Steak Pie

My Steak Pie recipe has slow-cooked beef, mushrooms, carrots, and a deep, rich gravy under a golden homemade shortcrust pastry top. I add dried porcini mushrooms for extra flavor, and the beef cooks gently until soft and tender.

It takes a little time to cook, but most of it is hands-off. There is no pastry base to roll or blind bake, and you can make the filling up to two days ahead. Serve this steak and mushroom pie with mashed potatoes, peas, roasted carrots, or buttery cabbage for a family dinner or Sunday lunch.

Jump to:

• Why You Should Make This Recipe
• Ingredients You'll Need
• How to Make Steak Pie
• Recipe Tips From the Chef
• What to Serve with Steak Pie
• Make Ahead, Storing, Freezing, and Reheating
• Recipe FAQs
• Related Recipes
• Steak Pie Recipe with Shortcrust Pastry

A lovely comment from a reader

“Thought a pie was well out of my skillset. It wasn’t! Easy and delicious, plus a crowd pleaser!”
Angela

Why You Should Make This Recipe

• The beef filling is cooked slowly with fresh mushrooms, dried porcini mushrooms, carrots, and herbs for plenty of flavor.

• You only need pastry for the top, so there is no bottom crust to line, bake, or worry about becoming soggy.

• The filling can be made up to two days ahead, which makes the final bake much easier on the day.

• It is a great recipe for a family meal, Sunday lunch, or when you have guests coming over.

• Leftovers reheat well, and you can freeze the cooked filling for another day.

Ingredients You'll Need

Please scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredients list with measurements, complete recipe method, recipe notes, and nutritional information.

Ingredients for Beef Filling

• Diced beef - Use braising steak, beef chuck, or beef shin. These cuts need gentle cooking, but they become soft and full of flavor after a couple of hours in the gravy.

• Dried porcini mushrooms - Porcini mushrooms give the filling a deeper mushroom flavor. Soak them in boiling water, then use both the mushrooms and the strained soaking liquid.

• Fresh mushrooms - Button mushrooms, chestnut mushrooms, or cremini mushrooms all work well. Use what is easy to find.

• Garlic, onion, carrots - These vegetables add sweetness and body to the filling.

• Tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce - Tomato paste gives the gravy a darker color and a little tang. Worcestershire sauce works well with the beef, mushrooms, and stock.

• Beef stock and stock cube - Use Homemade Beef Stock when you have it, or a good quality store-bought stock. Taste the filling before adding salt because the stock cube and Worcestershire sauce already add seasoning.

• Herbs - I use thyme, bay leaves, and parsley for this recipe to keep the flavors simple. They work well with the beef and mushrooms.

Ingredients for the Shortcrust Pastry

You can use ready-rolled shortcrust pastry when you are short on time. You will need enough to cover a 10-inch, or 25 cm, pie dish.

• Unsalted butter - Unsalted butter has a fresher, purer flavor and is easier to control the amount of salt going into the pastry. Make sure the butter is very cold and cut it into small cubes.

• All-purpose or plain flour - It has less protein, which is perfect for making a crumbly shortcrust pastry.

• Water - The amount of water you need depends on the humidity of the room so add it carefully, just enough to get the right consistency. You might not need all the water given in the recipe.

• Egg yolk - Egg yolk gives a bright golden brown color to the pastry. You can also use a mixture of yogurt and oil instead of egg yolk for the egg wash.

How to Make Steak Pie

Prepare the Pie Filling

Place the dried porcini mushrooms in a pan, add 1 cup/250 ml of water, and bring to a boil on medium heat. When it boils, take the pan off the heat and let the mushrooms soak for 20 minutes.

Lift the mushrooms out with a fork, roughly chop them, and set them aside. Strain the soaking liquid through a fine mesh strainer lined with kitchen paper or a coffee filter. Dried mushrooms can leave a little grit at the bottom of the bowl.

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat.

Add the beef in two batches and brown it well on all sides. Give each batch enough room in the pan so the beef browns instead of steaming. Lower the heat to medium and add the onion. Cook for about 5 minutes until softened and lightly colored.

