Beef and Mustard Pie Recipe: A Perfect Winter Comfort Food

Beef and Mustard Pie Recipe – There’s something particularly satisfying about making a pie when the temperature drops below what I consider humane.

Beef and Mustard Pie

Lumina Liu

This hearty British beef and mustard pie features slow-cooked beef in a rich wine gravy topped with golden puff pastry – the ultimate cold-weather comfort food for your family table.

4.8 from 156 votes

Prep Time 30 Minutes

Cook Time 2 Hours 30 Minutes

Total Time 3 Hours

Course Beef

Cuisine British

Servings 4 servings

Calories 680 calories kcal

Ingredients

 

• 1kg Beef
• 2 tablespoons Plain Flour
• 2 tablespoons Rapeseed Oil
• 200ml Red Wine
• 400ml Beef Stock
• 1 finely sliced Onion
• 2 chopped Carrots
• 3 sprigs Thyme
• 2 tablespoons Mustard
• 2 free-range Egg Yolks
• 400g Puff Pastry
• 300g Green Beans
• 25g Butter
• Pinch of Salt
• Pinch of Pepper

Instructions

 

1. Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas 2.
2. Toss the beef and flour together in a bowl with some salt and black pepper.
3. Heat a large casserole until hot, add half of the rapeseed oil and enough of the beef to just cover the bottom of the casserole. Fry until browned on each side, then remove and set aside. Repeat with the remaining oil and beef.
4. Return the beef to the pan, add the wine and cook until the volume of liquid has reduced by half, then add the stock, onion, carrots, thyme and mustard, and season well with salt and pepper.
5. Cover with a lid and place in the oven for two hours.
6. Remove from the oven, check the seasoning and set aside to cool. Remove the thyme.
7. When the beef is cool and you're ready to assemble the pie, preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
8. Transfer the beef to a pie dish, brush the rim with the beaten egg yolks and lay the pastry over the top. Brush the top of the pastry with more beaten egg.
9. Trim the pastry so there is just enough excess to crimp the edges, then place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden-brown and cooked through.
10. For the green beans, bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil, add the beans and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until just tender.
11. Drain and toss with the butter, then season with black pepper.
12. To serve, place a large spoonful of pie onto each plate with some green beans alongside.

Nutrition

Calories: 680.00 caloriesFat: 38.00 gCarbohydrates: 42.00 gCholesterol: 145.00 mgFiber: 4.00 gProtein: 42.00 gSaturated Fat: 16.00 g

Keyword Beef and Mustard Pie, Meat Pie, British Pie, Beef Pie, Comfort Food

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Last Tuesday, as wind hurled itself against my windows with what felt like personal vendetta, I found myself standing in my kitchen staring at a package of beef I had optimistically purchased with no clear plan.

The heater clicked and hummed in protest against the cold, and suddenly nothing made more sense than transforming that beef into something that would fight back against the weather with equal determination.

I’ve always found British pies to be the comfort food equivalent of a weighted blanket – substantive and restorative in a way that feels slightly medicinal, but in the best possible way.

This beef and mustard pie has become my cold-weather ritual, the dish I turn to when I need something that requires just enough attention to be distracting but rewards with the kind of meal that makes you forget whatever was bothering you in the first place.

The Magic of Slow-Cooked Beef

The heart of this pie isn’t actually the pastry (though we’ll get to that golden crown in a moment) – it’s the slow-cooked beef filling that develops an almost ridiculous depth of flavor during its leisurely oven vacation.

Two hours might seem like a commitment, but it’s mostly hands-off time that transforms tough beef cuts into something so tender it nearly dissolves.

I’ve tried rushing this step exactly once, and I still remember the disappointment on my husband’s face as he chewed… and chewed… and chewed.

Also read:

• Classic British Bakewell Tart Recipe
• Garides Saganaki Recipe
• Chicken Enchilada Casserole Recipe

Learn from my mistakes: this is not the recipe to attempt when you’re already hungry. Start it on a lazy Sunday afternoon when you have laundry to fold and podcasts to catch up on. Your future self will be deeply grateful.

The Mustard Situation

Let’s talk about the mustard, which isn’t just a supporting character here but very much the co-star of our production.

The two tablespoons called for might seem aggressive if you’re mustard-hesitant, but please trust me when I say that the long cooking mellows it into something complex rather than sharp. It provides a backbone that keeps the richness of the beef from becoming too one-note.

I’ve used every variety of mustard in this recipe at some point – grainy, smooth, Dijon, whole-grain – and they all work, though they each bring something slightly different to the party.

My personal favorite is a coarse-ground Dijon that splits the difference between texture and punch. Use what you have, but if you’re shopping specifically for this recipe, that would be my recommendation.

