Other than soups and stews, the one meal I really look forward to during the fall and winter months is a hearty pot pie with a great crust! There’s something about the crust… it has to be special, it can make or break the pot pie, I think! Even if you don’t have pastry crust in your freezer, there are still so many options when it comes to finishing off your savory pie!

For instance, Peach 106’s Beef Shepherd’s Pie with Garlic Mashed Potato Crust differs from most pies in that the crust isn’t made out of flour. Mashed potatoes make the perfect topping to this beefy meal; when the pie bakes up in the oven, the mashed potato crust becomes golden… extra delicious.

ChicagoErin20’s Chicken Pot Pie with Cornbread Crust is another keeper. Cornbread is always a tasty side, now it’s the crust! She includes the recipe for the cornbread, it’s a classic. If you’re on a gluten-free diet and want to enjoy a bread-based crust, use this recipe but substitute the flour for rice flour and add 1/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum — that’s it!

Now how about a pie with the crust on the bottom? What? Yeah, pizza of course! Atlantagirl1375’s Hamburger Pizza Pie is for fast food and comfort food lovers. If you don’t have time to whip up a pizza crust from scratch, think about grabbing a loaf of french bread after work… or use those english muffins that are about to go stale… or even bagels!

Make one of these pies for dinner tomorrow and you’ll probably be able to take a break Saturday, most of them yield a good amount of leftovers!