Surprise the family tonight with this delicious butternut, leek and sausage pie! This family-friendly recipe combines the sweetness of roasted butternut squash, the savouriness of sauteed leeks together with everyone's favourite - sausages. And it's all baked in a crispy shortcrust pastry. This recipe is guaranteed to brighten up your week-night and bring a smile to everyone's face!
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A pie with a difference
I think everyone loves a good pie, and this is a pie with a difference. Who'd have thought that chopping up a few sausages and combining them with butternut, leeks and peas in a creamy, cheesy sauce and covering them with crispy pastry would be so tasty?
When you've just bought an enormous butternut from the supermarket and are wondering how on earth you are going to eat it all, this recipe is exactly what you need!
And the beauty of this pie is that any leftovers are just as tasty when served cold, so you can pop a slice into a lunch box for a delicious mid-day snack!
Why I think you'll love it
- First and foremost, this sausage pie with butternuts and leeks is economical. One packet of 6 sausages will make a pie that will easily feed a family of 4.
- It's a different way of serving sausages. I know everyone loves sausages, but sometimes it's nice to ring the changes and make something different with them.
- It's quick to make. And you can make it even faster by using a roll of store-bought shortcrust pastry (although it only takes minutes to make your own).
- There are loads of vegetables in the pie, so it's almost an entire meal in one dish.
- This is a 'proper' pie with pastry top and bottom, so it's easy to slice up leftovers to pack into your lunchbox.
- And finally (and this is a brave claim) you won't find better pastry anywhere! This pastry is soft and buttery and practically melts in your mouth.
And here's how you make it!
What you will need
Equipment
For roasting the butternut you will need a baking tray
You will also need 2 mixing bowls, a small one for mixing the egg, cream and cheese custard and a larger one for making the pastry. I like to use a large earthenware mixing bowl for pastry because it has lots of room to get your hands in to mix the pastry properly.
For frying the sausages and leeks you will need a frying pan.
To bake the pie you will need a baking dish. This pie will fit comfortably into a 9" x 12" dish, and you will need a rolling pin for rolling out the pastry.
Ingredients
**You can get the complete list of ingredients and full instructions for making this butternut, leek and sausage pie on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**
This recipe will make one 9" x 12" pie.
Pie filling
Sausages - I used pork and apple sausages from my local supermarket because I thought the sweetness of the apple would go well with the butternut (and it did!). You can use your own favourite brand of sausage.
Butternut - the butternut should be peeled, the seeds removed and chopped into approximately one-inch cubes. You will need sufficient butternut to arrange in a loosely packed single layer on the bottom of the pie. The butternut will be roasted in the oven until it is just tender.
Leeks - the leeks should have the top and bottom parts removed and then be rinsed under running water to remove any residual bits of dirt from the top part. Once cleaned, the leeks should be cut half down the length and then sliced into half-inch semi-circles.
Frozen peas - if you have fresh peas, by all means, use those but I find a packet of frozen peas is so convenient to use. I like to use petit pois rather than garden peas as I think they are sweeter and have more taste.
Sage and marjoram - you can use dried herbs. If you do use fresh herbs you will need approximately 3 times as much as dried, and they should be very finely chopped.
Salt and pepper - this is to your own taste and is used to season the leeks when they are cooking.
Olive oil - used to brown the sausages and fry the leeks. You could use sunflower oil (or vegetable oil) if you prefer.
Cream - I used double cream. You may also know this as heavy or whipping cream. You could use single cream if you prefer, or a mixture of double cream and milk. This forms the base for the custard that gets poured over the pie filling before the pie is baked.
Milk (which I totally forgot to include in the photo) - you will need a small amount of milk to mix with the cream to thin the custard down slightly.
Egg - Use a large or jumbo-sized egg if possible - otherwise you could use 2 small eggs.
Parmesan cheese - the grated parmesan cheese gets mixed with the egg and cream to form the custard.
Pastry
Flour - you need plain or all-purpose flour to make pastry. There is no need for a raising agent, so don't use self-raising flour.
Butter - this is just unsalted butter which should be cut into smallish cubes. Use it directly from the refrigerator. Butter at room temperature will combine more easily with the flour, but your pastry will be crispier if you take the time to rub fridge-cold butter into the flour.