The Recipe: Beef and Mustard Pie

Ingredients:

• 1kg beef chuck or stewing beef, cut into 2cm cubes
• 2 tablespoons plain flour
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons rapeseed oil (or vegetable oil)
• 200ml red wine (something you’d drink, not cooking wine)
• 400ml beef stock (homemade if you’re impressive, from a box if you’re me)
• 1 onion, finely sliced
• 2 carrots, chopped into small chunks
• 3 sprigs of thyme
• 2 tablespoons mustard (Dijon or whole grain)
• 2 free-range egg yolks, beaten
• 400g puff pastry (store-bought is perfectly fine)
• 300g green beans
• 25g butter
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the filling:

1. Preheat your oven to 150°C/300°F/Gas 2, which is so low you might wonder if anything is actually happening in there. I promise it is.
2. In a bowl, toss the beef cubes with the flour, a generous pinch of salt, and black pepper until coated. This thin flour jacket will help thicken our gravy later.
3. Heat a large, heavy-bottomed casserole dish until it’s properly hot – not smoking, but decidedly warm. Add half the oil and enough beef to cover the bottom in a single layer without crowding. (Overcrowding is the enemy of browning, and browning is the friend of flavor.)
4. Let the beef develop a proper dark crust on each side before turning – this might take 2-3 minutes per side. Remove the browned pieces and set aside, then repeat with remaining oil and beef. This step is tempting to rush but is possibly the most important for flavor development. Pour yourself some tea and embrace the process.
5. Return all the browned beef to the pan and add the wine. Let it bubble away until reduced by half, scraping up all those magical browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
6. Add the stock, sliced onion, chopped carrots, thyme sprigs, and mustard. Season well with salt and pepper, give everything a good stir, then cover with a lid and transfer to the oven.
7. Let it cook for two hours, during which time your home will smell increasingly like the kind of place people never want to leave.
8. Remove from the oven, taste and adjust seasoning if needed, then set aside to cool. Fish out the thyme sprigs – they’ve done their work.

Assembling and baking the pie:

1. When you’re ready to finish the pie, preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6.
2. Transfer the cooled beef mixture to a pie dish. I use a 23cm round dish, but anything of roughly equivalent volume works.
3. Brush the rim of the dish with some beaten egg yolk – this helps the pastry stick.
4. Roll out your pastry to about 3mm thickness and lay it over the pie dish. Don’t stretch it, just let it settle naturally.
5. Brush the top with more beaten egg for that magazine-worthy golden finish.
6. Trim the excess pastry, leaving about 2cm overhang, then crimp the edges either with a fork or by pinching between your fingers. Cut a small vent in the center to let steam escape.
7. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the pastry has puffed up and turned a beautiful burnished gold. If the pastry browns too quickly, you can cover the edges with foil.

For the green beans:

1. Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil.
2. Add the green beans and cook for 4-5 minutes until just tender but still with some bite.
3. Drain well, then return to the pan with the butter. Toss until the beans are glossy and season with black pepper.

The Pastry Debate

I’ve made this with homemade shortcrust, homemade rough puff, and store-bought puff pastry. Here’s my honest assessment: on a normal day, store-bought puff pastry wins. Is homemade pastry better?

Theoretically yes, practically… the difference isn’t enough to justify the extra time for most occasions. Save your pastry-making energy for when it’s the star of the show, not when it’s the crowning glory on an already labor-intensive dish.

If you do use store-bought, just make sure it’s made with butter rather than vegetable oil. The difference in flavor is noticeable, and since we’re already investing two hours in the filling, it seems silly to compromise at the final hurdle.

Variations and Tips

I’ve made this pie enough times that I’ve developed some variations worth sharing:

• For a deeper flavor profile: Add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste when you return the beef to the pan.
• For a hint of sweetness: Add 1 tablespoon of redcurrant jelly or a handful of dried cranberries to the filling.
• For a twist: Replace half the beef with mushrooms for an equally satisfying but lighter option.
• Make ahead: The filling actually improves if made a day ahead and refrigerated. Just bring it back to room temperature before assembling the pie.

When serving, remember that this is a dish that defies dainty portions. A generous wedge with a pile of buttery green beans is the way to go. If you’re feeling particularly indulgent, a dollop of horseradish cream on the side cuts through the richness perfectly.

This beef and mustard pie might not be the flashiest dish in my repertoire, but it’s the one that unfailingly delivers exactly what I need on a cold day. It’s substantive without being heavy, complex without being complicated, and utterly, completely satisfying in the way that only a good pie can be.

The kind of meal that makes you scrape your plate and wonder if there might, possibly, be a little bit left for tomorrow’s lunch.

(There won’t be, but hope springs eternal.)