Beef Pie Recipe

This Beef Pie Recipe is the ultimate comfort food and one of the most satisfying meat pie recipes.

Choose different fresh herbs to impart a new flavor to your Beef Pie. Healthy meal planning tip: make double of one of our beef casserole recipes and simply add pastry. This saves you time, money and gives you get an extra meal for little extra effort.

You can have fun decorating the Beef Pie recipe with the trimmed pastry - make flowers simply by twisting strands of pastry into petals. You can even write words in pastry - "Good Luck" before an exam, for example. Have fun!

a little effort: easy if the casserole is already made

Preparation time: 25 mins (10 mins if casserole already made)

Cooking time: about 2 hours for casserole. ½ hour to brown pastry

Serves 4 - 6

Ingredients:

2 lb / 900g topside beef, cut into inch blocks

2 large onions, diced

oil for shallow frying

2 tablespoons flour

2 - 3 cups beef stock

1 medium potato, peeled and cut into inch cubes

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced (about 8oz / 250g)

3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into rings about ¼ inch wide

1 tablespoon fresh herbs ie thyme, rosemary or oregano (optional)

salt and pepper to season.

14oz / 400g puff pastry

1 egg, slightly beaten (optional)

For this Beef Pie recipe, you will need:

a casserole dish with a lid - it is worth using one that can be used on the hob as well, to save on washing up

a 3 pint / 1.5 liter deep pie dish or casserole dish

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350° F / 180° C.
Fry the cubed beef in 4 - 6 batches, allowing the sides to brown. This is important as this gives flavor to the stew. Don't attempt to brown all the meat at one time - you will just land up with a watery, gray mass. Keep the seared meat on one side.
Fry the onions until they are soft and a deep caramel brown color. This also gives flavor to the dish.
Add the flour to the pan and stir it until it is well mixed with the onions. Slowly add 2 cups beef stock. Stir all the time until the mixture resembles a gravy. Add more stock if the gravy seems too thick.
Add the meat back. Add the optional herbs. Put a lid on the casserole dish and place in the oven. Cook for about an hour.
Add the potato and sweet potato and cook for a further ½ hour. Check that there is enough liquid and add more if necessary.
Add the carrots and season with salt and pepper. Check the liquid. Add more if the stew looks dry. Cook for another ½ hour (therefore about 2 hours in total).
Turn the oven up to 400° F / 200° C.
Transfer the mixture to the pie dish. Cover with the pastry, making sure that the pastry hangs down over the edge slightly. Trim any excess pastry. With a fork, gently press the pastry down at the edges. With the remaining pastry, make your own design on top of the pie. Pierce the pie around the edges and in the middle with a sharp knife - this allows the steam to escape and keeps the pastry crisp. You may brush the pastry with the beaten egg - this just makes the pastry look shiny but doesn't impact on the flavor.
Return the pie to the oven and bake for 20 - 30 minutes until the pastry is golden.
Serve your Beef Pie Recipe with mashed potatoes or rice and green vegetables.

Make double of any of the following beef casserole recipes and then all you have to do is add the pastry: Easy Beef Stew Recipe, Old Fashioned Beef Stew, Best Beef Stew with Celeriac, Homemade Beef Stew.

See our wide range of Easy Beef Recipes.

Are you looking for something? Use the search box to find it.

Return from Beef Pie Recipe to Easy Meal Planning

SBI!