Traditional Plant-Based Cooking

  • Recipes
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Recipe Terms & Swaps for US Visitors
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Recipe Terms & Swaps for US Visitors
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Recipe Terms & Swaps for US Visitors
×
Home » Dinner » Pies, Hotpots, and Gratins

Vegan Cowboy Pie [baked bean, sausage, & cheesy potato pie]

Published: Mar 27, 2020 · Modified: May 8, 2024 by Jacq · This post may contain affiliate links ·10 Comments

Spread the love
   50  
50
Shares
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Vegan Cowboy Pie or Baked Bean, Sausage, and Cheesy Potato Pie is adapted from the classic cowboy pie and features barbecue flavoured baked beans mixed with meat-free sausages and topped with a cheesy mashed potato topping. This pie is a quick and easy fuss-free easy meat-free midweek meal.

Vegan cowboy pie in red oval pie dish, black serving spoon, red check cloth.

Other names for this Cowboy Pie, which is kind of like a pie crossed with a hotpot, are Cheesy Baked Bean Pie, Sausage and Bean Pie, Veggie Sausage and Bean Pie, Cowboy Casserole, Cowboy Hotpot, and Cowboy Bean Pie!

Jump to:
  • Origins of cowboy pie
  • Chuckwagon cooking
  • Old school pies and wartime pies
  • Ingredients
  • How to prepare
  • Recipe Notes
  • Storing
  • Reheating
  • More traditional American recipes - made vegan
  • 📖 Recipe
  • Comments

Origins of cowboy pie

Cowboy pie, is a hearty fun family meal that usually consists of sausages, baked beans in a barbecue sauce, and a mashed potato topping. While there isn't an exact origin for cowboy pie, it can be traced back to traditional Western and Southwestern cooking in the United States. In modern times, it's quite a popular family favourite meal.

Chuckwagon cooking

Cowboy Pie was inspired from cowboy or chuckwagon cooking, which originated in the late 19th century during the era of cattle drives in the American West. Cowboys on long journeys would often cook meals over an open fire. The combination of sausages, beans, and potatoes in a cowboy pie reflects the ingredients commonly found in the chuckwagon pantries.

Chuckwagons were typically wooden wagons that were equipped with various compartments and storage areas for food, cooking utensils, and other supplies.

The chuckwagon was an important part of cowboy culture in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the American West. It was a mobile kitchen on wheels that accompanied cattle drives and provided meals for the cowboys. The chuckwagon got its name from the term "chuck," which was a slang word used to refer to food.

The food prepared on chuckwagons was typically simple and hearty, as cowboys had limited resources available during cattle drives. Common ingredients included beans, salted or cured meats (such as bacon or salt pork), flour, cornmeal, coffee, and dried fruits. Fresh ingredients were scarce and often not feasible to carry for long distances.

The cook, often referred to as the "cookie," would be responsible for preparing meals for the cowboys and they would wake up early to start the fire and get breakfast going. Dutch ovens and cast-iron pots with a flat bottom and a lid, were commonly used for cooking on the chuckwagon as they could be placed directly over the fire.

Meals prepared on the chuckwagon would typically include dishes like beans (such as baked beans or frijoles), stews, biscuits, cornbread, with plenty of coffee to drink.

The chuckwagon has become an iconic symbol of cowboy culture and is often associated with the romanticized image of the American West. Today, chuckwagon-style cooking and chuckwagon competitions are still celebrated at events and festivals as a means of preserving this historical tradition. Also, many vegan adaptations of chuckwagon style meals are becoming increasingly popular.

If interested we do have a vegan chuckwagon stew recipe that is one of our family favourites especially enjoyed with our home-made old-fashioned cornbread muffins.

Old school pies and wartime pies

Cowboy Pie is similar to the British old-school classic Cheesy Baked Bean Pie that had its hey day during the 70s and 80s, as well as this Lentil and Bean Mashed Potato Pie which was a popular British wartime meal during the 1940s. Pies made with mashed potato and a few simple staples, such as sausages and cans of baked beans, are frugal and easy, so they are always popular during lean times.

Cowboy pie served in white bowl with red check cloth, red pie dish in distance.

Preparing this vegan cowboy pie, or another name that was provided by my daughter is Jazzy Bean Pie!, couldn't be easier. There are a few steps to carry out before assembling the pie but these are pretty simple.

