Baked Brie and Caramelized Vegetable Pie

Updated Nov. 25, 2024

Baked Brie and Caramelized Vegetable Pie
Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Total Time
4 hours
Prep Time
35 minutes
Cook Time
3 hours, including 30 minutes' cooling
Rating
4(989)
Comments
Read comments

A vegetarian centerpiece inspired by baked Brie, this caramelized vegetable pie cuddles creamy, earthy molten cheese with a bevy of autumnal vegetables: roasted butternut squash, seared mushrooms, herbed brussels sprouts and tangy red onions, and enrobes the whole mixture in store-bought puff pastry. It’s significantly less work than this mushroom Wellington, but has a similar ceremonial pomp, with a delightful big reveal. Developed with ease in mind, this savory pie benefits from being prepared in advance: Cook the individual components at your leisure, even a few days in advance, and you’ll need only to assemble the pie and bake it off before dinner. This pie is relatively easy to engineer but it does require some patience. You’ll want to let it rest 30 minutes to 1 hour before cutting, to allow the puff pastry to maintain its structure — and for the cheese to firm up a bit before carving.

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Ingredients

Yield:8 to 10 servings

    For the Filling

    • 6tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    • 10ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms (or creminis or other small mushrooms), stemmed and sliced
    • Salt and pepper
    • 2teaspoons soy sauce
    • 1small butternut squash, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
    • 1tablespoon honey
    • 1pound brussels sprouts, trimmed, halved and thinly sliced (about 4 cups)
    • 2large shallots, minced (about 1 cup)
    • 2garlic cloves, minced
    • 2teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
    • 1medium red onion (about 10 ounces), halved and thinly sliced
    • 1teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
    • tablespoons light brown sugar
    • 1tablespoon balsamic vinegar

    For Assembly

    • All-purpose flour, as needed for dusting
    • 2sheets puff pastry from 1 (17- or 18-ounce) package, thawed in fridge for 24 hours
    • 1egg, beaten
    • 1whole (7- or 8-ounce) round Brie or Camembert
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)

196 calories; 11 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 21 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 8 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 398 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 425 degrees.

  2. Step 2

    In a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to a large bowl, drizzle with soy sauce and toss to coat.

  3. Step 3

    While the mushrooms cook, prepare the squash: On a large, foil-lined rimmed baking sheet, toss the squash with 1 tablespoon olive oil and the honey; season generously with salt and pepper. Spread out evenly then roast just until tender, about 15 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Heat 2 tablespoons oil in the skillet over medium-high. Add the brussels sprouts, shallots, garlic and rosemary; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until tender and lightly caramelized, about 8 minutes.

  5. Step 5

    Transfer the cooked brussels sprouts and squash to the bowl with the mushrooms. Stir to combine and generously season to taste with salt and pepper.

  6. Step 6

    Wipe out the skillet, then heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil over medium. Add the onion and thyme, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly caramelized, about 10 minutes. Stir in the brown sugar, vinegar and ¼ cup water. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until jammy, 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside. (Let the onion jam and vegetable filling cool completely at room temperature — or refrigerate for about 30 minutes to speed things up — before assembling the pie. If preparing in advance, you can cover and refrigerate them overnight or up to 3 days.)

  7. Step 7

    When ready to bake your pie, line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Working on a lightly floured surface, with a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out one sheet of puff pastry into a 10-inch square, then, using a sharp paring knife, cut it into a 10-inch circle. (If you have a 10-inch plate, you can use that as a guide.) Transfer to the baking sheet. Roll out the remaining sheet of pastry into a 12-inch square, then cut it into a 12-inch circle. If desired, decorate the top by arranging the scraps on top, or carve a light pattern into the top of the puff pastry using the tip of a sharp paring knife. (Be careful not to cut all the way through.)

  8. Step 8

    Add half the vegetable mixture to the 10-inch round and arrange in an even layer, leaving a 1-inch border. Center the cheese on top; spoon the onion mixture over the cheese. Pat the remaining vegetable mixture evenly and tightly around the cheese, ensuring that the 1-inch border is clear.

  9. Step 9

    Brush the exposed edges of the bottom pastry with the beaten egg. Fold the remaining piece of pastry in half, set it over the filling and unfold, carefully pushing out any air between the filling and pastry. Press the edges to seal and trim if you’d like to perfect the shape. Brush all the exposed puff pastry lightly with the beaten egg.

  10. Step 10

    Bake until the puff pastry is deeply golden, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes to 1 hour. (If you cut the pie early, the cheese will flow out like lava; be patient and it will be molten but less messy.) Transfer to a platter and serve.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
989 user ratings
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Comments

You’re eating puff pastry filled with melted cheese and you’re nagging about an added 3-4 grams of sugar per person.

Good grief, all these comments about what's not right. It's a recipe not a sacred text, which means you can change it to suit your taste. If you don't want sugar, don't use it; someone else may lie it. If you want broccoli instead of brussels sprouts, go for it. Even better, learn to cook, investigate different ingredients, without adherence to recipes. Be brave in your own kitchens.

Made this tonight and it was spectacular. No Brussels sprouts, so used romanesco instead. Also Reblochon instead of Brie. Put in rectangular pan instead of faffing about with that circular nonsense. Absolutely delicious. Will definitely make again. Thanks, NYT!

I finally made this and came to the decision that I don't care for squash and melted cheese. It's too rich of a combination. With all the steps, baking and wait time, saving your appetite for the first velvety bite- it didn't add up for me. I prefer Dorie Greenspan's Everything Good Baked in a Pumpkin recipe from Around my French Table, for a savory squash entree.

I have now made this recipe twice, and first I will point out that 35 minutes prep time <> be possible in a professional kitchen (just) but it is a gross underestimate in my competent-but-far-from-professional one. Be aware. Forewarned is forearmed. Plan accordingly. Secondly, I highly recommend using a pie pan. Skip the freeform convolutions. And thirdly, I used my own recipe for pie dough and was delighted to skip the puff. Otherwise, a fabulous recipe. 5 stars.

Fun recipe makes for a great centerpiece. Salt is the enemy as it’s easy to put too much on. Punch up with fresh oregano and leave the salt for just the squash.

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