Easy vegetarian comfort food

I haven't made this recipe in years - literally. But while it's bubbling away in the oven I thought I'd share it with you. Why, if I haven't felt compelled to make it lately, would I pass it along? After reading a super annoying NPR blog post about how bacon is supposedly the "gateway food" for vegetarians who fall off the wagon, I decided to share it because it was a gateway TO vegetarianism for me.

This was one of the very first vegetarian recipes I cooked and shared. It is ridiculously easy, comforting, cheap and perfect for a weeknight when you don't have much energy. It doesn't have any weird or unfamiliar ingredients, and even if you consider scrambled eggs to be the extent of your cooking skills, you can do this. I promise.

Vegetarian Pot Pie (easily veganized, BTW)

1 med. onion, diced
1 T canola oil
1/4 c all-purpose flour
2 c. vegetable broth
1-2 t dried thyme
1 can beans (any kind)
5 cans vegetables in any combination (corn, green beans, spinach, peas, potatoes, tomatoes, etc.)
1 stick butter (or margarine, for vegans), melted
1 c. milk (or soy milk)
1 c. self-rising flour

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Heat oil over medium-high heat and saute the onion for 2-3 minutes, until translucent. Slowly stir in the 1/4 c. all-purpose flour and cook one more minute. Reduce heat to medium and add broth 1/2 c. at a time, stirring as you go, until thoroughly mixed. The mixture should thicken a bit. Stir in the thyme and turn off the heat.
3. Open all the cans and drain them off a bit. This is sort of an imprecise direction, but you want them to keep a little bit of their juice but no so much that the mixture you're about to create is swimming in juices. I'd estimate I drained off 1/2-3/4 of the juice in each can.
4. Add all canned vegetables and beans to a large, 9x13" baking dish. Mix them together and then mix in the onion/gravy mixture.
5. In a medium bowl, combine the melted butter or margarine, the milk or soy milk, and the 1 c. self-rising flour. Do not overmix.
6. Pour the batter evenly over the vegetables and bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes, or until the batter on top is firm and lightly golden brown.

For the batch I'm making right now, I used corn, green beans, potatoes, tomatoes and carrots. But you can pretty much go in any direction you want, including Mexican, for example, with black beans, corn, squash, tomatoes, etc. Italian would be pretty easy too.

The original recipe I copied actually called for 2 cans of Veg-All or other mixed vegetables and then 3 cans of other vegetables, so feel free to use them if you like them. And finally, I'd like to credit the source of this recipe, but as I mentioned, I've been making it for so long I don't remember where I got it.

I don't have kids but I have to think this would be a winner with little ones - there's nothing spicy, strange or overly grown-up about it. It's just hot, bubbly and topped with a delicious buttery crust. Enjoy!