Ingredients

The ingredients required for the mashed potatoes are: potatoes, plant-based milk, vegan margarine [or replace with hummus or white miso paste], vegan cheese or nutritional yeast flakes, and for the filling: vegan sausages, cans of baked beans, onions, garlic, BBQ seasoning, paprika, red wine vinegar, vegetable broth or oil, and a little sugar.

How to prepare

This cowboy pie can be assembled in advance and stored within the refrigerator for a day or so. When required bake until everything is bubbling and the mashed potato topping is melted, crisp, and with golden bits.

Onions cooking in veggie stock in skillet, with wooden spoon.
BBQ spice mix added to cooked onions, with wooden spoon.

Step 1: Cook the vegan sausages according to the packet instructions.

Step 2: Meanwhile cook the onions and garlic in either vegetable broth or a little oil.

Step 3: Stir the BBQ seasoning through the onions and cook for a further few minutes.

Baked beans added to onion mix in skillet.
Meat-free cooked sausages added to baked bean mix in red oval casserole dish.

Step 4: Add the canned baked beans to the onions and give it all a good mix.

Step 5: Pour the bean mixture into a casserole dish.

Step 6: Slice the cooked sausages in half and stir these through the beans.

Mashed potatoes in saucepan with potato masher.
Mashed potato topping over sausage and bean mix, silver saucepan and potato masher to side, and wooden background.

Step 7: Prepare the mashed potatoes by boiling until soft, draining, and then adding vegan margarine or butter and plant-based milk, and mashing until creamy.

Step 8:Alternatively the margarine can be replaced with hummus or a tablespoon of white miso paste.

Step 9: Spread the mashed potatoes over the sausages and beans.

Cowboy pie baked and crusty out of the oven, with bean sauce bubbling on to beans.
Grated vegan cheese sprinkled over baked cowboy pie, sitting on yellow and grey tea towel.

Step 10: Bake for 30 minutes, before removing from the oven and adding a sprinkle of grated vegan cheese, and then bake for a further 10-15 minutes until the cheese has melted and the pie is crispy and tinged with brown bits.

Step 11: Alternatively replace the cheese with nutritional yeast flakes.

Cheese melted and pie ready to serve with black serving spoon.

Enjoy with sides of vegetables, salad, bread, pickles, etc., or just serve the pie on its own.

Recipe Notes

Storing

Leftover cowboy pie can be kept, covered, in the fridge for 3 days. Or freeze for 2-3 months.

Reheating

Leftover pie can be reheated at the cooking temperature. Add a layer of kitchen foil over the pie to prevent the pie over browning and heat for 25-30 minutes or until the pie is piping hot throughout. For faster reheating allow the pie to come to room temperature before reheating. This is especially important if the pie and casserole dish have been frozen, as if the dish is too cold it may crack during the reheating process.

Is vegan cowboy pie gluten-free?

This cowboy pie can be easily prepared as gluten-free. The main considerations are to ensure that your vegan sausages, baked beans, vegan margarine, vegetable stock, and any seasoning blends are free from gluten ingredients.

Can I use substitute any of the ingredients?

A few suggestions:

* Instead of mashed white potato prepare a sweet potato or turnip (swede/rutabaga), parsnip, carrot or celeriac mash. A mix of mashed veggies is tasty especially with some white potato also included. Try this classic British Champ which is a mashed potato, mashed turnip, and cabbage mix.

* Any variety of beans in a sauce can be used such as mixed beans in tomato sauce and canned beans in a chilli or curry sauce.

* Instead of BBQ powdered seasoning use BBQ sauce or paste

* Replace the BBQ flavour altogether with different spices such as chilli powder, cumin, paprika, taco seasoning, curry powder, etc.

* Or simply omit the seasoning and just have the beans in the tomato sauce for a cheesy bean pie.

* Grated vegan cheese can be replaced with nutritional yeast flakes or omitted.

* Instead of a grated vegan cheese or nutritional yeast topping, your favourite seasoning can be sprinkled over the potato's before baking. Such as a garlic and onion mix or a lemon pepper seasoning mix.

* The fresh onion and garlic can be replaced with fried onion powder and dried garlic powder or granules, go for 1-2 teaspoons of each.

* For the mashed potatoes the plant-based milk can be replaced with the potato cooking liquid, or use half cooking liquid and half plant-based milk.

* Instead of using vegan margarine or butter use a few tablespoons of hummus or a tablespoon of white miso paste, or a few tablespoons of nutritional yeast flakes.

