I am so excited to be sharing this Ground Beef Hand Pie Recipe with you! These will quickly become a favorite in your house, just like they are in mine.
You are probably already aware that I love pies. Most of the pies featured on my website are sweet pies, but let me tell you. I also really love savory pies as well. If you are looking for some sweet pie recommendations, let me throw these out there as well. How about this chocolate pecan pie recipe? It is the hubby's favorite. If you need a pie to feed a crowd, how about my cherry slab pie?
What Makes These Hand Pies So Good?
First of all the flavor. Is there anything better and more comforting than a beef filling loaded with vegetables all encased in a flaky pie crust? I don't think so either.
These hand pies are hearty and filling. If you are feeding someone with a good appetite, these will work. In my home, I have 2 teenage boys and a husband who eats like a teenager. They all love these.
Hand pies make really great meal prep. These reheat really well, making them ideal for meal prep. Take these to work and all your coworkers will feel jealous! They will hold in the fridge for up to a week!
Another thing to love about these hand pies is they are great comfort food. There is something so cozy about the blend of meat, potatoes, carrots, etc. Plus, the smell will permeate your house and put everyone in a good mood!
Ingredients
- Pie dough- If you are buying it, you will need 2 boxes. If you want to make homemade pie dough, let me recommend my whole grain pie dough, or my spelt pie dough. Both are really great whole grain doughs, that are perfect with this recipe. If you are making my recipes, you will need to double the recipe.
- Ground Beef- I used beef from one of my favorite ranching families, Bingham Beef. Supporting local food producers is really important to me. If you don't have a source, I would recommend a 90/10 blend.
- Carrots
- Celery
- Onions
- Minced garlic
- Potatoes- I recommend a red potato or even yellow creamers. They hold up better than russets.
- Flour- this is used to thicken the filling.
- Beef broth
- Rosemary, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper- dried spices I love to use in this recipe.
How To Make
I like to make the filling, then let it cool before working with it. Otherwise, it makes the pie dough a hot mess.
Start by cooking the ground beef. I let this cook for about 5 minutes, breaking it up and mixing as it is cooking. After 5 minutes, add in the carrots, celery, onions, and potatoes. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally until there is no more pink in the beef.
Then sprinkle the mixture with your flour and mix it in. Cook it for another 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently. This will cook out the flour taste.
Then add in the spices and beef broth. Mix this well, and let it cook for about 10 minutes over medium heat. Make sure to mix occasionally during these 10 minutes. The liquid will reduce down and start to thicken.
Once it is cooked, and only a little liquid remains, remove it from the heat and let it cool.
When the liquid has filling has cooled, it is time to make the pies. Start by rolling your pie dough on a floured surface to about ⅛-1/16 inch thick. I baked my hand pies in a 5-inch pie pan, so I cut my circles at 6-inches. These are cut from a nesting set of biscuit cutters that I used. I cut 6-inch for the bottom of the pan, and 4 inches for the top.
You will need to press the bottom piece a little when you add it to the pan, but not too much. Fill the pie with the beef filling. I like to fill just below the top of the pan. Now, lay the 4-inch pie circle on top and crimp the edges together.
The pies are small, so this takes a little finesse. Brush the tops with the egg wash and bake until they are golden brown.
Notes
- As I noted above, make sure and let the filling cool before you add it to the pies. The pie dough turns into a mess if you don't. You can even make the filling ahead of time, like 2-3 days ahead of time! Just keep it chilled in the fridge until you are ready to use it.
- I like to work quickly with the pie dough. You want it to stay chilled until it hits the hot oven. Along with this tip, you want to also make sure the oven is hot and ready to go when your pies are.
- Another tip that you might find useful is, you can make these hand pies a day ahead of time, place them in the fridge, then bake the following day.
- A hot oven with chilled pie dough is the perfect combination for success.
- These meat pies will hold well in the fridge for up to a week, so they really make a great meal prep idea. In fact, you can always double this recipe and really bulk up. Just make sure you let them cool and wrap them well before putting them in the fridge.
- You can also freeze them after they are baked and cooled. However, I do not like them as well as when they are just refrigerated. But, it is still an option.
FAQ
This is done by crimping the top and bottom crusts together. Yes, you need to pull and tug a bit, but it works.
You can, just make sure they are thawed in the fridge before baking.
I would imagine you could, although I have not tried it yet. If you are wanting to try it, pork, chicken, or turkey should work well.
Ground Beef Hand Pies
Equipment
- mini pie pans or muffin pans
Ingredients
- 1 recipe pie dough this can be homemade or storebought
- 1 ½ pounds ground beef
- ½ cup minced onion
- 1 cup minced celery
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 1 ½ cups chopped potatoes I like to use either red potatoes or creamers.
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon chopped dried rosemary
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 ½ cups beef broth
Egg Wash
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Add your beef to a medium pan and cook for about 3-4 minutes until the beef is almost cooked through. Next, add in the vegetables and mix well. Cook these for about 3 minutes.
- Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and cook this in, stirring frequently for another 2-3 minutes. Then add the broth, mix well, and let this cook until it has thickened. Check for seaosning. Depending on how salty your broth is, you might need to add salt.
- Remove from heat and allow this mixture to cool slightly. This can even be made ahead of time- like 3 days ahead of time. Store in the fridge in an airtight container.
- When you are ready, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Roll your pie dough to about ⅛ inch. If you are using the mini pie pans, cut a circle that is about 5-6 inches and press gently into the pan. Cut 6 of these and 3-inch circles for the top.
- If you are using the muffin pan, cut a 6, 4-inch circle. Then cut 6, 2 ½-inch circles. Press gently into space. Now,
- Whatever size you used, fill the cavity with the beef filling. Top with the smaller circles and press the sides closed if you like.
- Make your egg wash and brush the pies with the egg wash. I like to put these on a baking sheet in case they spill over.
- Bake for about 20-25 minutes until they are a beautiful golden brown.
- Remove from oven and they are ready to go. These can be served hot or cooled slightly. You cannot go wrong with these!
Notes
- As I noted above, make sure and let the filling cool before you add it to the pies. The pie dough turns into a mess if you don't. You can even make the filling ahead of time, like 2-3 days ahead of time! Just keep it chilled in the fridge until you are ready to use it.
- I like to work quickly with the pie dough. You want it to stay chilled until it hits the hot oven. Along with this tip, you want to also make sure the oven is hot and ready to go when your pies are.
- Another tip that you might find useful is, you can make these hand pies a day ahead of time, place them in the fridge, then bake the following day.
- A hot oven with chilled pie dough is the perfect combination for success.
- These meat pies will hold well in the fridge for up to a week, so they really make a great meal prep idea. In fact, you can always double this recipe and really bulk up. Just make sure you let them cool and wrap them well before putting them in the fridge.
- You can also freeze them after they are baked and cooled. However, I do not like them as well as when they are just refrigerated. But, it is still an option.