I am a huge fan of cooking with the intent of having leftovers for several meals. It’s great to have cold leftover turkey, ham, or roast beef but, after a couple of days, well, it can get a little monotonous. I don’t like to throw out food so the alternative is to find other creative ways to use the leftovers and stretch the food budget. Sometimes, as in the case of a large family, perhaps the leftovers don’t span far enough unless they are used in a way that extends them.
So, whether it’s a case of having leftover meat you’re tired of or not having enough left to plate as straight cold meat slices to make another meal, my recipe for Beef Pot Pie will be the answer for leftover roast beef. Just make sure you make an extra 1 1/3 cups of gravy when preparing that roast beef dinner so you will have enough gravy to make this recipe.
Beef Pot Pie is a tasty meal-in-a-dish — the meat, veggies, and gravy are all encased under a pastry topping. It takes very little beef (only about 1 cup, cubed) to make a meal for four with this recipe. It’s a great way to stretch a small amount of meat and extend the food budget.
The potatoes, turnip, and carrots are pre-cooked to fork-tender state in the same pot — bonus, only one pot to wash! The sauce with the gravy is quite simple to make with only a few additions of common ingredients to add extra flavor. Add some cooked frozen peas and corn to add extra veggies and color. Top with your favorite pastry recipe and you’re done! And, your house will smell fabulous as this cooks, beckoning the family to the dinner table!
Sometimes, if I’ve had the leftover meat on the dinner table for a couple of days, I’m tired of it and don’t want to see it on the table again right away in any form! That’s when I make up this recipe and freeze it for later use and to have ready for meals on busy week nights. I have had success freezing this dish, unbaked, in an airtight container. I bake it from frozen state but add extra baking time (at least 20 minutes more). If the pastry starts to brown too much during the baking, simply loosely tent the casserole dish(es) with tin foil.
[Printable recipe follows at end of post]
Beef Pot Pie
Ingredients:
1/3 cup turnip, peeled and diced into ¼” cubes
1/3 cup carrots, peeled and diced into ¼” cubes
1¼ cups potatoes, peeled and diced into ½” cubes
1-2 tbsp vegetable oil
2/3 cup onion, finely diced
2 oz small button mushrooms, halved
1 cup leftover cooked roast beef, cubed into bite-size pieces
1 1/3 cups leftover beef gravy
2 tbsp tomato paste
¼ tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp red wine
½ tsp garlic salt
¼ tsp summer savory
Salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup frozen peas, cooked
1/3 cup frozen corn, cooked
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Pastry for single-crust pie
Method:
Preheat oven to 400°F.
In medium-sized saucepan, over medium-low heat, boil the turnip and carrots in salted water for about 5-6 minutes, then add the potatoes. Cook all three vegetables for about 10 minutes or so or until just fork tender. Drain well.
While the vegetables are cooking, heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onions until limp and transparent. Add the mushrooms and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the cubed beef and stir fry for 1-2 minutes. Add the gravy, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, red wine, garlic salt, summer savory, salt and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Meanwhile, microwave the peas and corn for about 1½ minutes on high power. Drain any excess liquid.
Add the meat mixture to the cooked vegetables (turnip, carrots, and potatoes) and add the drained peas, corn, and the fresh parsley. Stir with large mixing spoon to combine all ingredients.
Grease a 5-6 cup casserole or four 1-cup ramekins. Pour mixture into casserole or evenly divide between the 4 ramekins.
Roll pastry to desired thickness. Cut to size that will completely cover mixture in casserole dish or ramekins. Cut slits in the pastry to allow steam to escape during baking. Alternatively, prepare lattice top from the pastry to cover meat sauce in each dish.
Place baking dish, or ramekins, on foil-lined rimmed baking sheet to catch any spillovers that might occur. Transfer to pre-heated oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until mixture is bubbly and pastry lightly tanned. Serve with crusty rolls, rustic bread, or biscuits.
Yield: 4 servings.
If you enjoy savory pies, you may also enjoy this recipe for Chicken Pot Pie.
Leftover roast beef forms the basis for this delicious Beef Pot Pie meal-in-a-dish smothered with a rich sauce and encased in a tender pie pastry topping.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup turnip, peeled and diced into ¼” cubes
- 1/3 cup carrots, peeled and diced into ¼” cubes
- 1¼ cups potatoes, peeled and diced into ½” cubes
- 1-2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2/3 cup onion, finely diced
- 2 oz small button mushrooms, halved
- 1 cup leftover cooked roast beef, cubed into bite-size pieces
- 1 1/3 cups leftover beef gravy
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- ¼ tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp red wine
- ½ tsp garlic salt
- ¼ tsp summer savory
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/3 cup frozen peas, cooked
- 1/3 cup frozen corn, cooked
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- Pastry for single-crust pie
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- In medium-sized saucepan, over medium-low heat, boil the turnip and carrots in salted water for about 5-6 minutes, then add the potatoes. Cook all three vegetables for about 10 minutes or so or until just fork tender. Drain well.
- While the vegetables are cooking, heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onions until limp and transparent. Add the mushrooms and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the cubed beef and stir fry for 1-2 minutes. Add the gravy, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, red wine, garlic salt, summer savory, salt and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Meanwhile, microwave the peas and corn for about 1½ minutes on high power. Drain any excess liquid.
- Add the meat mixture to the cooked vegetables (turnip, carrots, and potatoes) and add the drained peas, corn, and fresh parsley. Stir with large mixing spoon to combine all ingredients.
- Grease a 5-6 cup casserole or four 1-cup ramekins. Pour mixture into casserole or evenly divide between the 4 ramekins.
- Roll pastry to desired thickness. Cut to size that will completely cover mixture in casserole dish or ramekins. Cut slits in the pastry to allow steam to escape during baking. Alternatively, prepare lattice top from the pastry to cover meat sauce in each dish.
- Place baking dish, or ramekins, on foil-lined rimmed baking sheet to catch any spillovers that might occur. Transfer to pre-heated oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until mixture is bubbly and pastry lightly tanned. Serve with crusty rolls, rustic bread, or biscuits.
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