This Vegan West Coast Pistolettes recipe is an exclusive from The Cajun Vegan Cookbook: A Modern Guide to Classic Cooking and Southern-Inspired Cuisine by Krimsey Lilleth. Click here to find out where you can order the book.
This dish is my personal adaption of Cajun pistolettes, which are stuffed and fried bread rolls traditionally served in the Lafayette area. If you live in the South, you may be able to get your hands on some authentic pistolette rolls. Otherwise, any bread roll will do—Kaiser rolls, dinner rolls, and hard rolls all work great. When I eat these, I kinda feel like I’m eating a savory dinner doughnut.
West Coast Pistolettes from The Cajun Vegan Cookbook by Krimsey Lilleth
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 2 cups chopped broccoli florets - about 1 regular head
- ¾ cup diced white onion - about ½ small onion
- 2½ teaspoons minced garlic - divided
- 1 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 1½ cups vegan cheddar cheese shreds - divided
- 1 cup frozen vegan beef crumbles
- 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
- 1 teaspoon Krimsey’s Cajun Seasoning - page 193
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 4 large dinner bread rolls - I use vegan hard rolls
- 1 teaspoon vegan butter - for brushing rolls
Instructions
- Heat oil in a 4-quart pot over medium heat. Add broccoli and onion and sauté for 3–4 minutes, until onions begin to soften. Add 2 teaspoons of minced garlic and cook for 1–2 more minutes, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli is nearly tender and onion begins to brown in some places.
- Mix in non-dairy milk, 1 cup of vegan cheese, vegan beef crumbles, Tabasco sauce, Cajun seasoning, salt, and black pepper.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 3–5 minutes, or until most liquids have been cooked down and the mixture is thick and creamy. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- While the mixture is cooking, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Use your fingers to create a small hole on the side of each bread roll. Pull out the insides of the bread rolls and set them aside.
- Once the cheesy broccoli mixture has cooled down enough to handle, add the remaining ½ cup vegan cheese and mix. Use a spoon to fill each hollowed-out bread roll with the filling. Use the removed insides of bread to plug the holes, then transfer stuffed rolls to a baking sheet.
- Mix melted vegan butter and add the remaining ½ teaspoon of garlic, then brush the tops of the rolls with garlic butter. Bake for 10–12 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and flaky and the garlic is toasted.
- Let cool slightly and serve.
PIN/SAVE/SHARE THIS RECIPE
Reprinted with permission from The Cajun Vegan Cookbook: A Modern Guide to Classic Cooking and Southern-Inspired Cuisine by Krimsey Lilleth, Blue Star Press Nov 23, 2021. Photo credit: Krimsey Lilleth
Click here to order your copy.
About the Author
Krimsey Lilleth was born in Baton Rouge, LA, and raised in the rich, celebratory culture of the deep south. She spent a good deal of her childhood in the great outdoors and swampy, magical forest teeming with all sorts of critters she came to love and respect. Krimsey’s mission is to inspire others to care for themselves, animals, and the environment through food. She is the founder of the late-and-great Los Angeles restaurant Krimsey’s Cajun Kitchen, the world’s first vegan cajun restaurant.
About the Book
Plant-based foodies rejoice: you can finally indulge in New Orleans’ iconic cuisine thanks to the 130+ recipes in this first-ever Cajun vegan cookbook.
Classic Cajun dishes like jambalaya, étouffée, gumbo, and hushpuppies have gone vegan in this delicious plant-based cookbook created by Krimsey Lilleth, founder of the late-and-great Los Angeles restaurant Krimsey’s Cajun Kitchen.
The Cajun Vegan Cookbook blends Louisiana’s beloved flavor profiles with plant-forward ingredients that are fresh and sustainable, yet still authentic and delicious.
130+ recipes inspired by the Big Easy (including 90+ gluten-free options):
• Breakfasts and Breads: Molasses & Roasted Pecan Pancakes, Backwoods Buttermilk Biscuits and Gray, and Strawberry Peach Heart Tarts
• Soups, Salads, and Poboys: Southern Belle Pepper Salad, Gulf Coast Oyster Mushroom Soup, and Swamp Queen Poboy
• Entrees: Heart of the Bayou Étouffée, Jambalaya Collard Wraps, and Chili-Rubbed Butternut Squash Steaks
• Sides: Fried Green Tomatoes, Kale & Tempeh’d Black-Eyed Peas, and Cajun Potato Wedges
• Dressings, Sauces, and Toppings: Tangy Tabasco Dressing, Cajun Nacho Sauce, and Smoky Maple “Bacon” Bits
• Desserts: French Quarter Beignets, Cinnamon King Cake, and Salted Pecan Pralines
• Drinks: Jalapeño Cauldron Lemonade, Café Au Lait, and Hurricane Party
Each of the recipes was created under the influence of powdered sugar, café au lait, Louisiana jazz, and a sprinkling of ’90s jams. May this cookbook inspire you to try new things, have fun with your food, and be reminded that life is one big party. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: the cookbooks we feature are independently selected by our Best of Vegan editors and are in no way sponsored by the author and/or the publisher. All content is used with permission.
If you loved these West Coast Pistolettes, you might like more exclusive recipes from The Cajun Vegan Cookbook!
Or click here for more vegan appetizer recipes!
Please note that this site contains affiliate links and we may earn a commission if you make a purchase through those links at no extra cost to you.
