This super comforting pie takes the humble cauliflower cheese and turns it into a centre-piece worthy of any Christmas dinner table, with a creamy sauce, butter beans, and golden shortcrust pastry.
1: Add the butter to a large casserole pot on medium heat. As soon as it has melted, add the onion and cook for 5-6 minutes or until translucent, but don’t brown.
2: Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Gradually pour in the milk in batches, whisking to avoid lumps. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 5 minutes until it thickens slightly.
3: Preheat the oven to 200°C fan / 425°F.
4: Add the cauliflower to a large saucepan of boiling water and cook for 3 minutes to soften slightly, then drain and stir the cauliflower into the sauce.
5: Add the beans, nutritional yeast, mustard, nutmeg, lemon juice, half of the cheese, and generous pinches of salt and pepper to the sauce. Stir to combine, then pour into a 24cm round pie dish and top with the remaining cheese.
6: Roll out the pastry into a square roughly 3-4 mm thick. Cut out a circle large enough to hang over the edge of your pie dish. Place the circle of pastry over the pie, crimp the edge back on itself.
7: Brush the top of the pastry with milk, then slice a couple of holes in the middle. Place on a baking tray and bake for 30 minutes or until golden on top.