What pairs well with vegan cowboy pie?

Cowboy pie is a filling complete meal on its own but for extra hungry eaters offer one or a few of the following ideas:

* vegan garlic bread or crusty bread

* 3 ingredient quick dinner rolls

* Slow cooker cornbread

* Boston brown bread

* crispy green salad

* peas and sweetcorn

* corn-on-the-cobs, baby corn

* home-made Traditional British Mushy Peas

* mangetout, green beans, field beans, yard beans, asparagus

* steamed or roast veggies

* vegan coleslaw

* pickled onions, beetroot, cabbage, etc

Any ideas what I can do with leftover vegan cowboy pie?

Here are a few ideas:

* Cheesy bean sausage pasties: Use the cowboy pie as a pastry filling, simply chop the sausages into smaller pieces, mix everything together including the mashed potato, and use puff pastry to create. Bake until the pastry is puffed up, crisp and golden.

* Use the mixed together filling to stuff tortilla wraps, fold the tortilla wrap up, and pan fry or heat each side on a panini hot-plate until the outside is tinged with golden and crisp. Enjoy with some salsa, of ketchup.

* Cheesy bean toasted sandwich: mix the cowboy pie together, chop the sausages smaller, and use the filling along with extra vegan cheese, and perhaps spread the bread with tomato ketchup, and toast the sandwich until brown and crisp.

Can I meal prep cowboy pie?

Yes, cowboy pie can be easily prepped in advance for an even quicker meal. Here are a few ideas:

* Prepare the mashed potato in advance, and store in the fridge for up to 1-2 days.

* Use a couple of packets of vegan-friendly instant mashed potatoes.

* Cook the meat-free sausages in advance and store in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.

* Prepare the bean and BBQ mix in advance and store in the fridge for up to 1-2 days.

Do keep in mind that if any ingredients are prepped a few days in advance that any leftovers will have a shorter shelf-life so if leftovers are not consumed within a day, consider freezing them.

Vegan cowboy pie served with corn cobs and wild rocket in white bowl, silver fork, and red casserole dish in distance, red check tea towels.

More traditional American recipes - made vegan

A slice of our Boston Brown Bread which is easily prepared in a slow cooker or crock-pot or one of these tasty Old Fashioned Cornbread Muffins are great sides for Vegan Cowboy Pie.

Also if you can't find canned baked beans in tomato sauce, for the cowboy pie recipe, then you can easily prepare a batch a home with this simple recipe for classic British Baked Beans or go for these Quick Boston Baked Beans which would give your pie a different flavour but it will still be very tasty.

Finally, for another another traditional American family meal idea try this One-Pot American Goulash which is budget-friendly, really easy and a crowd pleaser! For more vegan dinner ideas check out our collection of Vegan Dinner Recipes.

  • Boston baked beans in a little white and brown stone pot with lid to side, Boston brown bread in background and a few slices of bread to side, large orange clay cooking pot to side and cream knitted table cloth.
    Vegan Quick Boston Baked Beans
  • A close up of slow cooked Boston brown bread on a brown rimmed plate and brown handled knife to side, small butter dish to side and small stone pot to background, red and white flour table cloth.
    Slow Cooker Boston Brown Bread
  • a plate of split open corn bread muffins, butter dish to back, and wire rack with pile of muffins in background, brown flower table cloth.
    Old Fashioned Cornbread Muffins
  • Goulash served with garlic bread, fork to side. Featured image.
    Vegan Goulash

***please note: for US measurements click the 'US customary button' within the recipe and the measurements will switch to tablespoons, cups, and ounces.***

📖 Recipe

Vegan cowboy pie served with corn cobs and wild rocket in white bowl, silver fork, and red casserole dish in distance, red check tea towels.

