This delicious Russian Pirog Meat Pie (Пирог с мясом) is made with beef and potatoes and is easy to make. This is a recipe from my childhood that my mother used to make for us all the time. Everyone loves a meat pie, and there are so many different ways to make them across so many cultures.
What is a Pirog Pie?
A Pirog is is Russian meat pie, covered in dough, baked and filled with a sweet or savory filling. If you have more than one, they're called Pirogi (пироги) which is not to be confused with Pierogi, a Polish boiled dumpling. Quite often, you never just make one! Pirogi are a very important part of Russian cuisine.
This Russian Meat Pie can be made from a yeast dough, puff pastry or unleavened dough. Most commonly they would be made with a yeast dough, but my mom's homemade recipe was made as a no yeast pirog. This makes it an easy Russian meat pie recipe. Making yeast dough takes time, and this recipe is a time saver and tastes great.
If you want to make the yeast dough version, just watch the recipe below for the yeast dough instructions!
Pirogi come in different shapes from round, oblong to rectangle. Different variations of fillings like beef, chicken or cabbage are common. Karelian Pastries are often filled with rice and boiled egg or buckwheat. Kulebyaka Pirog is make with Salmon and rice. Smaller hand pie size pirogs are called Pirozhki. Kurnik Pirog is a round pie made with chicken and is can be served at Easter or other celebrations. Sweet fillings for Pirogi are Tvorog or Quark Cheese, fruits and berries or even poppy seeds.
Can You Freeze a Meat Pirog?
Mom would always make 2 Pirogi at the same time. It's really not much more work to make one meat pie or two meat pies. One was made for dinner that night and the other was frozen for another day. Yes, you can freeze this pie, but it needs to be baked first for best results.
This beef pie recipe is made with potatoes, red peppers, carrots and green onions. And don't forget the black pepper! One of the many Pirog recipes your family can enjoy for dinner. An easy unleavened dough recipe that can be prepared in advance. A perfect Russian meat pie! Bon Appetit! Приятного аппетита!
Pirog Meat Pie (Пирог с мясом)
Ingredients
For the filling
- 2 pounds ground beef (1 kg)
- 4 medium potatoes
- 1 red pepper thinly sliced
- 1 carrot quartered and thinly sliced
- 1 onion diced
- 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced (about 5 stalks)
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon salt
- ¼ cup water or broth
- 2 tablespoons oil
For the dough
- 4 cups flour 500g
- 1 cup melted butter about 200g of butter
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ cup hot water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk for egg wash
Instructions
- To prepare the dough, place the flour, salt and baking powder into a large bowl. Add the melted butter and hot water, and mix using a spoon. When mixed, it will still feel a bit dry, add the egg and mix. If you add the egg with the hot butter, it can cook the egg, which ruins the dough.
- Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. The dough will be soft, so gently knead to keep the dough soft.
- Prepare the vegetables. Mix together the ground beef, thinly sliced vegetables, black pepper, salt, water and oil.
- Cut the dough in ⅔ and ⅓ pieces. The ⅔ piece will be used as the base of the Pirog pie, and the ⅓ piece will be the cover. Roll the dough into about ½cm or ¼" thick.
- Put the larger dough inside a 8.5" x 11.5 baking pan, including up the sides. You can lightly grease the pan if you like, however the dough has enough butter so I find it doesn't stick. Place the meat mixture inside and cover with the small piece of dough. Pinch the dough edges together to seal. Cut off any excess dough and set aside to make a dough pattern on top.
- Using a fork, pierce the dough randomly across the top, to allow steam to escape when cooking. Ensure the holes to seal up, you can also cut a round circle in the middle. Roll out the excess dough, and cut some leaf patterns. Place on top of the pie. Beat the egg yolk and brush the dough for a golden finish.
- Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Place into the oven and cook for about 50-60 minutes until golden brown, the potatoes are soft and the meat runs clear.
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