This delicious “lid only” Steak Pie is a quintessentially British dish made of slow-cooked beef and topped with flaky golden shortcrust pastry. It is the ultimate comfort food for cold winter nights when paired with some Creamy Mashed Potatoes on the side.
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This beef pie is fairly easy to make but it takes some time to cook the chunky diced beef for the filling. My version of this traditional dish has some dried porcini mushrooms to enhance the flavour. You can omit the dried porcini if you don't want to use it but I would highly recommend using it.
Why This Recipe Works?
- This "lid only" pie is made with less shortcrust pastry than a traditional pie, which makes it relatively healthier.
- You can easily make this pie with leftover beef from roast beef dinner.
- It is easy to make with step-by-step instructions and pictures.
- You can prepare the filling in advance. It tastes even better the day after!
- The pastry is extremely crispy and delicious and also can be made a couple of days ahead.
Ingredients and Substitutes
Beef Filling
- Diced beef - The best beef for steak pie is chuck or braising steak which is ideal for slow cooking.
- Dried porcini mushroom - That is my magic ingredient for the steak pie filling and I love using it in this dish as it enhances the flavour.
- Mushrooms - Mushroom and steak are best friends and you can use any type of mushroom for beef pie. I sometimes use fresh wild mushrooms when I am lucky enough to find some.
- Onions- I generally use brown onions for my cooking but you can use yellow, white or even red onions.
- Carrots- Carrots are great in steak pie filling for texture and also give some bright color to a very brown dish.
- Tomato paste - Gives color and texture to the sauce. I also like the tanginess of tomato paste which adds this umami flavour to the dishes.
- Flour- The use of plain flour is necessary for thickening the gravy.
- Beef stock and stock cube - A good Homemade Beef Stock is the secret to delicious stews, soups and sauces! You can use a good quality store-bought beef stock if you don't have homemade stock. Check the seasoning before adding salt to the beef filling as ready-made stocks contain some salt already. Use extra stock cube for strong beef flavour.
- Worcestershire sauce - Worcestershire Sauce has a powerful umami flavor, which comes from anchovies or soy sauce. It enhances the other umami ingredients such as tomato paste and dried porcinis.
- Herbs - I use thyme, bay leaves and parsley for this recipe but you can use rosemary or any other herbs that you like pairing with steak.
Shortcrust Pastry
- Unsalted butter - Unsalted butter has a fresher, purer flavour and easier to control the amount of salt going into the pastry. Make sure the butter is very cold and cut into small cubes.
- All-purpose or plain flour - Plain flour has less protein which is perfect for making a shortcrust pastry that is crumbly.
- 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 yoghurt and oil instead of egg yolk.
Step-by Step Instructions
It is fairly easy to make this rich and hearty Steak Pie with mushrooms but to achieve the best results, you need to follow a few simple steps:
- Prepare the pie filling - Place the dried porcini mushrooms in a pan, add 250 ml water and bring to a boil on medium heat. When it boils, take the pan off the heat and let the mushrooms soak for 15 to 20 minutes. When the porcini mushrooms are softened, remove them from the liquid and roughly chop if they are too chunky. Reserve the liquid to use later for cooking the meat. You can skip this step if not using dried porcinis. Heat a dutch oven or a large heavy-based pan on medium to high heat and add the olive oil. When the pan is hot enough, add the meat and sauté until brown on all sides. Lower the heat, add the onions to the pan and sauté for few minutes until they are soft and lightly browned. Add the carrots, porcini mushrooms, button or chestnut mushrooms and garlic, sauté for few more minutes.
Stir in the tomato paste and cook for a few minutes, then sprinkle on the flour. It’s okay if it sticks a little to the bottom of the pan. Deglaze the pan using the liquid from the porcini mushrooms (if you skipped the porcini mushrooms, add extra beef stock). Add the beef stock just enough to cover the meat along with black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, thyme and bay leaves.
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. The gravy should ideally be thick enough to cover the back of a spoon. If the gravy is too runny, cook the pie filling further without the lid until the gravy reduces down to the right consistency. Let it cool down for an hour at room temperature and meanwhile, prepare the pastry.
- Prepare the Shortcrust Pastry - Shortcrust pastry is very simple to make and only contains few ingredients. The secret of a flaky shortcrust pastry is the cold butter and very cold iced water. It’s also very important not to overwork the dough. To make the pastry, sift 160 grams of plain flour in a bowl and mix with salt. Cut 115 grams of cold butter into small cubes and add to the flour. Rub the flour and the butter with your fingertips only until the mixture is like fine breadcrumbs. Add a little cold water just enough to form a firm dough. You might not need all the water given in the recipe. Knead the dough briefly on a lightly floured surface and form a ball. Wrap in cling film and let it rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour before rolling it out.