Vegan Cowboy Pie

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: American, British
Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes
Total Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 563kcal
Author: Jacq
Vegan Cowboy Pie or Baked Bean, Sausage, and Cheesy Potato Pie is adapted from the classic cowboy pie and features barbecue flavoured baked beans mixed with meat-free sausages and topped with a cheesy mashed potato topping.
Vegan Cowboy Pie is a quick and easy fuss-free easy meat-free midweek meal, and can be easily prepared as gluten-free.
Print Recipe
US Customary - Metric

Equipment

  • skillet/ sauté pan/ deep frying pan, for preparing filling
  • large baking dish/casserole pan, for baking pie
  • medium saucepan, for preparing mashed potatoes
  • potato masher
  • mixing spoon

Ingredients

For sautéing:

  • 250 millilitres vegetable stock [or 1-2 tablespoons of oil]

For the filling:

  • 8 meat-free sausages [about 2 sausages per person precooked according to package instructions]
  • 4 cans baked beans [4 x 400 gram/14 oz cans]
  • 2 medium onions [rough chopped]
  • 4 cloves garlic [thin sliced or minced, use more if liked]
  • 2 tablespoons BBQ seasoning mix [add more or less to taste, or use BBQ sauce, or omit]
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar [or balsamic vinegar]

Mashed potato topping:

  • 900 grams potatoes [sliced into even-sized chunks]
  • 2 tablespoons margarine [alternatively use 2 tablespoons of hummus or 1 tablespoon of white miso paste if your diet omits margarine]
  • 6 tablespoons plant-based milk [potato cooking liquid or vegetable stock can be used instead. Use more milk or stock to achieve desired texture.]

Optional topping:

  • 90 grams vegan cheese [grated, alternatively replace with 6 tablespoons of nutritional yeast flakes]

Instructions

Pre cook your sausages according to the packet instructions.

  • Preheat oven to 180 Fan/ 200 Celsius/ 392 Fahrenheit/ Gas 6.

Prepare the mashed potatoes:

  • Boil the potatoes in water until soft, about 10-15 minutes, depending on size.
    Once soft drain the potatoes but reserve some of the cooking liquid.
    900 grams potatoes
  • Mash the potatoes with margarine and plant-based milk, Add extra tablespoons of potato liquid until the mash is the preferred texture.
    Season with salt and pepper to taste.
    2 tablespoons margarine, 6 tablespoons plant-based milk

Prepare the filling:

  • Over a medium heat, cook the onions and garlic in the vegetable stock for about 6 minutes.
    If using oil instead of stock, cook the onions for 4 minutes over a medium heat and then add the garlic for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
    2 medium onions, 4 cloves garlic, 250 millilitres vegetable stock
  • Mix through the BBQ seasoning, paprika, and red wine vinegar. Cook and stir for 2 minutes.
    2 tablespoons BBQ seasoning mix, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • Mix through the 4 cans of beans in tomato sauce. Taste and add a little salt and pepper if necessary.
    4 cans baked beans
  • Scoop the mixture into a casserole dish.
  • Pop the halved cooked meat-free sausages evenly over the mix.
    8 meat-free sausages
  • Top with the mashed potato.

Bake:

  • Place the casserole dish on middle shelf of the oven for 30 minutes until tinged with golden, crispy, bits and the bean filling is hot and bubbling.
  • Remove from the oven and sprinkle the grated cheese or nutritional yeast flakes over.
    90 grams vegan cheese
  • Pop back into the oven for 10-15 minutes until melted, although the yeast flakes won't melt!
  • Instead of adding cheese don't remove the pie from the oven, just cook for a total of 30-45 minutes or until the topping is at your desired crispness and colour.

Notes

  • Nutritional information is provided for guidance only and is not a strict calculation as ingredients vary.
  • Data includes the meat-free sausages [soya based] and vegan cheese.
  • Meat-free sausages are optional. This cowboy pie is still delicious without the sausages as the beans are more than enough. 
  • The vegan cheese topping is also optional and can be simply omitted, or nutritional yeast flakes added instead. Or just sprinkle some of your favourite seasoning over the mashed potatoes before baking.
  • Sliced tomatoes are delicious added to the mashed potato topping.
  • Not keen on BBQ flavours? This can be switched for chilli powder, taco type seasoning, your favourite seasoning blend, or even curry powder.
  • You can use 4 cans of baked beans in tomato sauce [these may be labelled vegetarian baked beans in the US], or replace some of the baked beans for mixed beans in tomato sauce, or cans of beans in a chilli sauce.
  • Leftover cowboy pie can be stored in the fridge, covered, for up to 3 days.
  • Or frozen within the casserole dish, well wrapped, for 2-3 months.
  • Allow chilled or frozen cowboy pie to come up to room temperature before reheating.
  • Reheat at the cooking temperature, with a layer of kitchen foil over the pie, until piping hot. 

