Forget colcannon, here's a delicious -- and elegant -- way to serve up those cabbage and potatoes: a vegan Cabbage, Leek and Potato Tart. Delicious spuds, leafy cabbage and oniony leeks are drowned in a creamy sauce and all that goodness is baked in golden, crispy puff pastry. A vegan, soy-free recipe.

I've already shared with you in the past week updated versions of two of my favorite Irish recipes for St. Patrick's Day: my Vegan Irish Shepherd's Pie, and my Vegan Irish "Lamb" Stew with Guinness. And because cooking with potatoes is something I could do every day, twice a day, here's my Vegan Cabbage, Leek and Potato Tart, a great dish to accompany just about any meal -- and it can be a meal all by itself.
In our home, like any home with kids, I suppose, I am always trying to think of ways to make foods more palatable to my 9-year-old. And putting veggies in puff pastry is one trick that never fails. Also when I toyed with the idea of making colcannon this time, I wanted to amp things up a bit. And what can possibly make something more exciting than appending it with the word "tart." 😉
But seriously, think of this as an amped up colcannon or an amped up Leek and Potato Tart. It works both ways, see? The potatoes are boiled and sliced and layered into the pastry, then topped with a green, flavorful mixture of cabbage and leeks (you can sub sauerkraut for all or part of the cabbage,adding yet another flavor dimension). Finally all of it is then smothered in a cashew sauce flavored with nutmeg. Divine.
This recipe may sound like a mouthful, but it is simple as anything to make. There are just a handful of ingredients here:
- Cabbage
- Leeks
- Potatoes
- Garlic
- Cashews
- A touch of cornstarch
- Puff pastry
- Nutmeg
And you need olive oil, salt, and ground black pepper. That's it. I bet you already have most of that in your pantry or your refrigerator. So let's get cooking!
More Irish vegan recipes
- Vegan Sausage Rolls
- Vegan Irish Lamb Stew
- Vegan Irish Soda Bread
- Vegan Irish Leek and Potato Soup
- Vegan Irish Hand Pies
- Vegan Colcannon (with Sauerkraut)
Vegan Cabbage, Leek and Potato Tart
Ingredients
- 1 sheet puff pastry (245 grams)
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic (thinly sliced)
- 5 medium-large potatoes (yellow or red, boiled until tender, peeled and sliced)
- 1 leek (washed to remove all grit, and thinly sliced)
- 1 cup cabbage (thinly shredded)
- ½ cup raw cashews
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add the garlic, saute for a few seconds until it just starts to turn color, then add the cabbage and leeks. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 5-8 minutes or until the vegetables are just tender but not mushy. Turn off the heat
- In a blender, place the cashews, cornstarch, nutmeg and salt and ground black pepper to taste. Add ¾ cup water and blend into a very smooth paste. Set aside.
- Roll out the puff pastry sheet to fit into your tart pan. I used a rectangular tart pan that's 12 inches by 8 inches, but a round pan would do just as well.
- Place the puff pastry into the tart pan and press into the sides, making sure it fits into all the corners and crevices. Prick the pastry sheet all over with the tines of a fork, which will keep it from puffing too much. Don't remove any overhanging dough yet.
- Arrange the slices of potatoes in the bottom of the tart pan, then layer on the cabbage and leeks. Finally, pour the cashew sauce all over. Once you've filled the tart pan, pinch off any excess dough along the edges of the pan.
- Place the tart pan in the preheated oven, preferably on a baking sheet, and bake 30-35 minutes or until the puff pastry is golden-brown and the filling is set.
- Let the tart stand 10 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
It's Pi Day today. And albeit I am a lapsed physicist, this interesting article about three rather notable events -- Stephen Hawking's death, Einstein's birth, and Pi Day -- colliding in a big bang made me sit up and take notice. At the very least, it's a fun read. Is our world just full of coincidences, or is there some deeper meaning to it all?
LA
This was incredible! I added mushroom and broccoli, and subbed almond yogurt for the cashews, added a touch of nooch. Can’t wait to make it again!
Vaishali
So happy you loved it!
Jeanne
Easy to make and fabulously decadent. I am on weight watchers and a serving for me is only 3 points (but I get potatoes for 0 points; other people may not). Elegant and yummy. I also think this cashew sauce would work well with other veggie tart ideas
PJ
Hi! It looks so delicious. I have frozen filo pastry in my freezer. Can I use it instead of puff pastry?
Vaishali
Yes, layer on about 10 sheets, oiling each sheet before placing the next on top!
Elizabeth
Hi, this looks amazing. My kids are allergic to nuts including cashews. Is there a substitute that you can recommend?
Thank you
Vaishali
Hi Elizabeth, Can you use pumpkin seeds? Make a smooth paste as with the cashews and proceed. Or use tofu, blitz it with 1/2 cup nondairy milk and the other ingredients.
Priya
I had cabbage and leeks to use up, but didnt have any pastry ,so i just made the filling part with the cashew sauce and it was delicious! This will be added to my list of repeat recipes, thanks very much!
Vaishali
So great to hear, Priya!
Patricia
How thick should the potato slices be? can I layer a couple of slices of potato on the bottom or just one? Making this tomorrow. Help!
Vaishali
About half a centimeter thick would be fine.
Naomi Paul
This looks delicious! Do you think it could be made on a pie crust? Does it need to be a puff pastry sheet? I can see it would be delicious on a puff pastry but would like to make it healthier. Thanks so much.
Vaishali
Yes, you can totally make it with a pie crust!
Supriya
Made it tonight with an herby soup. Loved it though my round tart pan is larger than I realized...I’ll double the ingredients next time, and on the plus side we’ll have delicious leftovers. Thanks for another one going into our rotation!
Vaishali
So happy to hear you liked it!
Mary Daalhuyzen
It looks delicious, I'm looking for a vegan Easter dish. However, puff pastry is made with butter, which is not vegan.
Processed puff pastry may dairy free, perhaps or a non dairy pie crust would work.
Vaishali
Mary, many puff pastry sheets available on store shelves are vegan. I use Pepperidge Farm. But if you want a homemade alternative, you can make my recipe for homemade puff pastry. To make it part whole wheat, sub half the all purpose flour with whole wheat flour. https://holycowvegan.net/vegetable-puffs-with-homemade-puff/
Jenn
I made this for St. Patty's day brunch today, and it turned out amazing! Everyone loved it! Thank you so much for this fun and unique recipe!
Glenn
This recipe sounds great for the holiday. We also love puff pastry for artichoke sun-dried tomato pie.
Shobhana.R
Can you suggest an alternative to puff pastry, please.
Babioli
Oh my! I've just read the recipe and my mouth is watering! As its past 10pm (in London) I will have to wait till tomorrow. Thank you for sharing such lovely, tasty recipes. Babioli
Vaishali
Hope you try it! 🙂
Maureen Cram
I think there is s slight error in this line... Arrange the slices of potatoes in the bottom of the tart pan, then layer on the potatoes and leeks. Guess you mean then layer the cabbage and leeks?
I love anything with puff pastry - and we love cabbage and potatoes.. I sometimes use left over Brussels sprouts with the potatoes :).
And nutmeg... oh yes making this for sure!
Vaishali
Thanks for pointing out, Maureen, corrected the typo!