Beef pot pie is such a classic comfort meal. It is hearty, tasty, and nutritious. Frozen beef pot pies can be good, but nothing beats homemade! Since making the crust completely from scratch can be time-consuming, I created this recipe using pre-made pie crust and crescent roll dough. This is also perfect for leftover roast.
This easy beef pot pie recipe comes together in just about an hour. Most of that is bake time, which makes this an ideal meal for those nights when you need to multitask. You can prepare these mini beef pot pies in a muffin tin, making them convenient to prep and to enjoy!
Why You'll Love These Mini Beef Pot Pies in a Muffin Tin
- Serving Size - These individual beef pot pies are portion-sized and ready to go, making plating and serving a breeze! The presentation is cute, plus it allows each person to get a taste of the crispy, buttery crust in every bite.
- Cutie Pies - This is one of my favorite kid-friendly dinner ideas, especially if my kids are having friends over. My kids love that they get to eat pie for dinner!
Ingredients for Beef Portion
- Beef - You will need 1 pound of beef stew meat for your mini pot pies. Boneless beef chuck roast works well. Cut your meat into small chunks. Lean ground beef is also an option, but I prefer chuck for sure.
- Peas and Carrots - Keep things simple by grabbing a bag of frozen peas and carrots. You will need 1 ½ cups.
- Potatoes - Potatoes are such a yummy part of these muffin tin beef pot pies. You will need 1 cup, diced. Canned potatoes work great for this recipe!
- Onion - You will need ½ an onion, finely diced. I recommend yellow onion to bring a subtle, savory note to the dish.
- Garlic - Garlic brings out the natural flavors of your beef and veggies. You need 1 tbsp garlic powder for these mini beef pot pies.
- Tomato Paste - 3 tbsp tomato paste will combine with your beef broth to form the sauce for your beef pot pie filling.
- Worcestershire Sauce - Worcestershire sauce really unlocks the flavor profile of your stew beef. You will need 3 tbsp.
- Rosemary - Part of what makes beef pot pies so cozy and craveable is that subtle herbaceous note balancing out the creamy, savory counterparts. You will need 1 tsp dried rosemary to start.
- Thyme - Finish your herb blend with 1 teaspoon chopped thyme!
- Flour - It is important to include a thickening agent for your filling, otherwise it will not firm up. Flour is the ideal choice, and you will need 2 tbsp.
- Beef Broth - Double your dose of protein, iron, zinc and B vitamins. These individual beef pot pies call for both beef and beef broth, making it a nutrient-dense dinner. Prepare 1 ¼ cups beef broth.
- Oil - You will need a little oil to cook your beef. You can use 2 tbsp of olive oil or butter, whichever you prefer.
- Salt and Pepper - Season your beef with a little salt and pepper, to taste.
Ingredients for Crust
- Pie Crust - It takes about 2 pre-made, refrigerated pie crusts to make 6 mini beef pot pies in a muffin tin. I've used puff pastry before and it works, but pie crust gives it a traditional feel.
- Crescent Rolls - Crescent rolls provide a delicious alternative to top your mini pot pies.
- Egg (optional) - Adding an egg wash to the top of your beef pot pies can add a lovely little crisp, and lend a beautiful golden finish. If you wish to do an egg wash, you will need 1 beaten egg.
Substitutions
- Make this recipe gluten-free by substituting a gluten-free pie crust. Skip the crescent roll tops, and add more gluten-free pie crust for your tops! If you are going gluten-free, be sure to purchase Worcestershire sauce marked gluten-free, and sub your flour for cornstarch or arrowroot powder.
- If you don’t like peas and carrots, you could substitute carrots and celery. Green beans, mushrooms, corn, or even diced zucchini can also make great filling options for your muffin tin beef pot pies.
How to Make Mini Beef Pot Pies
- Set your Instant Pot to Sauté mode. Heat olive oil or butter in the Instant Pot. Season the beef with salt and pepper. Once the oil is hot, add the beef and sear it until browned on all sides.
- With the Instant Pot still on Sauté mode, add the chopped onions, veggies and potatoes. Sauté for 2-3 minutes until the onions soften. Stir in the tomato paste, rosemary, garlic powder and thyme, cooking for 1-2 minutes more. Stir in the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce. Close the Instant Pot lid, set the valve to Sealing, and cook on High Pressure for 35 minutes.
- After cooking, carefully perform a Quick Release to release the pressure. Open the lid and sprinkle the flour over the filling, then stir well. Set the Instant Pot to Sauté mode again and cook for 3-5 minutes until the sauce thickens.
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Grease a 6-cup jumbo muffin tin. Roll out dough and cut 6 large circles (5–6 inches) for the bottoms.
- Press the dough circles into the muffin cups to form the bottom crusts. Use crescent dough and roll up 6 tops. Spoon the cooled filling into each crust-lined muffin cup, filling each about ¾ full.
- Place a crescent top on each pie. Seal the edges by pinching the dough together. Brush the tops with the beaten egg for an egg wash, if desired. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. Let the pies cool for 5–10 minutes before carefully removing them from the muffin tin.