Nutrition

Calories: 563kcal | Carbohydrates: 99g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1564mg | Potassium: 1383mg | Fiber: 18g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 745IU | Vitamin C: 35mg | Calcium: 202mg | Iron: 16mg

Comments

Prepared our Vegan Cowboy Pie? We would love to know how you got on with the recipe so do drop us a comment and click the star ratings. All feedback is very much appreciated. Thanks so much! All the best, Jacq x

More Vegan Pies, Hotpots, And Gratins

  • A slice of lentil pie on plate with broccoli and baked beans.
    Old-Fashioned Lentil Pie (Vintage recipe)
  • A Welsh onion cake on a serving plate with a dinner plate in background with vegan sausages and peas and corn.
    Traditional Welsh Onion Cake [Teisen Nionod]
  • A vegan chicken pie on a green trivet with flower patterned gravy jug in background with plates to side, bright colourful flower tablecloth.
    Vegan Chicken Pie
  • Vegan Scottish Teviotdale pie

Comments

    5 from 5 votes

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




  1. Natalie says

    September 13, 2021 at 1:07 pm

    5 stars
    This pie looks so good. I bet my hubs will never notice this is completely vegan. I'm making this for sure. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Jacq says

      September 13, 2021 at 3:32 pm

      Absolutely your husband won't notice the difference! The flavours are just so good. This pie is perfect for those new to plant-based meals x

      Reply
  2. Beth Sachs says

    September 13, 2021 at 12:08 pm

    5 stars
    A delicious mid-week meal the whole family loved!

    Reply
    • Jacq says

      September 21, 2021 at 7:38 pm

      So glad to hear! 🙂

      Reply
  3. Danielle Wolter says

    September 13, 2021 at 11:43 am

    5 stars
    What a great idea! The flavors sound amazing and I can't wait to give this a try!

    Reply
    • Jacq says

      September 15, 2021 at 9:35 am

      So glad you like the recipe. Be sure and pop back and let me know how you get on 🙂

      Reply
  4. Helen says

    September 13, 2021 at 11:16 am

    5 stars
    Now that the weather is getting cooler this looks like a perfect family midweek meal - so warm and comforting! Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply
    • Jacq says

      September 15, 2021 at 9:37 am

      Thanks your very welcome! Cowboy pie is perfect for the cooler weather 🙂

      Reply
  5. Lucy says

    September 13, 2021 at 10:23 am

    5 stars
    This vegan cowboy pie is such a hearty comforting meal, perfect for the colder months. It's a meal the whole family loves!

    Reply
    • Jacq says

      September 13, 2021 at 3:31 pm

      Great so glad your family loves the cowboy pie 🙂

      Reply
Photo of Jacq the admin wearing sunglasses, outside with trees in background and blue skies.

Hello! Welcome to our collection of traditional family favourite recipes. We have old-fashioned favourites reinvented with vegan-friendly every-day ingredients.

Find out more →

🍽️ Free Recipe Booklet! Subscribe &
receive our '9 old-school dinner recipes made vegan (pdf), as a thank-you!

Visitors favourite recipes

  • close up of chocolate pudding with chocolate pudding in background, and shortbread biscuits and strawberries in background.
    Tofu Chocolate Pudding
  • Medieval potage stew served in a wooden bowl, with fork and spoon, little bread rolls at the side, and candlestick
    Medieval Potage Stew
  • Close up bowl of vegetable soup with yellow handled spoon and second bowl in background, slices of bread to side on a mat with fox image.
    Old-Fashioned Golden Vegetable Soup

Vegan recipes for warm summer days

  • Bowl of Italian bread salad, featured image.
    Italian Bread Salad [Panzanella]
  • A stack of walnut celery sandwiches on yellow flower patterned plate with celery leaves to side.
    Old-Fashioned Walnut and Celery Sandwiches
  • A bowl of garlic oil spaghetti with tomatoes and spinach and wedge of focaccia to side, larger pot to side, and bowl of fresh spinach to side.
    Italian Garlic Spaghetti [Spaghetti Aglio e Olio]
  • wooden board with vegan ploughman baguette and salad and fruit pieces at the side, small brown dish of pickled onions, small butter dish to back, and cream coloured place mat.
    Vegan Ploughman's Lunch [Sandwich or Platter]

Footer

↑ back to top

✨ About ✨

  • Privacy Policy
  • Affiliate Disclaimer
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Accessibility Policy
traditional family favourites new logo

✨ Contact ✨

  • Contact us
  • About
  • Work with us

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2025 * Traditionalplantbasedcooking

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.