Add the carrot, fresh mushrooms, and garlic. Cook for another 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Add the flour and stir for another minute so it coats the meat and vegetables.

Pour in the strained porcini soaking liquid and scrape the bottom of the pan to lift any browned bits.

Add the beef stock, stock cube, chopped porcini mushrooms, thyme, bay leaves, black pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then lower the heat.

Bring it to a boil and gently simmer on low heat for about 2 to 2.5 hours or until the meat is tender. Check the seasoning and add some salt if needed. When the meat is cooked, you should have some gravy left in the pan. Cover the pan loosely and simmer for 2 to 2½ hours, until the beef is soft.

Take the lid off near the end if the gravy looks thin. Keep cooking until it coats the back of a spoon.

Stir in the parsley and taste for seasoning. Remove the thyme stems and bay leaves, then spoon the filling into an 11 x 7-inch, or 27 x 19 cm, oval pie dish or a 10-inch, or 25 cm, round pie dish.

Leave the filling to cool before covering it with pastry.

Make the Shortcrust Pastry

While the filling cooks, add the flour, salt, sugar, and cold diced butter to a large bowl. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs. A few small pieces of butter are fine.

Add the cold water gradually, mixing only until the dough comes together. You might not need every drop of water.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and bring it together briefly. Shape it into a disc, wrap it, and chill for at least 1 hour.

Cover and Bake the Pie

Heat the oven to 180°C fan / 200°C conventional / 400°F.

Take the pastry out of the refrigerator about 10 minutes before rolling. Roll it out on a lightly floured surface until it is large enough to cover the pie dish with a little extra around the edge.

Lay the pastry over the cooled filling. Trim any excess, then press the edges around the rim of the dish with your fingers or a fork.

Brush the pastry with egg yolk. Cut a small hole in the middle so steam can escape while the pie bakes. Use the leftover pastry to make a few simple decorations on top if you like.

Cut the pastry into odd-shaped pieces with a small knife and cover the top of the pie with the pieces of pastry. You can also use small cookie cutters to decorate your pie.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is bubbling around the edges.

Leave the pie to stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe Tips From the Chef

• Make sure the gravy is thick before you transfer the filling to the pie dish. It should coat the back of a spoon and sit around the beef. A thin gravy will soften the pastry underneath.

• Let the filling cool before adding the pastry. Warm filling creates steam, which can make the pastry soft before it goes into the oven.

• Keep the butter cold and avoid handling the pastry for too long. Shortcrust pastry only needs enough mixing to bring it together.

• Make the filling the day before when you want less work on the day. Keep it covered in the refrigerator, then top it with pastry before baking.

• Use ready-rolled shortcrust pastry when you are short on time. It still gives you a good homemade steak pie.

What to Serve with Steak Pie

Pomme Purée (Creamy Mashed Potatoes) is my usual choice with steak pie. It works especially well with the rich beef and mushroom filling. You can also serve it with Duck Fat Roasted Potatoes, Swede and Carrot Mash, or Crispy Sauté Potatoes With Garlic. Add peas, Green Bean Casserole, tenderstem broccoli, or buttery cabbage on the side. Coban Salatasi (Turkish Shepherd Salad) or Indian Chickpea Salad are good options for a larger family meal.

Make Ahead, Storing, Freezing, and Reheating

You can make the steak and mushroom filling up to 2 days ahead. Let it cool, cover it, and keep it in the refrigerator. Spoon it into the pie dish, cover with pastry, and bake when you are ready.

The pastry can also be made up to 2 days ahead. Wrap it well and keep it in the refrigerator. Leave it at room temperature for around 10 minutes before rolling so it does not crack.

Let leftover pie cool, then cover and refrigerate it. Eat it within 2 days.

Reheat portions in a 160°C fan / 180°C conventional / 350°F oven until steaming hot throughout. Cover the pastry loosely with aluminum foil if it is already dark enough.

Freeze the cooked filling without the pastry for up to 3 months. Defrost it overnight in the refrigerator, reheat it until hot, then let it cool before adding fresh pastry and baking.

Recipe FAQs

Related Recipes

For more scrumptious British 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 British Steak Pie with shortcrust pastry as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