This scrumptious Phyllo Meat and Spinach Pie (Egyptian Goulash) recipe is made of layers of thin filo pastries stuffed with a spicy beef & spinach filling. It is extremely easy to make, tastes absolutely delicious, and is perfect for family gatherings.
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This flavorsome savory pastry is crispy and flaky on the outside, and soft and slightly spiced on the inside. They are a family favorite and we love eating them for breakfast/brunch or as a light meal along with a bowl of Coban Salatasi (Turkish Shepherd's Salad).
What is Phyllo Meat and Spinach Pie (Egyptian Goulash)?
Phyllo Meat and Spinach Pie (or Egyptian Goulash) is a scrumptious phyllo meat pie made of layering thin phyllo (or filo) pastries with lightly spiced meat and onion filling sandwiched in between. The pie is soaked in an egg, oil, and yogurt mixture before baking to achieve a soft, moist, and gooey inside. You can serve them as a main dish or a side, and the leftovers are great for packed lunches or picnics.
Egyptian Goulash is very similar to Turkish Borek (a.k.a Börek, Burek, or Bourekas). Borek is usually made with either yufka (round-shaped, thin, unleavened flatbread) or phyllo (or filo) pastries and filled with various fillings such as meat, vegetables, or cheese. Check out my
Egyptian Goulash shouldn't be confused with Hungarian Goulash which is made of slow-cooked meat and paprika.
If you love pastries made with phyllo, you might want to check out my other recipes such as Cheese Borek - Peynirli Borek, The Best Baklava Cheesecake, Lamb Beyti Kebab, and Easy Turkish Pistachio Baklava Recipe.
Why This Recipe Works?
- This delicious phyllo pie with meat is extremely easy to make and impressive enough to serve for your dinner guests.
- You can use the spinach and meat filling to make one of my scrumptious borek recipes such as Spinach and Feta Borek and Spinach Borek (Ispanakli Borek).
- The leftovers of Egyptian Goulash are perfect for a packed lunch, afternoon snacks, or picnics.
Ingredients and Substitutes
Egyptian Goulash Meat and Spinach Filling
- Ground beef - Same as I use for my Mince Beef Pie recipe, I use ground beef with a minimum of 15-20% fat for extra flavor. Mince with a high-fat ratio releases enough fat to sauté the onions when you brown them, therefore, you don't need to add any olive oil!
- Onions - You can use yellow or brown onions. They add umami flavor and sweetness to the mince and spinach filling.
- Garlic - Fresh garlic is a great flavoring that adds sweetness and nuttiness to dishes. Turn it into a paste with a Mortar and Pestle or grate it using a Microplane Zester Grater. I use two large or three small fresh garlic cloves for this recipe.
- Chilli - It is optional and should be adjusted to your taste. You can substitute it with flaked chili or chili powder.
- Spinach - I use baby spinach leaves. Always wash the spinach thoroughly before using it for cooking or salads. Dry them using a salad spinner or leave them on a colander until the leaves are dry. You can use frozen spinach instead, just make sure you squeeze the water out.
- Tomatoes - Use nice fresh and ripen tomatoes or substitute them with a tablespoon of tomato paste.
- Seasoning - Adjust the amount of the seasoning to your taste. Add any other spices you like to create your version.
Ingredients for Phyllo Meat and Spinach Pie
- Phyllo Pastry - Filo is a very thin unleavened dough used for making pastries such as baklava and borek in Turkish and Mediterranean cooking. I used 2 packs of filo dough, 20 sheets (500 grams - 1.1 pounds) in total for this savory meat pie. You can buy them fresh or frozen from most supermarkets.
- Eggs - They give color as well as flavor to the borek. You can omit and add extra oil and/or yogurt to the sauce.
- Oil - It adds an extra crispness to the Egyptian Goulash. You can substitute it with melted butter, olive oil, sunflower oil, or rapeseed oil.
- Soda water - It gives crispness to the pastries. You can substitute it with sparkling water or melted butter.
