An absolute Kiwi classic and such a delicious family friendly dinner! This mince and cheese pie recipe will be your new favourite.
For the longest time, if Josh requested a mince pie for dinner, I'd just cook up some mince, throw a few herbs in and put it in some pastry. Nothing wrong with that, but being a Kiwi (and after getting a few requests for pie recipes!) I thought it was time I upped my mince and cheese pie game.
So I got to work, and what I have come up with is probably going to be your new favourite pie recipe!
The mince filling is packed full of flavour - browned mince featuring a pretty good list of ingredients, but all essential to making this the most delicious pie filling out there. I've also added a carrot in there to up the veggie content of the pie - feel free to leave this out if you are going for more of a petrol station pie!
Roll out your pastry for the bottom - I often use ready made for a super speedy dinner but if I have extra time (or I ran out of pastry!) you can make your own puff pastry in only 15 minutes!
Add the filling, top with plenty of cheese - I just used slices of the block we had in the fridge, so use your favourite. You can also use a cheese or bechamel sauce here like the one I use in my lasagne instead which is also delicious!
Pop the lid on top, prick a few holes in with a fork and brush with an egg wash and then bake for about 40 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and cooked all the way through.
We love serving this pie for dinner with mashed potato and peas or with a quick mac and cheese.
You can also make this into mini pies in a muffin tin - just bake them for a little bit less time.
I also love making a double batch of the filling and freezing it flat in a snaplock bag for next time I want to make a quick pie. Just defrost the mince filling and pour it directly into the pastry base. I have the full instructions along with plenty of other freezer recipes in my Ultimate Freezer Meal Ebook.
Mince and Cheese Pie
Ingredients
- 350 grams puff pastry
- 8 slices cheese (colby, edam, tasty, cheddar)
Pie filling
- ½ onion (finely diced)
- 1 carrot (optional, finely diced)
- 500 grams beef mince
- 2 cloves garlic (crushed)
- 2 cups beef stock
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon marmite
- 1 teaspoon mixed herbs
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons cornflour mixed with ¼ cup water
Egg wash
- 1 egg whisked with 1 teaspoon milk
Instructions
- Heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in a medium frying pan over a medium heat. Cook onions and carrot for 5 minutes until soft. Add garlic and mince and brown (about 5 minutes).
- Add all remaining pie filling ingredients, except cornflour and water, stir to combine and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir through the cornflour slurry and cook for a further 2 or 3 minutes until the gravy thickens.
- Roll out ⅔ of the pastry to fit a 20-23cm round pie dish. Line the bottom of the dish with the pastry, fill with the mince filling and top with the cheese slices. Roll out the remaining pastry to fit the top of the pie and place on top, sealing the edges with your fingers or a fork.
- Prick holes in the pastry using a fork and brush with egg wash. Bake at 180°C/350°F for 40 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and cooked through.
- Serve immediately and store leftovers in the fridge for 4 days.
Notes
Stef says
Beautiful. I used pre rolled pastry from the supermarket and grated cheese. Could put any type of veg inside this. Next time I might add mushrooms or use lamb mince.
Very tasty.
Maureen says
Would like to try your creation 😊
Carmen Bailey says
The farmer husband has made this sooooo many times we love it
Nicko says
Kiwi pies, world class! says this appreciative pom. You guys knock it out of the park. May you continue to prosper and keep baking up a storm. Love from your appreciative cousins in the other hemisphere.
Nathan says
I think it's good 👍
John says
Swap out the carrots for peas or even add as an extra. But don't cook the peas when you're browning up the mince ect, add once it's ready to go into the pastry. Trust me on that 😉 yum!
Lora says
Absolutely yummy!!! Used smoked
Gouda and followed everything else! Super delicious.
Lee says
I've been home-baking the good ol' Aussie meat pie for decades, never entirely pleased with the result. I thought I'd give your NZ recipe a go, and was thrilled with the result! Best pie I've ever made! I'm convinced the secret is the cheese slices - once baked they don't give a cheesy taste but enrich the overall flavour beautifully. I increased the quantity of all ingredients by roughly 50% to make a six-serve pie. I added half a cup of uncooked red lentils with an extra cup of broth at the simmering stage (3 cups broth in total) to give extra bulk and yumminess. I'd strongly recommend including the finely diced carrot - adds flavour and moistness. I needed about 4 tsps cornflour to thicken. Blind-baked a shortcrust base before assembling, and used a puff pastry top. Instead of eggwash I mixed whole-egg mayo with a splash of milk to use instead. My pie came out golden and superb - so good it does not need tomato sauce to serve. Love it! Thank you!
Talia says
Used with lamb mince and was delish!
Katey says
Loved it. I added lots of cracked pepper to get that bakery meat pie taste. Also needed way more water so I could have a very gravy pie. Will make this again!
Jan Matthews says
Easy & delicious, it’s a favourite in our house!
Michela says
Awesome recipe, we use a brown gravy mix + 1tsp of cornflour + 1/4-1/2c of boiled water for our slurry. But this recipe is just as amazing 😍
Carolyn says
Great recipe!! Even my picky, allergy child tried some and loved it! Just delicious 😍