Beef Pot Pie tops a warm, flavourful filling of comforting tender, stewed meat and vegetables with a crisp, flakey gluten free pie crust. It's a real crowd pleaser.
This is what I serve when I'm expecting a large number of dinner guests, especially when there are children involved.
Can you make Beef Pot Pie ahead of time?
This is not a quick dinner. Rather, it's a great make-ahead meal. While the recipe takes time to prepare, there isn't a whole lot of hands-on time required. Mostly, it's simmering, cooling, and baking.
I love a recipe that allows me to do lots of prep work ahead of time when I'm entertaining. You can cook the meat pie filling and mix up the crust a day or two ahead and chill each separately overnight. Then, they're both nice and cold when you roll out the crust and place it on top. A cold pie popped into a hot oven develops a nice flakey crust.
I got my original recipe from an issue of Canadian Living magazine decades ago. It was double in size and not gluten free, so I've made a number of changes over the years. If you would like to double this recipe to its original size, you can simply click on the number of servings on the recipe itself and make the adjustment.
Gluten Free Pie Crust
This recipe showcases my favourite gluten free pie crust. It's as good or better than any regular wheat crust! The crust recipe will make more than enough for this pot pie, but it freezes well. Simply form the extra dough into crust-sized balls. Wrap them well, and store them in an airtight container in the freezer for up to a few months. When you're ready to make another pie, simply remove the amount of pastry that you'll be needing and place it in the refrigerator to thaw the day before.
What goes with Beef Pot Pie?
Gluten Free Pumpkin Cheesecake would be an excellent dessert accompaniment, especially for an autumn dinner, as it's also made the day ahead.
A fresh green garden salad would be perfect on the side. With the ingredients washed and prepped ahead of time, it can be ready to assemble at the last minute. Then you can have your dishwasher all cleaned out and be relaxed to enjoy your company.
Cooking and Baking Utensil
A stovetop-to-oven Dutch oven such as an enamelled cast iron pot is perfect for this recipe. If you don't have one, start the stew out on the stovetop. Then transfer it to a large casserole for baking.
How to Make Beef Pot Pie from Scratch
Combine the beef and chickpea flour in a large bowl.
Toss them together to coat the beef evenly.
Brown the beef in batches.
Add the liquids and simmer.
Add the vegetables.
Simmer until soft. Then cool.
Top the cooled filling with pie crust.
Brush with egg.
Bake until golden.
Can you freeze it?
Yes, you can freeze beef pot pie. Leftovers freeze well in an airtight container. If you want to freeze the whole thing before serving, I would recommend not brushing with egg or baking it before freezing. Once the filling has cooled and you've added the pastry topper, wrap it in plastic and foil and freeze.
How to Reheat It
Leftover beef pot pie will reheat well in a covered casserole dish in the microwave or in the oven at 300 degrees F.
If you haven't baked and served it yet, thaw the pie at least partially. Brush on the beaten egg. Then, bake it as usual. If it hadn't completely thawed, it will need to bake a little longer than the recipe indicates.
Beef Pot Pie
Equipment
- Enamelled cast iron Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 2 pounds stewing beef
- ¼ cup chickpea flour
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 ½ cups beef stock
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- ¾ cup brewed coffee
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 ½ pounds potatoes, scrubbed or peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 pound carrots, scrubbed or peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
- 3 medium cooking onions, quartered
- 1 ½ cup frozen green beans
- gluten free pastry for a single-crust pie
- 1 egg
Instructions
- In a large bowl, toss the beef cubes with chickpea flour.
- Heat half of the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the floured meat in batches, adding remaining oil as necessary.
- Return all the beef to the pan. Add stock, tomato sauce, coffee, oregano, salt, thyme, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.
- Add vegetables and simmer for another hour or until potatoes and carrots are tender. Remove from heat and allow to cool. (Make ahead: Cover and refrigerate for up to two days.)
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Stir green beans into the beef pie filling.
- Cover with gluten free pie crust, leaving about ½-inch overhang. Fold the edges under, and pinch pastry to the edges all the way around.
- Beat the egg and brush it over the top of the crust.
- Poke a few vent holes into the crust. Bake in the centre of the oven for 45 minutes or until hot and bubbly and pastry is golden.
Notes
Vanessa says
This looks delicious and I’m super interested in the coffee part??? Never heard of this! I’m actually going to buy all the things to make this comfort good this chilly week. Thanks Cathy!
Cathy says
I'm so glad you're planning to make this! I think it's what I served when you were over. The coffee isn't noticeable, and you can use decaf if you're concerned about the children.
Ayngelina says
Absolutely perfect for this time of year. I love a good hearty stew.
Cathy says
Thank you, Ayngelina!
Colleen says
This looks so good, Cathy! Pot pies are one of the things that I really miss, so I am going to try out your gluten-free pie crust and make it this weekend.
Cathy says
Wonderful! I hope you enjoy it!
Katherine | Love In My Oven says
Fantastic looking pot pie!! So nice when you can make a family favorite work for a gluten-free diet, too! Pinning!
Cathy says
Thank you so much, Katherine!
Kelly Neil says
This would be a perfect dish to make for my gluten-intolerant father-in-law the next time he visits! Thanks for sharing a great recipe!
Cathy says
I'm happy that it's helpful!
Sabrina says
Delicious! I don’t miss the gluten at all and love this rich and comforting dish. Great recipe, thanks!
Cathy says
I agree. I don't miss the gluten either!
Lisa says
This looks scrumptious! I could totally dig into that goodness!
Cathy says
Thank you so much, Lisa!
Becky says
Why won't the print button work please?
Cathy says
I'm so sorry that the print button is not working for you. Thank you for letting me know about the problem. I will look into it and try to figure out what's wrong.