- Yogurt - Use plain or natural yogurt with no sugar & flavor added. Yogurt gives the pastries a fluffy and light texture.
Please see the recipe card below for exact quantities.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Making this Phyllo Meat and Spinach Pie (or Egyptian Goulash) is easier than you think. To achieve the best results, you need to follow a few simple steps:
Prepare the Filling
Put a large frying pan or a wok on medium heat and add the ground beef. Cook it until brown, breaking it down into small pieces with a wooden spoon.
Add olive oil and the onions to the pan, and then sauté until soft and translucent before adding the garlic and chili. If you use ground beef with some fat, you might not need olive oil for the onions.
Sauté them for another minute before adding the tomatoes. Cook the tomatoes for a few minutes and then add black pepper, paprika, and salt.
Add the spinach and then sauté until soft, let the water evaporate if there is any.
Give it a good stir and then remove the pan from the heat.
Let the filling cool down for 10 minutes.
Build the Egyptian Goulash
To make the sauce, place the egg whites, yogurt, oil, salt, and soda water in a jug or bowl and then whisk until combined.
Preheat the oven to 180° C (360° F).
Lay one piece of phyllo sheet on the bottom of a lightly greased baking dish size of 24cm x 33cm x 6cm (9 ½" x 13" x 2 ¼").
Drizzle on 1-1 ½ tablespoon of the sauce, and then spread it evenly using a brush. Lay another sheet of filo on top and then drizzle some more sauce, spreading it evenly. Repeat until you used half of the phyllo sheets.
Place the meat and spinach filling on top of the last phyllo sheet and spread it evenly.
Layer the remaining phyllo sheets on top of the spinach and meat filling repeating the same process as before until the phyllo sheets are used up.
Carefully cut the phyllo pie into 12 equal squares using a sharp knife.
Whisk the egg yolks into the remaining sauce and then pour it evenly on top of the pie. Sprinkle on some sesame seeds and/or nigella seeds.
Place the pie into the preheated oven and then bake it for 35 to 40 minutes, until it is golden and crispy.
Let the Egyptian Goulash rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Top Tips From the Chef
- If using frozen phyllo pastry, make sure to defrost it either overnight in the fridge or for a few hours on your counter. Do not use your microwave to thaw the phyllo pastries!
- To avoid the phyllo pastries drying out, use a damp clean kitchen towel to cover them.
- Cut the phyllo meat and spinach pie into squares before baking. Cutting your pie after baking will be more difficult as the crust will be too crispy to have nice and clean cuts.
- Make sure the oven is heated to 180° C - 360° F (fan oven) before you put the Egyptian Goulash in. A cold oven would cause a longer cooking time and less crispy pastries.
What to Serve with Egyptian Goulash - Phyllo Meat and Spinach Pie?
Phyllo Meat and Spinach Pie is very versatile and can be served for brunch, lunch, or dinner. It is also great to have them as an afternoon snack or picnic.
There are many ways to enjoy these delicious savory phyllo pies. Try them with a bowl of soup such as Mediterranean Lentil Soup, Ezogelin Corbasi (Ezogelin Soup), Vegan Pumpkin Soup, or Red Pepper and Tomato Soup.
If you want to serve them as a light lunch, they go perfectly with a bowl of salad such as Baba Ganoush Without Tahini, Rocket and Parmesan Salad, Taboule (Lebanese Tabouli Salad), or Austrian Style Potato Salad (Erdäpfelsalat).
Recipe FAQs
It is very easy to reheat the leftovers. Simply cover them with tin foil and then place them in a preheated oven (180° C - 360° F) or air fryer for about 10 minutes, or until they are piping hot in the middle. Give extra 5 minutes for frozen pastries.
Alternatively, you can reheat them in a microwave for a couple of minutes but they would lose their crispness.
The leftover pastries would keep for up to 5 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer. Let them totally cool down and tightly cover them with plastic wrappers before placing them in the freezer!
Yes, you can prepare the meat and spinach filling a couple of days in advance and keep it refrigerated until you want to build your phyllo pie.
