Today, it’s a treat straight from my mother’s kitchen: phyllo meat pie recipe (aka Egyptian goulash). It is the one savory pastry I can not stop eating! And I have tips and the step-by-step pictures to guide you through making your own crispy, flaky phyllo pie!
Very early in my life, phyllo pies– sweet and savory–captivated me.
I marveled at the phyllo and at the way my mom “played” with the paper-thin dough–swiftly creating pies or wrapping the phyllo sheets into cigars around a decadent filling of sorts.
When it came to mother’s famous phyllo meat pie, the 45-minute baking time seemed to me like forever. As a child, I would pace the kitchen watching the oven with great anticipation. I hovered near the timer, staring it down, almost willing it to ring. I just could not wait!
I was after the finished pie with the perfectly spiced meat nestled in between the layers of crisp, flaky, golden phyllo sheets. And nothing was more satisfying than finally biting down on the warm pie and hearing that perfect crunch!
As an adult, I still enjoy this phyllo meat pie just as much. Only, now I get to make it myself!
Lean in.
Come closer.
I have something to tell you…
Do not fear the phyllo!
How to work with Phyllo Dough
The biggest secret to working with phyllo dough, as you will see in the step-by-step, is to set the phyllo sheets between two very lightly damp towels. This will keep them moist and prevent them from breaking as you work to assemble the pie. Also, don’t skimp on buttering the phyllo layers (see the recipe notes). Don’t worry, it’s more of a butter-olive oil mix I use here.
If you have never tried your hand at working with phyllo dough before, this phyllo meat pie recipe is a great start. It is the simplest phyllo recipe I know!
Interested in more phyllo dough recipes? You might like to try Baklava or these Phyllo Meat and Feta Rolls.
Step-by-Step for Phyllo Meat Pie or Egyptian Goulash
(Print-friendly recipe to follow)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Lay the thawed phyllo dough sheets between two lightly damp kitchen towels.
Begin with preparing the meat filling. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large nonstick pan. On medium-high heat, saute the chopped onions briefly. Add the ground beef. Cook until fully browned, tossing regularly. Remove the pan from the heat briefly and drain any fat, then return back to the stove. Add in the spices and stir to fully combine. Remove from the heat.
Now, to assemble the phyllo pie, lay three to four sheets of phyllo dough on the bottom of a lightly greased 9 1/2 x 13 x 2 1/4 inch baking pan. Fold any excess dough in. Brush the top phyllo sheet very generously with the melted butter and oil mixture. Repeat this step as you lay three to four sheets of phyllo at a time in the baking pan until you have used up 1/2 of the phyllo sheets.
Now, as you have a nice base for your pie, spread the meat filling evenly on top of the last phyllo sheet.
Layer the remaining sheets on top of the meat repeating the same process as before (again, three or four sheets at a time, fold excess phyllo and butter the top sheet) until the phyllo sheets are used up. Brush the top sheet very generously with the butter and olive oil mixture. With a sharp knife, cut the phyllo pie into 12 squares. Season the prepared milk and egg mixture with salt and pepper and pour evenly over the pie.
Place the phyllo meat pie on the middle rack of the 350 degrees F heated-oven for about 45 minutes to an hour, or until cooked through. It should turn a nice golden brown. Be watchful so that the pie does not over bake or burn.
Serve warm with a side salad! Enjoy!
Phyllo Meat Pie (Egyptian Goulash)
- Prep Time: 25 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 12 pieces 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
Today, it’s a treat straight from my mother’s kitchen: phyllo meat pie recipe (aka Egyptian goulash). It is the one savory pastry I can not stop eating!
Ingredients
- 16 oz. package of frozen phyllo dough, thawed in its package
- 1 egg, whisked in 1 cup of milk
- 1 cup Private Reserve extra virgin olive oil OR 1/2 cup olive oil combined with 1/2 cup melted butter
For the meat filling
- 1 cup chopped onions
- 1 1/2 lb lean ground beef
- 1 tsp ground allspice
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Carefully lay the thawed phyllo dough sheets between two lightly damp kitchen towels.
- Begin with preparing the meat filling. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large nonstick pan. On medium-high heat, saute the chopped onions briefly. Add the ground beef. Cook until fully browned, tossing regularly. Remove the pan from the heat briefly to drain any fat, then return back to the stove. Add in the spices and stir to fully combine. Remove from the heat.
- Now, to assemble the phyllo pie, lay three to four sheets of phyllo dough on the bottom of a lightly greased 9 1/2 x 13 x 2 1/4 inch baking pan. Fold any excess dough in. Brush the top phyllo sheet very generously with the melted butter and oil mixture. Repeat this step as you lay three to four sheets of phyllo at a time in the baking pan until you have used up 1/2 of the phyllo sheets.
- Now, as you have a nice base for your pie, spread the meat filling evenly on top of the last phyllo sheet.
- Layer the remaining sheets on top of the meat repeating the same process as before (again, three or four sheets at a time, fold excess phyllo and butter the top sheet) until the phyllo sheets are used up.
- Brush the top sheet very generously with the butter and olive oil mixture. With a sharp knife, cut the phyllo pie into 12 squares.
- Season the prepared milk and egg mixture with salt and pepper and pour evenly over the pie.
- Place the phyllo meat pie on the middle rack of the 350 degrees F heated-oven for about 45 minutes to an hour, or until cooked through. It should turn a nice golden brown. Be watchful so that pie does not over bake or burn.
