Greek meat pie recipe with phyllo crust (kreatopita)

This kreatopita is a delicious Greek meat pie recipe with ground beef and mushroom filling incased in flaky phyllo crust.

Perfect for a simple dinner or a quick lunch.

This Greek meat pie recipe (Kreatopita) is the perfect recipe for a Sunday dinner, not only because it’s so delicious, but because the next day you can take any leftovers to the office for lunch!

I usually serve it with a big bowl of green tossed salad but now that I think of it, this orange, lettuce, and mango salad is probably a nice option too.

For the meat, I usually prefer ground beef, but a mix of beef and pork or lamb will also do.

The same goes for the crust. Most of the times I use phyllo dough, but puff pastry is also a great option. If you choose puff pastry, remember not to brush it with oil since it already contains enough fat.

Kreatopita comes from the words “kreas” which means “meat” and “pita” which means “pie”. Greek pies are usually made with commercial phyllo, homemade phyllo (which is a bit thicker), or puff pastry.

And as I’ve said in my 30 minutes leftover chicken pie post, "pie" actually means something flat and round or almost round. So, if pie means pita, and if pita is something flat, then is pita bread the same as flatbread? And is flatbread a pie?

In Greek, it probably is! But enough with the confusion, I'm just playing with words! The only thing you should remember is that this is a delicious savory pie!

In Greece, the phyllo-sophy of a pie (see what I did there?) is to wrap the filling with a kind of dough so that you can easily take it with you for a quick lunch/snack.

So, when my grandpa left early in the morning to go and cultivate his olive groves or his vineyards, my grandma usually gave him a piece of spinach pie or cheese pie, wrapped in a piece of cloth, to take with him as lunch.

It was easy to transfer, nutritious, tasty, didn’t require forks and knives, and kept well without spoiling.

Unfortunately, this meat pie is not something you want to eat by your hands since the filling is moist and a bit tender. I have taken it to the office in my lunch box, but I used a knife and a fork to eat it properly.

Some notes/tips:

Eggplant is not used in the traditional kreatopita recipe, so you can omit it if you don’t like it. I add it because I find it pairs really well with the taste of beef and it also adds some more vegetables to the equation.

When working with phyllo, always keep it covered with a damp towel as it dries very quickly.

Don’t worry if some of the phyllo sheets tear or break. It doesn’t matter. Just try the top two sheets to be whole for prettier presentation.

If you want the filling to be more stable you can mix 1-2 beaten eggs when it has cooled and before filling the pie.

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