Get cozy with this chipotle pumpkin beer braised chickpea cheese biscuit pot pie. In this comforting vegetarian meal, a warming stew with chipotles, pumpkin beer, apple cider, fire-roasted diced tomatoes, spices, chickpeas, and winter squash is poured into a baking dish and topped with deliciously simple cheddar cheese spelt biscuits.

Now that we have turned back our clocks and suddenly lost an hour of light at the end of the day, it’s safe to say that we have officially entered the cozy season. I’m trying to put a positive spin on it this year instead of begrudging it as I have in previous Novembers. The one thing I am not loving about it is how little time I now have in the late afternoon for food photography… but I’ll adjust my schedule accordingly. And hey, the days will start getting longer again in just over a month.

So let’s just embrace this season of darkness! It’s a good time to light some nice beeswax candles, go inward, and cook some beautiful, nourishing meals to enjoy around the table with family and friends.

The perfect meal for this season of cozy? This chipotle pumpkin beer braised chickpea cheese biscuit pot pie. I struggled with what to call this, and perhaps the name is still a bit over the top. But I really couldn’t omit anything from the recipe title. This pot pie is truly simple to prepare. It consists of a hearty chickpea and butternut squash stew accented with chipotle peppers, smoked paprika, chili powder, cumin, oregano, apple cider, pumpkin beer, apple, and just a touch of maple syrup to round out the flavours and mellow the acidity of the tomatoes.

Once cooked, the stew is transferred into a 9×13-inch baking dish and topped with the simplest light spelt cheddar cheese biscuits. It’s then baked for 15-20 minutes, until the biscuits are golden brown and the stew is nice and hot.

And even if you do not have time to make the biscuits, you can still enjoy the chipotle beer braised chickpeas and butternut squash over quinoa or rice, perhaps topped with some cheddar cheese, avocado, and lime wedges.

ingredients you’ll need

For the chipotle pumpkin beer braised chickpea and squash stew, you’ll need extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, celery, canned chipotles in adobo sauce, smoked paprika, chili powder, cumin, oregano, sea salt, pepper, butternut squash, fire-roasted diced tomatoes, vegetable broth, apple cider, pumpkin beer, chickpeas, apple, maple syrup, and cilantro.

For the cheddar spelt biscuits, you’ll need buttermilk (or a combination of milk and apple cider vinegar, which is what I used), light spelt flour, baking powder, sea salt, cold salted butter, and cheddar cheese.

the method

Warm the oil in a Dutch oven pot over medium heat. Once warm, add the onion, garlic, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 5 minutes. Add the chipotles, smoked paprika, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper. Continue to cook for a couple more minutes.

Next, add the squash, diced tomatoes, broth, apple cider, beer, chickpeas, and apple. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the squash is tender, about 20 minutes. Finally, stir in the maple syrup and cilantro. Remove from the heat and use a potato masher to gently mash some of the chickpeas and butternut squash. This helps to naturally thicken the stew.

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Make the biscuits: In a small bowl, combine the milk with the apple cider vinegar and allow it to sit for a couple of minutes to “curdle.” In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry blender or a fork, incorporate the butter, breaking it down into tiny pieces. Stir in the real buttermilk or makeshift “buttermilk,” followed by the cheddar cheese. The dough will be on the sticky side. If the dough is extremely sticky, add ¼ cup more flour.

Generously flour your counter. Flour your hands as well. Turn out the biscuit dough and flatten into an oval shape about ½ an inch thick. Use a round cookie or biscuit cutter or the rim of a glass to cut out 8-12 biscuits, re-forming the dough into an oval shape as needed.

Transfer the beer braised chickpea and butternut squash stew into a 9×13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish. Top with the biscuits.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the biscuits are golden brown.

Serve while hot, and top each portion with sliced avocado and lime wedges.

more cozy dinner recipes

Finally, I hope that you love this chipotle pumpkin beer braised chickpea cheese biscuit pot pie! If you make it, let me know how you enjoyed it by leaving a comment and rating below the post. And if you share a photo to Instagram, tag it @upbeet.kitchen and #upbeetkitchen. I love seeing what you’ve made.

Enjoy!