- Assemble the Steak Pie - You can start assembling your pie when the pie filling gets to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan oven). Transfer the pie filling into a 27 cm x 19 cm oval pie dish (or alternatively 25 cm diameter pie dish). Take the pastry out of the fridge and leave it at room temperature for about 10 mins. Roll the pastry out on the lightly floured surface big enough to cover the dish. Cover the pie with the pastry and trim off any excess with a knife. Crimp the edge of the pastry along the rim of the dish using your thumb to seal the mixture.
Make some decorations using the leftover pastry. Simply form a small ball using the leftover pastry pieces from the trimmings and roll it out on a lightly floured surface. 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. Brush the pastry with egg wash and open a small hole in the middle to let the steam out while cooking. Cook in the preheated oven for about 35 to 40 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is bubbling.
Related Recipes
Love British Cuisine? Here are more recipes you might find interesting.
Our favourite side dish to serve with this rich and hearty pie is Creamy Mashed Potatoes. Alternatively, you can serve with roast potatoes or chunky cut chips. You can add some green vegetables to your plate if you want to have a more colourful and healthier meal. The salad also goes great with this hearty & chunky beef pie. Why not try with a bowl of Rocket & Parmesan Salad or Summer Chickpea Salad?
You can reheat steak pie in the oven or microwave. To reheat in the oven, cover the pie with tin foil to avoid burning and make sure it is piping hot before serving. To reheat in the microwave, reheat the pie for 2 to 3 minutes depending on your microwave's power. Finish it in a hot oven for a crunchy crust.
Top Tip From the Chef
Make your steak pie filling a day ahead. The taste of the filling will develop overnight and it will also save you time on the day you are cooking the pie.
Kitchen Gadgets I Love
I hope you enjoy the process of making this easy Steak Pie as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂
Bon appétit! / Afiyet Olsun!
Steak Pie with Shortcrust Pastry
Ingredients
Steak and Mushroom Pie Filling
- 20 g dried porcini mushroom (soaked in 250 ml boiling water for 20 minutes and chopped)
- 500 g diced beef (braising steak or chuck steak)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion (diced)
- 200 g button or chestnut mushrooms (cut in quarters)
- 1 large carrot (chunky diced)
- 2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 ½ tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 250 ml soaking liquid from dried porcini mushrooms
- 500 ml beef stock
- 1 beef stock cube
- 4 springs thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon parsley (finely chopped)
- salt (to taste)
Shortcrust Pastry
- 115 g unsalted butter (diced and cold)
- 160 g all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 60 ml water (very cold)
- 1 egg yolk (for egg wash)
Instructions
Cooking the Pie Filling
- Soak dried porcini in 250ml boiling water for 15 minutes.
- Spoon out the porcini mushrooms, roughly chop and keep the liquid for cooking the pie filling.
- Heat a large pan or Dutch oven over medium to high heat and add olive oil.
- Add the beef when the pan is hot enough and brown well on all sides.
- Lower the heat and add the onions, sauté until soft and lightly browned.
- Add the carrots, porcini mushrooms, button or chestnut mushrooms, and garlic, saute for a few more minutes.
- Stir in the tomato paste until all combined and cook for a few minutes.
- Sprinkle on the flour and stir well together.
- Deglaze the pan with the liquid from dried porcini mushrooms then add the beef stock just enough to cover the beef.
- Crumble the beef stock cube in and add the thyme, bay leaves, freshly ground black pepper, and the Worcestershire sauce.
- Bring the pan to boil and simmer gently on low heat for about 2 to 2.5 hours or until the meat is tender.
- When the meat is cooked, you should have some gravy left in the filling thick enough to cover the back of a spoon. If the gravy is too runny, cook it further without the lid and reduce the gravy down to the right consistency. Check the seasoning and add some salt if needed.
- Transfer the filling in a 27 cm x 19 cm oval pie dish (or alternatively 25 cm diameter pie dish), remove the thyme and the bay leaves and let it cool down to room temperature.
Shortcrust Pastry
- Sift the flour into a large bowl and add the salt, sugar, and diced butter.
- Rub the butter in flour with your fingertips until the mixture is like fine breadcrumbs.
- Add the water gradually just enough to make a firm dough.
- Knead the dough briefly on a floured surface and turn it into a ball.
- Wrap in a cling film and rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour before rolling it out.
Assembling the Steak and Mushroom Pie
- When the filling is cooled down to room temperature, take the pastry out of the fridge and leave it at room temperature for 10 minutes before rolling it out.
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (fan oven).
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry slightly larger than the pie dish.
- Cover the top of the pie dish with the pastry, trim the edges if needed and push them down with a fork.
- Make some decorations from the leftover pastry using a small knife or small cookie cutters if you want a fancy-looking pie.
- Brush the pastry with egg wash and make a hole in the middle to let the steam out while cooking.
- Cook in the oven for about 35 to 40 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.
Nutrition
FOOD SAFETY
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Don’t leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
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Did you make this recipe?
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Ayla
Perfect recipe for winter