gum may work well. Let me know if you try!
Oh wow, this looks so good! Also, congratulations to you and all those kids on reaching their goal… warmed my heart!
I love this recipe. I am happily, all kinds of busy too. But not too busy too donate to the H2O club! Girl, I’m doing it RIGHT now!
This recipe is glorious and so are you for posting it! I am sorry I missed the H2O club deadline…but am very glad they blew out their goal so quickly! Good on you for spreading the news to the public and adding extra incentives to boot. I can’t wait to see their updates!
Hugs to you – have a great weekend!
Yum! How can you make the topping gluten, grain, soy, and dairy free?
Thanks!
This looks so wonderful and warm and everything true comfort food should be. I will be making this next week for sure.
This looks so yummy! My husband was just saying that he missed have meals like this (warm and hearty), so I’ll need to add this to next weeks dinner menu.
Have a great weekend!
OOH Yum, Just pinned!
“Busy doesn’t deserve glorification. That kind of day deserves glorification.”
So good, so true. I love this!
See, whoever said vegetarians can’t have comfort food? This looks amazing!!
I would never say such a thing!
Yes! Thank God for busy days! And for busy moms like you! This looks so delish and comfy!
Just Pinned this recipe. It looks so comforting!! I love meals like this this time of year (meaning, when it’s constantly below 30 degrees here in Boston).
Thanks, Michelle!
I love that your daughter wore her Halloween costume to school today! And this recipe looks so warm and comforting on this totally gray Oregon day!
Oh my goodness, it is miserable today! I hope you guys don’t have to be out in it too much!
My crockpots been my bestie lately so I will definetly try this. We’ve been crazy busy too!
I was home and NOT busy most of the day (I actually took a nap, hah!) and STILL put some beans in the crock-pot for dinner. This is going to be my next nap-day-dinner. Thank ya muchly.
This recipe is perfect! It reminds me of the pot pie my grandpa used to make. Thanks so much for the recipe. (I did add some more liquid – started to get REALLY thick. So delicious.
My husband and I are so excited to try this, however I am a disaster when it comes to making any sort of biscuits… So I have 2 questions regarding the biscuit dough. First, is it necessary for the lemon juice or vinegar? If so, what are alternatives to these? Secondly, we only have self-rising white flour (we have whole wheat) but do I still need the baking soda? We are so excited to try it, just want to get the bread right!
You could omit the lemon juice or vinegar…they act as an acid for fluffiness but it won’t hurt. I would still add the baking soda, since you are using so little white flour. Maybe cut back to a heaping 1/4 t. Good luck!
I love your recipe for Chickpeas & Dumplings…can’t wait to try this one!
Hi! This looks so yummy. I always get a craving for pot pies when I want comfort food. I don’t have a crock pot though!! Could I possibly just bake it in 8×8 glass dish?
The biscuits really need that steamed effect that comes from cooking in a pot with a lid. Others have said this works on a stovetop, so you might start there. Good luck!
Made this tonight. I used my soup pot instead on the stove and everyone loved it!
I’m so glad! Thanks, Michelle.
Just made this tonight! Followed directions exactly except substituted 2C of cubes chicken thighs for the chick peas (as, sadly my body does better with animal proteins). It was AMAZING on this snowy, cold day! Thanks.
I’m really happy you enjoyed it!
Made this last night for dinner, it was a big hit! Myself, my husband & my best friend all went back for seconds – making it was fun too, it reminds me of the soup at the Dixie Stampede
Thanks so much for this recipe that we will be making over and over again.
We made this last night and loved it! Very yummy and the biscuits were so light and fluffy! Thank you!
Yum! We made this tonight and it was a big hit between me and the hubs! If you are debating this recipe, MAKE it!!
I just made this for dinner tonight and it was outstanding! I wish I had the recipe earlier in the year so I could have made it all winter. One note: I didn’t notice that the biscuits included another 1/3 cup of all-purpose flour because the instructions just say to add flour to the bowl. They still turned out light and fluffy and amazing though
!
I made this last night and it was fantastic! Hubby, myself, our three kids, and a neighborhood child all ate it enthusiastically. Thanks for the recipe!
Yay! You are welcome!
I made this recipe with gluten-free flour and added rosemary to the biscuit mix. Also, my BF is opposed to peas (I know, what’s wrong with him?) so I subbed corn. SO fantastic! My 10-year old loved it as well (he requested peas next tme – such a good boy!)Took me back to childhood bu in a crulty-free way. I will make this again (soon) but will double everything but the biscuit topping. Thank you for such an excellent recipe!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Ooh-I left the celery out too…I have never been able to eat it!
I skipped the biscuit topping & cooked it on the stovetop (because I’m far too impatient for the slow cooker). I then ate it for breakfast, lunch, and supper because that’s how awesome it was. Thanks for the great recipe
That’s so great to hear! Thanks for the feedback.
This looks yummy! I have a “rice cooker” that I rarely use anymore (even for rice). Could I likely use this as a “slow cooker”?
Thanks, can’t wait for the new book!
Oh gosh, that sounds like a good way to ruin your rice cooker. You might check the comments…I believe a few people have used the stovetop with success.
I know this is not related to this post but i had to let you know that i made your Creamy Broccoli Soup last night and OMG, it was amazing!!! I was skeptical but wow, really impressed! Can’t wait to try more of your recipes!!
That’s great! I appreciate the feedback, Lisa!
What nondairy milk would you recommend for this? Would light coconut milk work, or do you think that would taste weird? I’m also thinking butternut squash rather than the potatoes – any thoughts? Thanks a bunch I am hoping to make this over the weekend!
I’m note sure coconut milk would be a good flavor match. I’d suggest plain, unsweetened almond, soy or rice milk. Good luck!
I loved the intro to your recipe! This is the first time that I read your blog and I was expecting for you to jump right away into the chickpea recipe (hint: I am of Spanish descend so I love anything made with chickpeas!) and your whole discussion about your day caught me by surprise. Still, I was teased to continue due to the great photography. You have a great blogging style, keep it up.
Thank you, Stefan.
Hey Sarah! Hoping to make this dish for dinner this week
Would gluten free biscuits work, do you think? Which flours would you recommend?
xoxo!
You might check the comments on this post, K. I think someone else made this gluten free? I’d suggest using a blend of oat and brown rice flour and letting it cook a bit longer. Hope that helps!
I just made this for my 3 year old and 1 year old. Everyone loved it!!! Thanks so much for the great recipe!