Beef Pot Pie Recipe
A hearty, from-scratch beef pot pie with tender sirloin and vegetables in a savory gravy, baked between two flaky crusts. It's a from-scratch project rather than a quick one, but a lean cut and shorter simmer keep it manageable. Works with homemade or store-bought pie crust.
Servings 8
Calories 337kcal
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds sirloin steak cut into 1/2-inch pieces (or beef stew meat)
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour divided
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 medium onion diced
- 3 carrots sliced
- 2 celery stalks sliced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 1/2 cups beef broth
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried)
- 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder (optional, for depth)
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce (optional, for savory depth)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch (optional, if the gravy needs extra thickening)
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 pie crusts for a double-crust 9-inch pie (homemade or 1 box store-bought, 2 rounds)
- 1 egg beaten, for the egg wash
Instructions
- Pat the beef dry and season with the salt and pepper. Toss with 3 tablespoons of the flour until lightly coated.
- Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high. Brown the beef in batches, without crowding, then set aside.
- Add the onion, carrots, and celery to the pot and cook about 5 minutes, scraping up the browned bits. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook 1 minute more.
- Return the beef to the pot with the broth, Worcestershire, thyme, and the cocoa powder and soy sauce if using. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook about 30 to 40 minutes, until the beef is tender. Don't overcook it, or lean sirloin can turn chewy.
- Whisk the remaining flour into a splash of cold water until smooth, stir it into the pot, and simmer 3 to 5 minutes until the gravy is thick enough to mound on a spoon. If it's still too thin, stir in a slurry of 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 2 tablespoons cold water and simmer 1 minute more, until glossy, so the cornstarch cooks and sets. Stir in the peas and adjust salt. Let the filling cool 15 to 20 minutes.
- Heat the oven to 400°F. Fit the bottom crust into a 9-inch pie dish without stretching it. Add the cooled filling.
- Top with the second crust, trim and crimp the edges, and cut 3 to 4 steam slits. Brush all over with the beaten egg.
- Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until deep golden and bubbling. Tent the edges with foil if they brown too fast. Rest at least 15 minutes before slicing.
Notes
Note: To make the filling ahead, cool it completely and refrigerate up to 2 days. Assemble and bake when you're ready; a cold filling may need 5 extra minutes in the oven.
Note on yield: This fills a deep 9-inch pie generously. If your dish is shallower, you may have extra filling, which is perfect spooned into a small ramekin with a scrap of crust on top. If you double the batch to freeze one, expect enough for closer to three pies than two.
Nutrition
Calories: 337kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 754mg | Potassium: 557mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 4100IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 3mg
