Beef Pie with Crust (Printable)
Tender beef and veggies in rich sauce baked in a golden, flaky crust for cozy dinners.
# What You Need:
→ Filling
01 - 2 lbs beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
02 - 2 tbsp vegetable oil
03 - 1 large onion, finely chopped
04 - 2 medium carrots, diced
05 - 2 celery stalks, diced
06 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
07 - 2 tbsp tomato paste
08 - 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
09 - 2 cups beef broth
10 - 1 cup red wine (optional, replaceable with additional broth)
11 - 1 tsp dried thyme
12 - 1 tsp dried rosemary
13 - 2 bay leaves
14 - 1 cup frozen peas
15 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
→ Crust
16 - 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
17 - 1 tsp salt
18 - 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
19 - 6 to 8 tbsp ice water
20 - 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
# How-To Steps:
01 - Heat vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season beef cubes with salt and pepper, then brown in batches until well-seared. Remove beef and set aside.
02 - In the same pot, add onion, carrots, and celery; cook for 5 minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook for an additional 1 minute.
03 - Stir in tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes. Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and stir thoroughly to coat evenly.
04 - Gradually add beef broth and red wine while scraping up browned bits from the pot. Return browned beef to the pot. Stir in thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves.
05 - Bring mixture to a simmer, cover, and cook over low heat for 1.5 hours until beef is tender and sauce has thickened.
06 - Remove bay leaves, stir in frozen peas, and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. Allow filling to cool to room temperature.
07 - In a mixing bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in cold butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Gradually add ice water, mixing lightly just until dough forms. Divide dough in half, shape each into a disc, wrap tightly, and chill for 30 minutes.
08 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Roll out one dough disc on a floured surface to fit a 9-inch pie dish. Line the dish with the dough and fill with the cooled beef mixture.
09 - Roll out the second dough disc and cover the pie. Trim excess dough, crimp edges to seal, and cut small slits on top to allow steam to escape. Brush entire crust with beaten egg wash.
10 - Place pie in the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the crust is golden brown. Cool slightly before serving.
# Helpful Tips:
01 -
- The filling tastes even better the next day, so you can make it ahead without stress.
- That first crack through the golden crust into tender beef and gravy is pure comfort, every single time.
- It feeds a crowd and makes your kitchen smell like home.
02 -
- Don't skip cooling the filling—hot gravy will soak into the pastry and make it soggy and sad instead of flaky and crisp.
- Those bay leaves need to come out before serving; one bite of one will ruin someone's meal and your dinner party.
- The beef needs real time to become tender; rushing the simmer leaves you with tough, chewy chunks no matter what else you do right.
03 -
- Make the filling a day or two ahead and reheat it gently; the flavors deepen and you skip the stress of cooking everything at once.
- Cut small, deliberate slits in the top crust—too many and the gravy bubbles out, but too few and steam has nowhere to go, making the crust soggy.