Quick Australian Meat Pie Filling for Easy Family Lunches
A thick, savory Australian-style ground beef filling with a rich gravy texture. It makes enough to fill about six small individual meat pies when paired with store-bought or homemade pastry.
Servings 6
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 15 mL
- 1 medium yellow onion finely diced, about 1 cup (150 g)
- 1 pound lean ground beef such as 85% to 90% lean (454 g)
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 16 g
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste 15 g
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 15 mL
- 1 teaspoon Vegemite or beef bouillon paste 5 g
- 1 1/4 cups low-sodium beef broth 300 mL
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste (1.5 g)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 0.5 g
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 0.5 g, optional
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes.
- Add the ground beef. Break it into very small crumbles with a spoon and cook until no pink remains, about 5 to 6 minutes. Carefully spoon off excess fat if there is more than a small amount in the skillet.
- Sprinkle the flour over the beef and stir for 1 minute. Stir in the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, Vegemite or bouillon paste, salt, pepper, and thyme, if using.
- Gradually stir in the beef broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until the gravy is thick and glossy and the filling holds its shape on a spoon, about 6 to 8 minutes.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Let the filling stand for 5 minutes to thicken further before using.
- For individual meat pies, spoon the filling into pastry-lined pie tins, leaving a small border. Add pastry tops, seal and vent them, then bake according to the directions for your store-bought pastry or your chosen homemade crust recipe. Serve with tomato sauce or ketchup, if desired.