Beef Pot Pie

Pot pies are considered comfort food to most people and this beef pot pie is no exception.  This is a deep-dish pie full of beef and mixed veggies inside a flaky crust.  This dish can be put together in less than 15 minutes and 45 minutes later it comes out of the oven piping hot and ready to eat!

I found this recipe in a Fix & Forget recipe book I found near the cash register in the market.  From the first time I made this pie, it has been a favorite of my guys.  In fact, it was the first dish to ever get all 9's on the Melnarik rating scale.  Because of the simplicity of putting this dish together, I make it several times during the colder months each year.

Before I do anything, I take the pie crusts out of the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 425°F.  This dish is so simple that cutting the beef into squares is the most difficult step in the process, and that's nothing!  The key here is to get the deli to cut the meat 1/8-inch thick.  Any thinner than that and it just doesn't work well in this pie.  I make my squares about 3/4-inch.

In a large saucepan, I usually combine the gravy and cornstarch first, whisking them together until smooth.  Then I add the beef and stir until the beef is coated in the gravy.  In this case, you can see I got ahead of myself.  It was difficult to get the cornstarch mixed in this way, so do what I said, not what I did!  I turn the heat to medium-high and begin heating the ingredients.

Then, I add the frozen mixed vegetables.  They do not need to be defrosted, as they defrost in the hot pan!  I stir them in, mixing thoroughly.  

Next, I add the sliced mushrooms from a jar and the Worcestershire sauce, again mixing to completely combine.  I stir this mixture every once in a while as I prepare the pie plate.

I have found that if I take the box of pie crust out of the refrigerator before I begin cutting the beef, it's the perfect temperature for easy handling once everything is heating in the saucepan.  The box contains two crusts that are rolled up and ready to use.  Using a deep dish pie plate (a regular one won't hold the amount of filling this recipe makes), I unroll one pie crust over the top of the pie plate.

Using my fingers, I gently ease the crust down into the bottom of the plate, making sure it's against the bottom and sides of the dish.  If you don't make sure the crust is totally against the dish all around, when you add the filling, the crust is likely to tear and the gravy will get between the crust and the plate during cooking.  Not only would this be messy, but it would take some of the moisture away from the pie and make the crust soggy in that area.

I then transfer the hot meat and veggie mixture directly from the saucepan into the bottom pie crust.  It's hard to tell from this picture, but it pretty much fills the shell up to the top!

Taking the second crust, I unroll it over the top of the dish. The crust hangs over the side of the pie plate at this point.  Trust me, that's a good thing.

The next step is to fold the top crust underneath the bottom crust to "catch" in in the middle.  Think of a sandwich where the top crust is like the bread with the bottom crust being the filling between the two slices of bread.  So the edge of the bottom crust no longer touches the pie plate, the edge of the top crust  touches it instead.  I hope I've made that easy to understand!

Sealing the edges is the next step.  This will keep the contents from oozing out the sides while baking.  My mom always used a fork and I've followed in her footsteps.  It's the fastest way to seal two pie crusts together.  It's not pretty and when I asked her why she didn't do a fancy flute or something prettier, she told me that this way people always knew it was a home-made pie!  That worked for me.

Cutting slits in the pie to let steam escape is another important step. Again, fancy cookie cutters can be used, but this is faster and meets the objective, so this is what I do.  My guys would rather not wait for a fancy looking pot pie that they are going to make disappear in no time flat!

I'm sure there is a scientific explanation for why the edge of the crust always get's browned more quickly than the rest of the pie, but I don't know what it is.  I only know that it's best to cover the edges with a pie ring (pictured above) or some aluminum foil.    Then into the oven it goes for about 45 minutes, which seems more like an eternity to my boys!

When it comes out of the oven it is a beautiful golden brown and piping hot.  I usually wait a few minutes to cut into it because it's too hot to eat.

I cut the pie into wedges for serving.  This a delicious way to get a variety of vegetables into the mouths of picky eaters!  Enjoy!

Beef Pot Pie

1 (15 oz.) pkg. Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crusts

1 (12 oz.) jar beef gravy

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 pound sliced cooked roast beef (from deli) cut 1/8-inch thick, cubed

2 cups frozen mixed vegetables

1 (4.5 oz.) jar sliced mushrooms

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Heat oven to 425°F.  In a large saucepan, combine gravy and cornstarch; blend well.  Add roast beef, frozen mixed vegetables, mushrooms, and Worcestershire sauce.  Cook over medium-high heat until bubbly.  In the meantime, line deep dish pie plate with 1 pie crust.  Pour beef and vegetable mixture into crust-lined pie dish.  Top with second crust; seal edges and cut slits to allow steam to escape.  Cover edges of crust with strips of foil to prevent excessive browning.  Bake at 425°F for 40 to 45 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly.