My Favorite Cozy Butternut & Lentil Pot Pie Recipe For Autumn, When Life Feels Too Busy, Too Loud, Or Too Rushed

Hello, dear pandas. I really missed you! As a mum, photographer, and freelancer, autumn is already the busiest season of my life. While everyone’s outside picking mushrooms and sipping pumpkin lattes (you can tell I’m jealous, haha), I’m inside shooting Christmas cookies in October. I’m lighting up fairy lights when it’s +20°C outside, sprinkling fake snow on cakes while my kid asks if Santa is already coming.

It feels like autumn in France barely happened this year. One moment I was out in a light jacket, admiring golden leaves, and the next — boom — Christmas trees, advent calendars, and fake snow everywhere. The shops suddenly smelled like cinnamon and capitalism, and I stood there genuinely wondering: “Did I blink and miss October?”

So, if you also feel like someone stole autumn where you live, here’s how to steal it back.

More info: Instagram | irinatisserandstudio.com

While everyone stepped into autumn, I stepped into Christmas-season work

Child eating a slice of autumn pie with golden crust on a decorative plate, ideal for busy motherhood and deadlines.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my job. I’m incredibly lucky to have turned creativity into work. But sometimes I feel like I’m missing the small, ordinary things that make the season beautiful. I crave the slow moments: watching leaves fall, drinking tea without checking emails, reading a book just because it smells good. But most of the time, I’m just scrolling through deadlines and battery levels.

This autumn felt even louder than usual. Between motherhood, photoshoots, editing, and life in general, I barely noticed the season changing, and suddenly, it was gone. Maybe that’s why I felt this deep need to make something just for myself — no clients, no brand brief, no timeline. Something warm, simple, and grounding. So I turned off my laptop, put my phone away (highly recommend it), and made a pie.

This Butternut and Lentil Pot Pie is earthy, cozy, and full of flavor, a real, old-fashioned, soul-healing, “it’s still autumn in my kitchen” kind of pie

Person in cozy sweater pouring water into flour bowl preparing autumn pie recipe with fresh vegetables on table

Chopped autumn vegetables on a wooden board with knife, prepping ingredients for an easy fall pie recipe.

Diced butternut squash, shallots, and celery in a bowl, key ingredients for a go-to autumn pie recipe.

Diced autumn squash cooking in a pot with garlic and herbs for a warm autumn pie recipe.

This creamy filling together with garlic and spices will instantly fill the kitchen with that unmistakable autumn smell

Pouring cream into a simmering pot of autumn pie filling with diced vegetables and a wooden spoon stirring.

Autumn pie recipe filling cooking in a pot with vegetables and creamy sauce being stirred with a wooden spoon.

Prep time:  20 min
Cook time: ~30 hr
Total time:  ~50 min

Ingredients you need for this recipe

Autumn pie ingredients including carrots, celery, shallots, garlic, butternut squash, lentils, butter, and fresh herbs on a stone surface.

For the filling:

• 3 ½ tbsp unsalted butter (50 g)
• 1–2 onions, finely sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 large celery sticks, diced
• 2–3 small carrots, diced
• 3–4 cups cubed butternut squash (½–1 small squash) (about 400–600 g)
• ⅓ cup flour (40 g)
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp white or black pepper
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
• 2 cups vegetable stock (450 ml)
• ⅔ cup heavy cream (160 ml)
• 1 cup cooked lentils (150 g)
• 1 beaten egg (for brushing)

For the homemade crust:

• 3 ⅔ cups flour (450 g)
• ⅔ cup olive oil (150 ml)
• ¼ cup cold water (60 ml)
• 1 tsp salt

Hands rolling autumn pie dough with a wooden rolling pin, perfect for juggling motherhood and deadlines.

Hands rolling autumn pie crust dough over a pie dish, preparing a go-to autumn pie recipe at home.

The warmest part of the recipe – a crust made by hand, ready to hold all the cozy flavors inside

Hands preparing an autumn pie crust in a baking dish, ideal for juggling motherhood and busy deadlines.

Autumn pie recipe filling with vegetables being spooned into crust, perfect for busy moms managing deadlines.

8 steps to bring this cozy pot pie to life

1. Get ready: Preheat your oven to 220°C (425°F). Butter and flour a 22 cm pie dish.
2. Make the crust: Mix the flour and salt. Add the olive oil and cold water. Combine until a smooth dough forms, divide into two balls, and chill for 15 minutes.
3. Sauté the vegetables: Melt butter in a large skillet. Add onion, carrots, celery, and butternut squash. Cook for about 10 minutes, until lightly golden and tender.
4. Add garlic & spices: Stir in the garlic, then add the flour, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and thyme.
5. Make the sauce: Gradually pour in the vegetable stock and cream, stirring until the mixture thickens (about 10 minutes). Add the cooked lentils.
6. Line the dish: Roll out one dough ball into a 30 cm circle and line your pie dish.
7. Fill & cover: Pour the filling in. Cover with the second dough circle, trim the edges, and seal. Cut small slits on top to let steam escape.
8. Bake to perfection: Brush with the beaten egg and bake for about 30 minutes, until beautifully golden. If it browns too quickly, cover loosely with foil.

Hands preparing autumn pie with creamy filling in a crust, ideal for juggling motherhood and deadlines.

Rolling pie crust over autumn pie filling with lentils and vegetables, perfect for a warm autumn pie recipe.

Unbaked autumn pie crust being prepared and crimped by hand, ready for baking and cozy seasonal warmth.

The simplest touch, like shaping tiny leaves, makes the crust feel extra special

Hands shaping autumn pie dough with rolling pin and knife on parchment paper for cozy seasonal recipe.

Hand placing a decorative leaf on an autumn pie crust, with rolling pin and knife nearby in preparation.

Autumn, for me, is always a gentle reminder to slow down

Autumn has a way of inviting us to be more present. Even in the middle of deadlines and motherhood, I try to remind myself that slowing down doesn’t mean doing nothing — it simply means reconnecting with small, grounding rituals.

When I took the pie out of the oven, the whole kitchen filled with a buttery, nutty, comforting smell. And for the first time in weeks, I wasn’t thinking about work or emails or deadlines. I just stood there, eating a spoonful straight from the dish, feeling grateful that autumn still exists, even if only inside my kitchen.

So maybe autumn wasn’t stolen at all. Maybe we just forgot to notice it.

Unbaked autumn pie with decorative leaf crust being held, perfect seasonal pie recipe for busy motherhood and warmth.

Once the pie comes out of the oven, the smell fills the entire kitchen – buttery, nutty and so comforting

Golden autumn pie baking in an oven, showing a warm crust with decorative leaf patterns in a round dish.

Golden autumn pie with decorative leaf crust, served on a wooden board beside plates and cutlery for a cozy meal.

Slice of autumn pie with a flaky crust, served on a decorative plate with a fork, perfect for cozy seasonal meals.

Tasting autumn’s return, one cozy spoonful at a time

Hand holding a slice of autumn pie with vegetable filling on a decorative plate, showcasing a cozy seasonal recipe.

Moderator’s Note

We’re here to celebrate food, culture, and the personal stories behind each dish. If this recipe isn’t quite to your taste, that’s okay — there’s room for all kinds of approaches and opinions. We encourage thoughtful, respectful discussion and love hearing about your own memories or variations. Want to share yours? Click here to submit your story on Bored Panda!

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