You cant beat this rich, meaty and delicious homemade steak pie, filled with slow cooked beef and potatoes it's the ultimate comfort food.
No it doesn’t come with a couple of horns sticking out like your Desperate Dan classic, but it’s still a damn good meat and potato pie.
After eating this, can you believe that Chris (with a large smile on his face) actually said these words: "I love you more when you make me pie". Putting aside the tongue-in-cheek emotional blackmail, I’ve just got to say yum and double yum.
This is no light-weight ‘pastry lid’ pie.
This is pastry base, pastry sides and pastry topping. I use ready-made shortcrust pastry for this recipe (I find the ready-made stuff to be almost as good as homemade, so I only make it myself when I’ve got plenty of time).
First soften some onions in a pan with a little oil:
What cut of beef is best for pies?
The best cuts for a slow cooked steak pie are chuck or silverside, or any braising beef you can get from your local supermarket will do just fine. You don't need to use expensive cuts of meat for this steak pie.
- Chuck steak (braising steak) – comes from the forequarter- Consisting of parts of the neck, shoulder blade, and upper arm.
- It’s a tough but very flavorful cut of meat. It has a lot of connective tissue, which needs long slow cooking to break down and become tender. Cut into bite-size chunks, or you can use bigger chunks and shred the beef into strips.
- Silverside (bottom round) – comes from the hindquarter – just above the back leg
- It’s a leaner, inexpensive cut of meat with little marbling. The lack of fat means it doesn’t have as much flavour as chuck steak, so make sure you use good quality stock to cook it in. It’s good for slow cooking, but must be cooked with moisture/liquid so doesn’t dry out and become tough.
Coat your steak in a seasoned flour (this will help thicken the sauce later):
Add it to the onions and brown, then add stock, seasoning, Worcestershire sauce and some chopped potato. I like to add half the potato at the beginning, as these potatoes will soften quite a lot during the cooking process and will help to thicken the mixture. Then I add more potato about half way through the cooking time, so there are some slightly firmer potatoes in there too.
Bring to the boil, then place in the oven at 150C/300F for an hour, before adding in those extra potatoes and cooking for a further hour.
Spoon the beef mixture into a pie dish lined with pastry (no need to blind baked first).
Place a pastry lid on top and pinch the edges of the pastry for a decorative crust.
Brush with egg wash and place in the oven for 30-35 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown.
So delicious for a winter dinner!
What do you serve with steak pie?
This meat and potato pie is almost a meal in itself so you dont need loads of sides. I like to serve mine with:
- Green veg (hmmmm loving the those sprouts!!) and carrots.
- If we are feeling particularly hungry mashed potato.
- How about try it along with my super easy cauliflower cheese.
- Some pickled cabbage
- Simple Butter Pepper Carrots
- Chris likes cauliflower and broccoli as "its the perfect veg for soaking up the gravy" < thats the extra gravy i have to make 🙂
Can you freeze a steak pie
Yes, you can make the whole pie and cook it, then cool, cover and freeze it. Defrost in the refrigerator until fully defrosted, then reheat in the oven at 150C/300F, covered in foil for 30-40 minutes until piping hot throughout. Remove the foil for the last few minutes.
Can I make a gluten free Steak Pie?
Yes! With a few adjustments:
Replace the flour with plain (all purpose) gluten free flour blend.
For the pastry - you can use gluten free shortcrust pastry, but I find the brands I've tried to shrink and go very hard. I'd recommend using a gluten free puff pastry. Jus-Rol do a good one. You can use this for the base and the top.
Use gluten free beef stock (knorr do good gluten free beef stock cubes)
Make sure the Worcestershire sauce is a gluten free version (usually is but it's best to check).
Can I make the meat pie filling in the slow cooker?
Yes, at the end of stage 6 - after bringing it to the boil, add all of the potatoes, transfer to the slow cooked and cook for 3-4 hours on high or 5-6 hours on low (skipping step 7).
I'd like some gravy with that steak pie!
If you like, you can add approx 500ml (2 cups) extra of stock when cooking the filling. Then use a slotted spoon to transfer the filling to the pastry-lined dish. The sauce that's left in the pan will be your gravy. Cover and then reheat it just before serving.
I like this pie to have a thick filling that just about holds it shape when you cut into it. If you like your pie more saucy, then just add an extra cup or two of stock to the beef when you cook it.
***If you’ve tried my steak pie recipe then please rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing your thoughts and add-ons to my recipes!***
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The Steak Pie Recipe:
Rich and Tasty Slow-Cooked Steak Pie
Ingredients
Pie Filling:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large brown onion - peeled and chopped
- 1.1 lb (500g) braising beef - chopped into bite-sized chunks
- 1 tbsp plain/all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 2.5 cups (600ml) hot beef stock - (water plus 2 stock cubes is fine)
- 2 large potatoes - peeled and chopped (about 300g/10.5oz each)
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
Also:
- 1 egg - lightly whisked
- 2 x11oz (320g) packs of ready-rolled shortcrust pastry
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 150C/300F
- Heat the oil in an oven-proof casserole dish and add in the onions. Cook on a medium-low heat for 5 minutes.
- Place the beef in a bowl and mix it with the flour, salt and pepper.
- Place it in the pan with the onions and cook on medium for about 5 minutes – until the meat is sealed and slightly browned all over. Give it a stir every so often so the meat doesn’t stick.
- Add the beef stock and half of the potatoes.
- Add in the Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, put a lid on the pan and place in the oven for 1 hour.
- After an hour take out of the oven, give it a stir and add the rest of the potatoes. Add a splash of hot stock or boiled water if the meat is starting to look too dry. Put back in the oven and cook for an hour.