Salt - I think a small amount of salt improves the flavour of the pastry. If you don't use salt in your diet you can leave it out.
Water - this should be ice-cold water.
What to do
Butternut
Step 1 - Prepare the raw butternut
Peel and clean the butternut and cut it into one-inch pieces. Put it into a bowl and coat it with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a large pinch of salt. Arrange it in a single layer on a baking tray.
Step 2 - Roast the butternut
Roast the butternut for 8 to 10 minutes until it starts to brown and becomes fork-tender. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
Pastry
Pro tip - The pastry needs to rest for half an hour, so make the pastry while the butternut is roasting and you can make the rest of the filling while the pastry is resting.
Step 1 - Combine the ingredients
Place the flour, salt and cubed butter into a large mixing bowl.
Step 2 - Rub in the butter
Use your fingertips and rub the cold butter into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Step 3 - Add the water
Add enough of the water to form a shaggy dough. You may not need all the water. At this stage, the dough should be just starting to come together.
Step 4 - Rest the dough
Press the dough together to form a smooth ball and then cover the dough with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator to rest for 30 minutes.
When making the dough it is important that you handle it as little as possible and do not knead.
Make the filling
While the dough is resting you can get on with making the sausage filling.
Step 1 - Sausages
Fry the sausages lightly in oil until they are starting to brown. Don't worry about cooking them all the way through, they will continue to cook in the pie. You just want them to firm up so you can cut them into pieces. Remove the sausages from the pan and set aside to cool.
Step 2 - Cut the sausages into pieces
Allow the sausages to cool and then cut them in half lengthwise, and then cut each half into three or four pieces.
Step 3 - Fry the leeks
Add the leeks to the same pan along with the salt and pepper and herbs and fry them over a moderate heat until they start to soften. Add another splash of oil if necessary. Stir the leeks until they are soft.
Step 4 - Add the other ingredients
Add the peas and sausages to the leeks.
Assemble the pie
Step 1 - Divide the pastry
Cut the pastry into 2 pieces, approximately 2 thirds in one piece and 1 third in the other.
Step 2 - Line the pie dish
Roll the larger piece of pastry out to approximately 1-eighths of an inch in thickness and use it to line your baking dish.
Step 3 - Add the butternut
Arrange the cooked butternut in a single layer on the bottom of the pastry case.
Step 4 - Add the sausage and leeks
Arrange the sausage and leek mixture on top.
Step 5 - Mix the custard
Combine the cream, milk and egg in a small bowl and then stir in the cheese.
Step 6 - Add the egg and cheese mixture
Pour the egg and cheese mixture evenly over the pie.
Step 7 - Add the pastry lid
Roll out the smaller piece of pastry and use it to form a lid on top of the pie. Trim the edges of the pastry and use a fork to seal the edges. Prick holes on top of the pie to allow the steam to escape as it cooks. Brush the top of the pastry with lightly beaten egg.
Step 8 - Bake
Bake in a preheated oven (190C / 375F) for 25 to 30 minutes until the pastry is cooked and golden.
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Butternut, leek and sausage pie FAQ
You can freeze the pie once it has been assembled (before it is baked) and store it for up to 3 months.
If you intend to make this pie for the freezer I would suggest assembling it in a disposable aluminium container so you don't have to keep your casserole dish in the freezer.
To use, bake from frozen but add an additional 6 to 8 minutes to the cooking time. If the pastry seems to be browning too much due to the increased cooking time, cover it with a sheet of tin foil.
You can also freeze leftovers. Wrap them in tin foil and place them into a large freezer bag. Allow to defrost and then reheat in a hot oven for 7 to 8 minutes until piping hot.
Leftovers can be safely stored in the refrigerator, in a covered container, for up to 3 days.
No, you could use pieces of pumpkin in place of the butternut. The method of roasting them remains the same.
I like to serve a helping of freshly steamed vegetables with the pie. You may also like to smother it in your favourite gravy!
Chilling the pastry in the refrigerator allows the butter to harden resulting in a crispier pastry, with less chance of the pastry 'shrinking' as it bakes.
Save for later
If you would like to make this butternut, leek and sausage pie, why not save the recipe to one of your Pinterest boards so you can find it easily? Just click on the image below.
