Steak Pie

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 Pomme Purée (Creamy Mashed Potatoes) on the side.

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 flavor.

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 a roast beef dinner.

• This steak pie recipe is easy to make with step-by-step instructions and pictures.

• You can prepare the filling in advance. This Steak Pie 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

For 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 flavor.

• Mushrooms - Mushrooms 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.

• Garlic - Fresh garlic is a great flavoring that adds sweetness and nuttiness to stews and soups. Turn it into a paste with a Mortar and Pestle or grate it using a Microplane Zester Grater.

• Tomato paste - It gives color and texture to the sauce. I also like the tanginess of tomato paste which adds this umami flavor to the dishes. You can find it in Turkish or Middle Eastern shops. You can also buy it online from Amazon.

• Beef stock and stock cube - A good Homemade Beef Stock is the secret to delicious stews, soups, and sauces! You can use 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.

• 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 porcini.

• 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.

For the Shortcrust Pastry

• Unsalted butter - Unsalted butter has a fresher, purer flavor and 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 - 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 yogurt and oil instead of egg yolk for the egg wash.

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 20 minutes.

When the porcini mushrooms are softened, remove them from the liquid and roughly chop them if they are too chunky.

Reserve the liquid to use later for cooking the meat.

You can skip this step if not using dried porcini.

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 a few minutes until they are soft and lightly browned.

Add the carrots, button or chestnut mushrooms, garlic, and sauté for a 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 porcini mushrooms, 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 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 a few ingredients.

The secret of a flaky shortcrust pastry is 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 it 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 - 350° F (fan oven).

Transfer the pie filling into a 27cm x 19cm (11" x 7")oval pie dish (or alternatively a 25 cm - 10" diameter pie dish).

Take the pastry out of the fridge and then leave it at room temperature for about 10 mins.

Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface big enough to cover the dish.

Cover the pie with the pastry and then 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.

Brush the pastry with egg wash.

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.

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.

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

Top Tips From the Chef

• When making the shortcrust pastry, make sure the butter is very cold and cut it into small cubes.

• Knead the dough briefly, don't overwork it.

• 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.

Serving Suggestions

Our favorite side dish to serve with this rich and hearty Steak Pie is some Pomme Purée (Creamy Mashed Potatoes).

Alternatively, you can serve it with Duck Fat Roasted Potatoes, Swede and Carrot Mash, or Crispy Sauté Potatoes With Garlic.

You can add some green vegetables to your plate if you want to have a more colorful and healthier meal.

The salad also goes great with this hearty & chunky beef pie. Why not try with a bowl of Coban Salatasi (Turkish Shepherd Salad) or Indian Chickpea Salad?

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! 🙂 

Bon appétit! / Afiyet olsun!

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