- Take out of the oven and turn the oven up to 200C/400F. Remove the lid and give everything a gently stir. Leave to cool slightly for 5 minutes before assembling the pie.
- Take a 25cm diameter circular pie dish, brush the rim of the dish with a little of the whisked egg.
- Line the dish with pastry, so it overhangs the edge of the dish slightly.
- Spoon the pie mix into the dish and top the pie with pastry.
- Crimp the edges of the pastry by pinching it all the way round. (see picture above for how the crimp should look)
- Cut off any excess pastry and brush the top of the pie all over with the egg wash. If you have any little holes in the top of the pie, you can use the excess pastry to make a couple of little leaves to cover it up. Eggwash the leaves too.
- Use a knife to pierce a couple of holes in the centre of the pie – this is to allow any steam to escape.
- Place the pie in the oven for 25-35 minutes until golden brown.
- Serve with mashed potato green veg and carrots.
Video
✎ Notes
Can I make it ahead?
Yes, you can make the whole pie and cook it, then cool, cover and freeze it. Defrost in the referator until fully defrosted, then reheat in the oven at 150C/300F, covered in foil for 30-40 minutes until piping hot throughout. Remove the foil for the last few minutes. .Can I make it gluten free?
Yes! With a few adjustments: Replace the flour with plain (all purpose) gluten free flour blend. For the pastry - you can use gluten free shortcrust pastry, but I find the brands I've tried to shrink and go very hard. I'd recommend using a gluten free puff pastry. Jus-Rol do a good one. You can use this for the base and the top. Use gluten free beef stock (knorr do good gluten free beef stock cubes) Make sure the Worcestershire sauce is a gluten free version (usually is but it's best to check). .Can I make the filling in the slow cooker?
Yes, at the end of stage 6 - after bringing it to the boil, add all of the potatoes, transfer to the slow cooked and cook for 3-4 hours on high or 5-6 hours on low (skipping step 7). .I'd like some gravy with that pie!
If you like, you can add approx 500ml (2 cups) extra of stock when cooking the filling. Then use a slotted spoon to transfer the filling to the pastry-lined dish. The sauce that's left in the pan will be your gravy. Cover and then reheat it just before serving. . Nutritional Information is per serving ( based on 4 very hungry people).Nutrition
This post was first published in January 2015. Updated in October 2018 with new photos, tips and recipe video. Updated in Sept 2019 with new hints, tips and for housekeeping.
Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.
Raymond Newman says
I'm making this today I'm using a Pyrex dish, will the pastry cook fine without blind baking I'm thinking the base of the pie might be uncooked and soggy with the moist filling
Nicky Corbishley says
Hi Raymond, Pyrex tends to take a little longer to conduct heat, so you may need to cook the pie for a little longer. You should be able to see if the bottom of the pastry is browned, so you should be able to see when it's properly cooked (top the pie with some foil if it's looking like it's going to go too brown before the base is browned).
Raymond Newman says
I'm slow cooking the filling in slow cooker it says add all the potatoes, how are some of the potatoes going to break down and thicken the sauce?
Nicky Corbishley says
The potatoes will generally be softer when cooking for a long time in the slow cooker. Just give the stew/filling a little stir and parts of the potato will break down a little.
If you'd like the sauce to be even thicker, you can stir in a little cornstarch/cornflour slurry once the stew is cooked. For the slurry, mix 2 tbsp cornflour with 5 tbsp cold water and slow pour in a little at a time, whilst stirring.
Steph D says
This is really fantastic!! My big eating family just hoovered it up .. and were actually full after! Excellent!
Seliha says
Amazing tasting pie and so easy to make. Will be a regular dinner in our house.Thank you for this recipe .
Charlotte says
Hi, when you add the filing to the pie dish do you transfer all the liquid as well? Thanks
Nicky Corbishley says
Hi Charlotte, there shouldn't be a whole lot of liquid - it should be relatively thick. But yes, add it in, as that will be the saucy gravy filling for the pie.
Dawn says
Hi Nikki/Chris,
I made the beef filling part of this recipe in the slow cooker and then added to the pastry and popped it in the oven. As I don’t like red meat I split the slow cooked beef into two portions, froze one portion as pre-prepared filling for a future pie and used one to make tonight’s pie. My partner said it was better than any shop bought pie he’s ever had. So pleased to have found your YouTube channel and website.
Thanks for the recipes!
Linda says
Made my first ever homemade steak pie today with this recipe and it was delicious. I even got a lovely compliment from my 21 year old son who calls a spade a spade!
Thank you.
Brian says
Hi, In the write up before the actual recipe you mention using coconut milk, then there is no other mention of it, & not listed in the ingredients, so do I need coconut milk or not?
I’m a bit confused.
Chris Corbishley says
Hi Brian,
That was a mistake our part. I have updated the post to remove the reference to coconut milk as you don't need it for this recipe, thanks for letting us know 🙂
Thanks
Chris & Nicky
Steph says
Love this recipe, easy to follow and so tasty
Paula Campbell says
Hi just wondering if could use puff pastry instead ?
Nicky Corbishley says
Hi Paula, yes - you can use puff pastry if you prefer.
Raymond Nock says
Hi Both,
Have to say, have tried several of your your recipes and the taste, consistency, and overall pleasure factor are on a par with any other recipe i have ever tried. The thing that makes your recipes stand out is the simplicity.
Where other recipes require a vast array of ingredients and a spice cupboard to match a five star Indian restaurant your recipes achieve the same results but are far less complicated.
Keep up the good work.
Cheers,
Ray
Chris Corbishley says
Thanks So Much Ray,
We are both so pleased that you like the recipes.
Stay safe.
Thanks
Chris