This cozy Beef Pie with Filo Topping is loaded with hidden vegetables and topped with a light, flaky filo topping. Made in under an hour, this dish is a healthy, comforting meal the whole family will love.
If you are a fan of savory pies, this Beef Pie with Filo Topping is one you have to try! Similar to a Shepherd’s Pie (or more accurately, a Cottage Pie), it is made with ground beef and vegetables in a delicious gravy. Instead of being topped with mashed potatoes, however, this pie is topped with light and flaky filo pastry (sometimes spelled phyllo). The end result is a flavorful pie with a wonderful blend of creamy and crispy textures.
This simple ground beef pie is a hit with both adults and kids. The saucy beef filling hides loads of vegetables that go virtually undetected. Rather than leave the vegetables as larger chunks, I shred them. By the time the pie is finished cooking, the vegetables disappear into the beef and gravy filling. This is a great way to sneak in those vegetables for picky eaters. It also is a smart way to stretch out a pound of ground beef and make it go further for you!
I love filo topping in this pie for a few reasons. As mentioned, it has a wonderful crispy texture, which we just love. Additionally, it is a healthier option compared to other pastry toppings. Unlike a shortcrust or puff pastry which are loaded with fat, filo is a healthier, lower fat option.
My young daughter devours this rustic beef pie every time we serve it up for dinner, and she can be quite the critic! This dinner time hit is on regular rotation in our home and I know you will love it too!
Why we love this recipe
- It’s delicious! This savory pie is full of beef and vegetables in a delicious gravy. The crispy, butter-brushed filo adds flavor and crunch to this pie.
- Beef pie is easy to make. The beef filling whips up in one skillet and then you can top it with store-bought filo for an easy meal.
- This rustic pie is hiding loads of vegetables – and no one needs to know!
- If you make the filling in a cast iron pan, you only need to clean one pot!
- Kids and adults love this ground beef pie!
- You can prep the pie in advance if you like.
- You can easily change things up to suit your own tastes or ingredients you have on hand. You can add different veggies or swap out proteins, using ground turkey or pork, for example. You can also opt for a different topping such as puff pastry or a pie crust.
Ingredients in Beef Pie with Filo Topping
- Olive oil: A little olive oil is used to saute the vegetables.
- Vegetables: Onion, carrot, zucchini, and garlic.
- Ground beef: Lean ground beef.
- Flour: Used to thicken the sauce for the beef filling.
- Beef broth: You can use store-bought or homemade beef broth for this recipe. The broth is used to make the beef gravy for the filling.
- Additional gravy ingredients: tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard.
- Herbs and seasonings: parsley, thyme, salt and black pepper.
- Filo pastry: 4 sheets of filo or phyllo pastry.
- Butter: A little melted butter is brushed onto the filo pastry before baking.
**Note: Ingredient quantities and full instructions are in the recipe card at the end of this post.**
How to make Beef Pie with Filo Topping
1. Saute the veggies. Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet and then add the onion, carrot, and zucchini. Cook, stirring often for 4-5 minutes, or until the onions and carrots have softened. Add the garlic and continue to cook for 1 more minute.
2. Brown the ground beef. Add the ground beef to the sauteed vegetables and cook until browned and cooked through, being sure to break up any pieces as it cooks.
3. Coat in flour. Sprinkle the flour over the ground beef and stir to coat it, cooking for 1 minute.
4. Add beef gravy ingredients. Stir in the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, Dijon mustard, parsley, and thyme. Let simmer, stirring often, for 8-10 minutes or until the liquid reduces, leaving a thick gravy consistency. Taste and season with salt and pepper (keep in mind that Worcestershire sauce and the beef broth will add salt to the beef filling, so I recommend tasting the filling before salting it).
5. Preheat oven. Preheat oven to 375F and lightly grease a 9 inch pie pan or an 8×8 baking dish.
6. Assemble beef pie. Transfer the beef filling to the prepared pie pan or baking dish. Using one filo sheet at a time, lay it flat on a work surface and brush it with melted butter. Scrunch up the filo and place it over a portion of the beef filling. Do the same with the remaining sheets of filo, ensuring the entire beef pie is covered with the scrunched filo. Bake for 20 minutes or until the filo turns a nice golden colour.
Variations and substitutions
We love this pie as is but it is so easy to tweak this recipe to suit your own ingredients or preferences. Some options are listed below.
- Leave your vegetables in chunks. If you are not aiming to hide veggies from picky eaters and you prefer chunks of vegetables in your beef filling, go ahead and do so!
- Swap in different veggies. Diced celery, bell pepper, corn, mushrooms, and peas are just some options. You can also add shredded or diced potatoes to the filling.