You can also assemble the whole pie a few days before you want to bake them. The phyllo pie will absorb nicely the sauce in meanwhile. So go ahead and pour the sauce on top, sprinkle it with sesame seeds, and keep the pie refrigerated until you want to bake them.
Related Recipes
For other delicious savory pie recipes why not try:
Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.
I hope you enjoy the process of making this hearty and flavorsome Egyptian Goulash recipe as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂
Bon appétit! / Afiyet olsun!
Phyllo Meat and Spinach Pie (Egyptian Goulash)
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Mince and Spinach Filling
- 400 g minced beef or lamb
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 medium onions (finely chopped)
- 1 clove garlic (finely chopped)
- ½ red chilli (or ½ teaspoon chilli flakes)
- 2 medium tomatoes (finely diced)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 400 g spinach (washed thoroughly, dried and chopped)
For the Sauce
- 100 g yoghurt (½ cup)
- 100 ml vegetable or sunflower oil (½ cup)
- 1 cup soda water or sparkling water
- 2 egg whites (yolks to be used for egg wash)
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the Borek
- 500 g filo pastry (20 sheets in total)
- 2 egg yolks
- Sesame seeds or Nigella seeds
Instructions
Preparing the Meat and Spinach Filling
- Put a large frying pan or a wok on medium heat and add the ground beef.
- Cook it until brown, breaking it down into small pieces with a wooden spoon.
- Add olive oil and the onions to the pan, and sauté until soft and translucent. If you use ground beef with some fat, you might not need olive oil for the onions.
- Add the garlic and chili, and sauté for another minute before adding the tomatoes.
- Cook the tomatoes for a few minutes and then add chili, black pepper, paprika, and salt.
- Add the spinach and sauté until soft, let the water evaporate if there is any.
- Remove the pan from the heat and let the filling cool down for 10 minutes.
Building the Egyptian Goulash
- To make the sauce, place the egg whites, yoghurt, oil, salt and soda water in a jug or bowl and whisk until combined.
- Preheat the oven to 180° C (360° F).
- Lay one piece of phyllo sheet on the bottom of a lightly greased baking dish size of 24cm x 33cm x 6cm (9 ½" x 13" x 2 ¼").
- Drizzle on 1-1 ½ tablespoon of the sauce, and then spread it evenly using a brush.
- Lay another sheet of filo on top and then drizzle some more sauce, spreading it evenly. Repeat until you used half of the phyllo sheets.
- Place the meat and spinach filling on top of the last phyllo sheet and spread it evenly.
- Layer the remaining phyllo sheets on top of the spinach and meat filling repeating the same process as before until the phyllo sheets are used up.
- Carefully cut the phyllo pie into 12 equal squares using a sharp knife.
- Whisk the egg yolks into the remaining sauce and then pour it evenly on top of the pie. Sprinkle on some sesame seeds and/or nigella seeds.
- Place the pie into the preheated oven and then bake it for 35 to 40 minutes, until it is golden and crispy.
- Let the Egyptian Goulash rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Notes
- If using frozen phyllo pastry, make sure to defrost it either overnight in the fridge or for a few hours on your counter. Do not use your microwave to thaw the phyllo pastries!
- To avoid the phyllo pastries drying out, use a damp clean kitchen towel to cover them.
- Cut the phyllo meat and spinach pie into squares before baking. Cutting your pie after baking will be more difficult as the crust will be too crispy to have nice and clean cuts.
- Make sure the oven is heated to 180° C - 360° F (fan oven) before you put the Egyptian Goulash in. A cold oven would cause a longer cooking time and less crispy pastries.
Nutrition
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Lisa
Another delicious Turkish pastry, thank you for sharing this recipe. I will buy some filo today. Can I make this borek with vegetarian spinach filling?
Ayla Clulee
Hi Lisa
Thank you for your kind words:)
Yes, vegetarian spinach filling would work perfectly, with or without feta cheese.
Hope you enjoy it!