If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
I had never eaten, much less heard of, a pasty until I moved to Michigan. Pasties are a hugely characteristic delicacy of Michigan’s upper peninsula. Many local stores in our area carry them, so I’ve had a few in the years since moving here.
We really enjoy my homemade version. They’re not hard to put together at all, although they do require a bit more time than most meals since they involve rolling dough. But I think that extra work is so worthwhile, especially since these freeze really well. They’re great to have on hand in the freezer for a quick lunch. My husband also appreciates their convenience when he needs a quick meal before heading out to work or to take with when he goes.
Ground Beef Pasties
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 onion, diced
- 5-6 medium-sized red potatoes, cubed
- 2 c. diced veggies (I usually use just fresh carrots, but my carrots weren’t fresh as I would have liked this time, so I used 2 cups of frozen mixed veggies instead. It was a great substitution!)
- 1/2 t. garlic powder
- 1 t. Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Homemade pie crust or store-bought (enough for 3 -4 crusts)
- 1 egg yolk, beaten
- 1/4 T. butter or margarine
- 1/4 c. flour
- 2 c. beef stock, broth or bullion cubes
- 2 t. Worcestershire sauce
- 1 t. Italian seasoning
1. In a large skillet, cook ground beef and onion for 5 minutes. Stir in potatoes and fresh veggies, if using. Stir in seasonings. Cook until potatoes are fork tender, about 15-20 minutes. (If using frozen veggies, stir into skillet shortly before removing from heat.) Cool.
2. Roll out dough into a circle, about the size of a small plate. (If using store bought dough, cut each piece of dough into fourths and roll into a circle.) Place about 1/3 c. beef filling into the center of each dough circle. Fold over, seal and roll edges.
3. Brush each pasty with beaten egg yolk and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until golden and pie crust is fully cooked.
4. While pasties cook, melt butter or margarine in a small saucepan. Whisk in flour and cook 2 minutes. Whisk in beef stock, bring to a slow boil and boil until thickened. Stir in Worcestershire sauce and Italian seasoning.
5. Serve pasties with gravy on the side for dipping or poured on top.
**Platter in top photo from Entertaining At Home.
These look really yummy! Almost like a portable pot pie!
God bless,
Amanda
Never heard of them! That is why I love food posts! I hope you have time this weekend to post over at Momtrends. Here is the link for Friday Feasts:
http://momtrends.blogspot.com/2009/08/friday-feasts-poached-salmon.html
Now I bet even my picky eaters would enjoy this one for a change.
I may have to try this with pizza dough as well – sort of like a calzone without the cheese (but I could probably do that too
Thanks
These kind of remind me of what they called up north “pasty pie” (pronounced past e)
Only difference is that the pasty pie was in a pie dish, with shredded carrots, diced potatoes, and ground beef from what I can remember. Been awhile
I tell ya, your recipes speak to me. Every single one I’ve seen looks awesome. I feel like I don’t have enough days to try all the recipes I’m drooling over. Thanks, as always, for sharing!
I love pasties. I know that my mom, whose who family is Cornish, would not approve of ground beef or store bought dough, but this makes the recipe way easier! And it’s WAY easier than having to drive out near where the miners settled here in CA and pick up a dozen from the local stores!
I am from the U.P. and I can tell you that those look great! (Only we use ketchup and not gravy~ no one would be caught dead using gravy!) Where in Michigan are you located? Thanks for the Pasty.com link, as well..great site!
H
I’ve read much about pasties in The Cat Who…mystery series, but have never tried one:) This looks like a great recipe!
Down here in Southern Wisconsin, we also have a lot of pasties. We live in an old lead mining region, and many Cornish miners settled in the area, bringing the pasty with them. Looks tasty!
i live in sterling heights,mi. Are they sold in stores down here.
Made these tonight and they were a hit!
you have 1 t. Italian seasoning typed twice.
never mind I see why
Tried these tonight. I love them… made a crust using butter ( was out of shortening)…. My husband covered his with gravy, said they were good but dry… I liked them with a little gravy thanks for the recipe.
SO yummy! I tweaked the filling just a little bit. I used frozen peas for the veggie; garlic herb seasoning, BBQ sauce, and a few drops of Tapatio were my seasoning. It took quite a bit longer than stated in the recipe to cook as well. I know it’s not traditional in any sense but it was still quite delicious. My boyfriend and I both loved them.
What are the instructions if you decide to freeze these? Do you cook them first and then just reheat? How long do they take to reheat? These look soo yummy and I am always looking for ideas to put in the freezer for quick lunches!! Thanks!
What a hit! Out of my 4 kids, 2 are extremely picky! These pasties were such a hit! I found a great pie crust recipe on allrecipes.com (which I intend to make frequently and freeze)!
Thanks so much! And THANK YOU PINTEREST for leading me to this great recipe!
The recipe is really good! The only problem I had was the 1/4 Tbsp of butter for the gravy. It just turned the flour into balls, and then when I added the liquid, my gravy was VERY lumpy, and I could not get rid of the little balls of flour. After that, I looked online and I think it is supposed to be 1/4 CUP OF BUTTER with 1/4 cup of flour. Do that, and you should be fine.
I forgot to put in the veggies, but the meat and potatoes tasted great by themselves. I will definitely make this again! It is time consuming – from the time I started dicing the onions, until the time it was done (I cooled it in the freezer), took about 2 hours non-stop. I used store bought pie crusts (Publix brand) that I quartered, rolled into balls, and rolled out while the meat and potatoes were cooking. Well worth the time though!
Amanda, a trick for no lumps is to add very cold liquid to the roux (butter and flour mixture).
hot roux, cold liquid = no lumps
These are a British and Australian tradition! Kids can buy them from school canteens, and 7/11 have “pie warmers” full of them – you can buy them at any convenience store! This is a great recipe and very similar to the famous store bought ones. My kids love to take them cold for lunch as well. When I lived in the USA – I often used the Crescent Roll pastry as a substitute… Thanks for the share!
Pasties are a staple items for this “UP-per”. I miss the Upper Peninsula (hey, Gwinn!) but at least I can still have a good hot pastie. I’m a ketchup girl, too. Although, that gravy does sound worth a go! Very few things get me to break out a rolling pin and pasties are one of them.
This reminds me of England…it’s called a Cornish Pasty. You can eat them hot or cold.
My grandma was brought up in the mines of Ironwood, MI. Her mother would make them for her dad to take to the mine. Our family recipe has been handed down and this is very similar. She would use cubed steak. We still love in Michigan and love making big batches for gatherings – huge family affair – and loads of fun. We have always used ketchup instead of gravy. Thanks for sharing and can’t wait to try your recipe.