- Use a different protein. Ground turkey, ground chicken, ground pork, or even ground lamb can be swapped for the beef in this recipe.
- Top with a different pastry. Puff pastry and pie crust can be used as a topping if you prefer it over filo pastry.
Storing leftovers and reheating
Once cooled, leftovers can be transferred to an airtight container and stored in the fridge.
To reheat, you can transfer the pie to a baking dish and pop it in the oven at 350F until heated through. Alternatively, the pie can be reheated in an airfryer. While the filo pastry can lose some of its crispness, reheating them in this way can maintain some of the flakiness.
Can you prep this beef pie in advance?
Yes, you can easily prep this beef pie ahead of time, if you wish to do so. To do this, you can prepare the filling ahead of time and then allow it to cool. Then, transfer the cooled filling to a (preferably metal) baking dish and top it with the filo pastry but do not brush the filo with butter. Cover the pie with plastic food wrap and place it in the fridge. When you are ready, bake the pie, brush the filo with the melted butter and then bake it in the oven, adding additional time (10- 15 minutes) to account for the cooler starting temperature.
I recommend using a pan that can withstand the temperature difference from fridge to oven.
Prepping and storing in the fridge is best done the same-day as you intend to bake the pie or, at most, from the night before.
If you are prepping this further ahead, freezing the pie is preferable.
How to freeze unbaked Beef Pie with Filo Topping
To freeze the beef pie, prepare the pie as directed except do not brush the filo with butter. Wrap the assembled pie in plastic wrap and then in foil to prevent freezer burn. If covered well, your pie should freeze well for a couple of months.
Ensure you are using a pan that is freezer safe and can withstand the temperature fluctuations from cold to hot.
When you want to bake your frozen pie, you can do so from frozen or you can thaw it overnight.
Before baking, brush the filo with melted butter (or olive oil) and then be sure to add additional baking time to account for the colder temperature.
What to serve with Beef Pie with Filo Topping
I love serving this dish up with a crispy salad or a vegetable side dish. Some of my favorites include Cucumber Feta Salad, Kale Caesar Salad with Roasted Delicata Squash, Roasted Sugar Snap Peas, or Green Beans Almondine.
I also love a thick slice of of crusty white bread to soak up that saucy beef filling. If you don’t have bread on hand, these Easy Dinner Rolls come together in under an hour!
Looking for more family dinners to make with ground beef? Check out:
Easy Stove Top Ground Beef and Noodles
Easy Beef Bolognese with Creamy Polenta
Cheesy Beef & Noodle Casserole
Easy Meatloaf Recipe
Greek Stuffed Cabbage Rolls (Lahanodolmades)
Soutzoukakia Me Patates (Greek Meatballs with Potatoes)
More savory pies to enjoy:
Puff Pastry Turkey Pot Pie
Individual Chicken Pot Pies with Filo Dough
Turkey Shepherd’s Pie
Chicken Pot Pie
Turkey & Leek Pie
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Beef Pie with Filo Topping
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion finely diced
- 1 large carrot shredded (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 medium zucchini shredded (about 1 1/4 cups)
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 sheets filo pastry
- 1 1/2 tablespoons butter melted
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet and then add the onion, carrot, and zucchini. Cook, stirring often for 4-5 minutes, or until the onions and carrots have softened. Add the garlic and continue to cook for 1 more minute.
- Add the ground beef to the sauteed vegetables and cook until browned and cooked through, being sure to break up any pieces as it cooks.
- Sprinkle the flour over the ground beef and stir to coat it, cooking for 1 minute.
- Stir in the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, Dijon mustard, parsley, and thyme. Let simmer, stirring often, for 8-10 minutes or until the liquid reduces, leaving a thick gravy consistency. Taste and season with salt and pepper (keep in mind that Worcestershire sauce and the beef broth will add salt to the beef filling, so I recommend tasting the filling before salting it).
- Preheat oven to 375F and lightly grease a 9 inch pie pan or an 8×8 baking dish.
- Transfer the beef filling to the prepared pie pan or baking dish.
- Using one filo sheet at a time, lay it flat on a work surface and brush it with melted butter. Scrunch up the filo and place it over a portion of the beef filling. Do the same with the remaining sheets of filo, ensuring the entire beef pie is covered with the scrunched filo. Bake for 20 minutes or until the filo turns a nice golden colour.
Note: Metric ingredient measurements are provided as a courtesy using a third-party calculator and are rounded to the nearest unit. The recipes provided on this site have not been tested with metric measurements and their accuracy cannot be verified.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is based on third-party calculations and is an estimate only. Accurate nutritional facts will vary based on the particular brands used, portion sizes, measurement accuracy and more.
