The idea and inspiration for this pie arrived on Thanksgiving morning, just in time! It was ready by noon and served for dinner. I love the Three Sisters of Indigenous American Agriculture, the intercropping method of planting corn, beans, and squash together and I make sure to have a corn, bean and squash dish at every Thanksgiving table. This dish uses squash seeds for the fat in a no-oil crust; beans, corn kernels and squash purée in the filling; and corn polenta and squash purée in the topping.
This pie is not only vegan, but gluten-free, and SOS-free (salt, oil, and sugar-free). You may season the filling and polenta to your liking. You might vary the herbs and spices a bit to give it a different flavor.
Ingredients
The Crust
You can use any prepared crust or homemade pie crust recipe. We recommend our Pumpkin Seed Pie Crust recipe.
The Filling
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dry rubbed sage, or 1/2 teaspoon powdered sage, or 2-3 teaspoons fresh sage
1 cup pumpkin purée (use 1 can, divided: 1 cup for filling, 1/2 cup for topping)
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 1/2 cups cooked pinto beans (1 can)
The Topping
1 cup polenta
3 cups water
1/2 cup ground green pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
1/2 cup pumpkin purée
1 teaspoon dry rubbed sage, or 1/2 teaspoon powdered sage, or 2-3 teaspoons fresh sage
2 Tablespoons pumpkin seed ricotta or any vegan ricotta.
Directions
The Filling.
1. Chop onions, celery, and carrots. Mince the garlic.
2. Dry sauté in large fry pan over medium heat, stirring regularly, until vegetables are soft and aromatic. If vegetables start to stick add 2 Tablespoons of water.
3. Add in sage and stir well.
4. Add in pumpkin purée, corn, and beans. Stir and cook for 5 minutes.
Remove from heat.
The Topping
1. In a medium saucepan add the polenta and 3 cups water.
2. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Stir regularly to prevent polenta from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
3. When all the water has been absorbed and polenta is soft and creamy, add in the pumpkin purée and the vegan ricotta and stir well
4. In a mini chopper, coffee grinder or blender, grind the pumpkin seeds into a meal. Add 1/2 cup of ground pumpkin seeds to the polenta. The remaining ground seeds can be used to sprinkle on salad or soup.
5. Remove from heat and set aside.
The Assembly
1. Preheat oven to 350oF.
2. Scoop the filling into the pie crust. Smooth out the top.
3. Add the polenta filling on top. Scoop out spoonfuls of polenta and place all over the filling, covering the entire pie. If the polenta appears lumpy, you may use a food brush, dipped in water to smooth out the top surface. (Leftover polenta can be served on the side, or made into polenta croutons, by spreading remaining polenta on a parchment-line baking sheet and baking until crispy and cut into cubes.)
4. Place in oven and cook for 30 minutes. Serve immediately, or reheat at 300oF for 10-15 minutes until ready to serve.