Greek meat pie recipe with phyllo crust (kreatopita)

Mediterranean minced meat phyllo pie (kimadopita) f

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Greek meat pie recipe with phyllo crust (kreatopita)

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

Prep Time1 30

Cook Time1

Total Time2 30

Course: Lunch, Main Course, Side

Cuisine: Greek, Mediterranean

Servings: servings

Calories: 398kcal

Author: Makos

Equipment

1 pan with dimensions approximately 14 x 11 inches (35 x 28 cm)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
35 oz lean ground beef
1 leek the white part and some of the green, chopped
1 onion chopped
1 pound Portobello mushrooms chopped
1 teaspoon thyme
2 bay leaves
1 medium eggplant grated or finely chopped, optional
½ cup white wine or chicken stock or water
1 teaspoon salt
0.5 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
2 tomatoes grated or finely chopped
1 cup grated cheese gruyere, parmesan, or cheddar

For the crust

1 pound phyllo dough
¼ cups olive oil extra virgin
2 teaspoons sesame seeds optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Heat a deep saucepan over high heat and add the meat and olive oil. Cook stirring constantly until all the juices evaporate and the meat starts to caramelize.
Reduce heat to medium and add the leek, onion, mushrooms, thyme, bay leaves, allspice, and eggplant.
Stir until vegetables are soft, about 3-5 minutes, and add the tomatoes, wine, salt, and black pepper.
Reduce heat to low, cover the pan and simmer until all the liquids are evaporated about 20-30 minutes.
If the filling seems that it has some juices left, you can add half a cup of panko bread crumbs to absorb the extra moisture.
Let the filling cool, add the cheese and mix to combine.
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and lightly grease the baking pan.
Cover the baking pan with two phyllo sheets, one next to the other, in a way that they overlap and overhang a little from the sides of the pan.
Lightly brush them with some olive oil. Keep in mind that the filling already has some oil and fat, so don’t use much.
Continue with all the phyllo, reserving 4-5 sheets for the top. Remember to lightly brush each layer with oil.
Fill the pan with the minced meat mixture and fold the overhanging phyllo sheets over the filling.
Cover the filling with one sheet of phyllo, brush with olive oil and repeat with the rest.
Fold the edges or tuck them in at the sides of the pan.
Brush the top with a bit of olive oil and score the surface into squares.
Sprinkle with sesame and 2 tablespoons water.
Bake for 50-60 minutes or until golden brown (I bake my pies at the low shelf of the oven, for the bottom to cook better, but that depends on the oven).
Let the pie rest for 20 minutes before cutting.
Eat!

Notes

You can also use a mix of beef and pork or lamb for this kreatopita.

Instead of phyllo dough, you can also use puff pastry. You don't have to grease the puff pastry with olive oil.

The filling should be dry, otherwise the bottom crust will absorb the moisture and become dump. That's why you should cook the filling until all of the moisture is evaporated. To avoid burning the filling at the end of cooking, you should cook it over low heat.

Nutrition