Step-by-Step Instructions
First, prepare your filling. If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can cook your beef and veggies on the stovetop, but if you are using an Instant Pot, go ahead and set it to saute mode. Add your oil or butter to the Instant Pot. While it heats, season your cubed beef with salt and pepper, then add to the Instant Pot. Sear the beef until it is brown on all sides.
Next, add your chopped onions, veggies and potatoes. Saute until your onions are soft.
Stir in your tomato paste, garlic powder, rosemary and thyme. If you are using ground cinnamon, you can add this at this step as well. Cook for another 1-2 minutes. Stir in the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce.
Close the Instant Pot and set the valve to sealing. Cook on high pressure for 35 minutes. Next, quick release the pressure on your Instant Pot. Then, carefully open the lid and sprinkle flour over your filling. Stir well. Return your Instant Pot to saute mode, and cook your filling for 3-5 minutes to thicken your sauce to the correct consistency for your beef pot pies.
Preheat your oven to 350F and grease a jumbo muffin tin. While the oven preheats, prepare your pie crusts. Roll out your dough and cut 6 large circles for the bottoms of your mini pot pies. Each circle should be 5-6 inches. Press the circles into the wells of the muffin tin.
Open your crescent roll dough, and form 6 pie tops. Set aside. Spoon your cooled beef pot pie filling into the pie crusts, filling each well ¾ to the top.
Top your mini beef pot pies with the crescent tops. Pinch the edges to seal. Brush the tops of your crescent dough with your egg wash if you are using it.
Bake your muffin tin beef pot pies until the tops are golden brown. This should take 25-30 minutes. Remove your pot pies from the oven and let them cool for 5-10 minutes in the muffin tin. Carefully remove and enjoy!
Cook's Tips
• When choosing your broth, you can make your own in the Instant Pot, or you can opt for beef bone broth for increased levels of collagen and other nutrients!
• Don’t skip the last step! Cooling your beef pot pies in a muffin tin is important. As the pot pies rest, the filling will thicken, which will make them less likely to break upon removal.
Storage Instructions
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheat leftover beef pot pies in the oven at 350F until warm through.
Serving Suggestions
- For an elevated presentation, serve your muffin tin beef pot pies pre-plated, with a sprig of fresh thyme on top.
- For a warm and rustic plateful, serve these mini pot pies alongside roasted cinnamon apples, glazed carrots, a cranberry walnut salad, green beans almondine, mashed sweet potatoes, or roasted asparagus with button mushrooms.
FAQ:
This recipe is best fresh. It is definitely possible to freeze this , but in my experience the texture does change.
It takes 25-30 to bake these mini beef pot pies in a muffin tin. Account for an additional 45 minutes or so of prep time, depending on how you plan to cook your beef and veggies.
If you find that your pot pies have soggy bottoms, the culprit could be runny filling or bad pie crusts. If you are sure that your filling is thick enough, try prebaking your pie crusts for a few minutes before adding the filling and tops.
Looking for more comfort food recipes. Try these:
One Pot Cheesy Broccoli Rice and Chicken
Beef Pot Pies
Ingredients
For The Filling
- 1 lb chuck roast cut into small chunks
- 1 ½ cups frozen peas and carrots
- 1 cup canned diced potatoes
- ½ yellow onion finely chopped
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 ¼ cups beef broth
- 2 tbsp olive oil or butter
- Salt & pepper to taste
For The Crust
- 2 refrigerated pie crusts or
- 2 cans of crescent rolls for tops only (about 2 per top)
- Optional: 1 egg beaten (for egg wash)
Instructions
- Make the Filling (Instant Pot Version):
- Set your Instant Pot to Sauté mode.
- Heat olive oil or butter in the Instant Pot.
- Season the beef with salt and pepper. Once the oil is hot, add the beef and sear it until browned on all sides.
- With the Instant Pot still on Sauté mode, add the chopped onions, veggies and potatoes.. Sauté for 2-3 minutes until the onions soften.
- Stir in the tomato paste, rosemary, garlic powder and thyme, cooking for 1-2 minutes more.
- Stir in the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce.
- Close the Instant Pot lid, set the valve to Sealing, and cook on High Pressure for 35 minutes.
- After cooking, carefully perform a Quick Release to release the pressure.
- Open the lid and sprinkle the flour over the filling, then stir well.
- Set the Instant Pot to Sauté mode again and cook for 3-5 minutes until the sauce thickens.
- Prepare the Crusts:
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F.
- Grease a 6-cup jumbo muffin tin.
- Roll out dough and cut 6 large circles (5–6") for the bottoms.
- Press the dough circles into the muffin cups to form the bottom crusts.
- Use crescent dough and roll up 6 tops.
- Assemble the Pies:
- Spoon the cooled filling into each crust-lined muffin cup, filling each about ¾ full.
- Place a crescent top on each pie. Seal the edges by pinching the dough together.
- Brush the tops with the beaten egg for an egg wash, if desired.
- Bake:
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.
- Let the pies cool for 5–10 minutes before carefully removing them from the muffin tin.
Notes
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheat in a 350°F oven for the best texture.
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