Alternatively, you can save the recipe by clicking on the floating heart icon on the right-hand side of the screen.
Other pie recipes
If you enjoyed this pie you may also like to take a look at some of my other pie recipes:
- Tex Mex beef pie with cheese and sour cream topping - a deliciously spicy minced beef pie open -topped pie in a crispy cheese pastry.
- Granny's homemade chicken pie with mushrooms - tender chicken and juicy mushrooms swimming in a rich creamy sauce, in a buttery pastry shell.
- Raised beef and onion pie with crispy yoghurt pastry - the crispy yoghurt pastry adds a new dimension to what would otherwise be 'just another beef and onion pie'.
- Traditional British meat and potato pie with suet pastry - succulent pieces of steak and tender potatoes in a rich gravy under a crust of soft and buttery suet pastry.
📋The recipe
Butternut, leek and sausage pie
(Click the stars to rate this recipe)
Equipment
- Baking dish 9" x 12"
Ingredients
Pie filling
- 1 pound / 450 grams butternut peeled and cubed
- 1 pound / 450 grams sausages your choice of beef or pork
- 1 large leek washed, trimmed and sliced
- ¾ cup frozen peas thawed
- 2 - 3 tablespoons olive oil for frying
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ cup / 120 ml double cream
- ½ cup / 120 ml milk full fat or semi-skimmed
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup / 25 grams grated parmesan cheese
Shortcrust pastry
- 2 cups / 280 grams plain all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4½ ounces / 125 grams unsalted butter cut into ½-inch cubes
- ¼ cup / 60 ml ice cold water approximately
Instructions
Butternut
- Peel and clean the butternut and cut it into one-inch pieces. Put it into a bowl and coat it with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a large pinch of salt. Arrange it in a single layer on a baking tray.1 pound / 450 grams butternut
- Roast the butternut for 8 to 10 minutes (200°C / 400°F) until it starts to brown and becomes fork-tender. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
Pastry
- Place the flour, salt and cold cubed butter into a large mixing bowl.2 cups / 280 grams plain all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon salt, 4½ ounces / 125 grams unsalted butter
- Use your fingertips and rub the cold butter into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
- Add enough of the water to form a shaggy dough. You may not need all the water. so add ¾ of the water and then add extra a few drops at a time if needed. At this stage, the dough should be just starting to come together.¼ cup / 60 ml ice cold water
- Press the dough together to form a smooth ball and then cover the dough with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator to rest for 30 minutes.
Filling
- Fry the sausages on a moderate heat in oil until they are starting to brown. Don't worry about cooking them all the way through, they will continue to cook in the pie. You just want them to firm up so you can cut them into pieces. Remove the sausages from the pan and set aside to cool.1 pound / 450 grams sausages, 2 - 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Once the sausages are cool enough to handle, cut them in half lengthwise, and then cut each half into three or four pieces.
- Add the leeks to the same pan that you used for the sausages, along with the salt and pepper and herbs and fry them over a moderate heat until they start to soften. Add another splash of oil if necessary. Stir the leeks until they are soft.1 large leek, 1 teaspoon dried sage, 1 teaspoon dried marjoram, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Add the peas and sausages to the leeks. Allow to cool.¾ cup frozen peas
Assembly
- Preheat the oven to 190°C / 375°F
- Cut ⅔ of the pastry and roll it out to approximately ⅛-inch in thickness. Use it to line your baking dish.
- Arrange the cooled, cooked butternut in a single layer on the bottom of the pastry case.
- Arrange the sausage and leek mixture on top of the butternut.
- Combine the cream, milk and egg in a small bowl and then stir in the cheese.½ cup / 120 ml double cream, ½ cup / 120 ml milk, 1 large egg, ¼ cup / 25 grams grated parmesan cheese
- Pour the egg and cheese mixture evenly over the pie filling.
- Use the remaining pastry to form a lid on top of the pie. Trim the edges of the pastry and use a fork to seal the edges. Prick holes on top of the pie to allow the steam to escape as it cooks. Brush the top of the pastry with lightly beaten egg.
- Bake in a preheated oven (190C / 375F) for 25 to 30 minutes until the pastry is cooked and golden.
- Serve the pie hot, with your choice of freshly steamed vegetables. You may also like to serve it with your favourite gravy.
Notes
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
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