- Serve warm with a side salad! Enjoy!
Notes
– Do not skimp on “buttering” the phyllo layers as indicated above. Make sure you drizzle or brush a generous amount of the olive oil mixture so that each layer is well soaked. If you want to stay on the healthy side, you can always adjust the mixture to have more olive oil than butter.
– If you want to prepare the pie ahead of time, you can follow the steps all the way to step 11, but do not pour the milk-egg mixture over until just before you have to bake it. The pie must be covered tightly and kept in the fridge until you are ready to bake. Do not prepare more than one night ahead.
-Recommended for this Recipe: Our Private Reserve Greek extra virgin olive oil (from organically grown and processed Koroneiki olives!)
– Visit our store to browse our spices, olive oils and bundles!
- Category: Entree
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Mediterranean/Egyptian
Keywords: Phyllo Meat Pie, Egyptian Goulash, Goulash, Meat pie, phyllo dough
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I have this in the oven as I’m writing this. It smells delicious! My phyllo package had 11-12 sheets so that was all I used, and one cup of oil/butter was WAY too much! I brushed the top sheets very generously, too. I only used a few tablespoons. Perhaps I didn’t use enough but 1cup?! Have I done something wrong? Please advise for next time!
Hi, Dana! That is typically the amount I use, but you can certainly adjust if you feel that’s too much for you.
I just made this yesterday. It is one of my go to favorite foods. I have shared this dish with several people and they all loved it. I have even made it with various vegetable and meat. Even use a dash of cajun seasoning. It is a wonderful easy dish to make.
★★★★★
Awesome! Thanks for sharing your variations, Marie!
Hello – I have made this recipe in the past and thoroughly enjoyed it. My children are now adults and moved on and continue to use this particular recipe of yours. Now that there is just the two of us, I have made two smaller portions in 8 X 8 pans. Bake one and freeze the other (uncooked) As this is the first time I will attempt to bake from frozen – what are your suggestions? Should it thaw out first – or can I place in the oven for a longer period right from frozen?
★★★★★
Hi MaryJane! You can bake this pie from frozen if you have a freezer-to-oven safe dish. Enjoy!
Made these today and it was very tasty thank you
★★★★★
My pleasure, Farida!
This was delicious, It tastes like a Jamaican Patty or a Haitian pate pie. I think it is because of the allspice. It was really easy to make. I never used phyllo dough before and had been kind of scared to use it but it seemed pretty easy as long as I worked quickly. Will make this again everybody loved it.! …Thank you
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed it! Now that you’re a phyllo dough expert, you need to try my Baklava and Baklava rolls :).
Yet another AMAZING dish! I can’t begin to tell you how finding your site has changed me. I’ve never been one who enjoys cooking until now. Your recipes are fun to make and simple to follow and my knife skills are getting better with each new recipe! Cooking IS fun! And to add to it all, my family and I have been eating healthier and enjoying making meals together! I hope people try this dish because it is so good! Thank you again! 🙂
★★★★★
Thank you for the kind words, Anna! This really made my day! I’m so glad you’ve found some cooking inspiration here.
Question, does adding the milk make the bottom soggy or will it cook up crispy all the way through? Thanks.
Hi Anna, you do need the milk to help cook this meat pie. It is absorbed during cooking. it should look as you see here.
Hi, I’m focusing on cooking some freezer meals. Can I freeze this recipe? If yes, before or after I bake?
I did read not to add the milk egg mixture until baking. Thanks
Hi Maggie, you can definitely freeze leftovers. Thaw overnight in the fridge and warm up in a medium-heated oven.
Hi Suzy, I have an allergy to beef and was wondering if ground turkey or pulled chicken pieces would work in this recipe.
Thanks
Hi Lynda! yes, you can replace the beef here with another ground meat, turkey, chicken, or even lamb. Enjoy
This is a five star recipe and fit for special occasions. On top of the minced meat, I added a layer of butternut and sweet potato, pan fried in a paste of my favourite spices , 1 garlic clove, a few cumin seeds, a dash of fennel and dill, one or two black pepper corns, dried chilli flakes, salt and olive oil ground with a pestle and mortar. Served with mixed salad and peas.
★★★★★
Thank you, Riekie! And thanks for sharing your variation!
Egyptian goulash is exactly Haitian paté! Love my heritage.
Not quite, but so close! I love that food influences travel across cultures. Thank you for sharing, Sabi.
Suzy, I’d like to sub a non-dairy for the milk, maybe rice milk or almond. Or should I omit the milk altogether and just brush the pie with egg?
Hi Francine, you can sub with a non dairy option that is neutral in taste.
Hi everyone! I added sautéd bell pepper & mushroom and then a layer of Monterey Jack cheese. Oh my heavens. Amazing!! The cheese adds just enough to make it extra yummy!!
★★★★★
Hailey, thanks for sharing your great ideas!
Made these last night with steamed broccoli. Delicious, family loved them. Want to try with spinach, feta and pine nuts next time. Thanks for a great recipe.
Wonderful, Rose! So glad to hear it. Here is our version with spinach and feta: https://www.themediterraneandish.com/spanakopita-recipe-greek-spinach-pie/
So, my father bought phyllo instead of puff pastry for Christmas dinner.. this recipe is in my oven as we speak! How much ground meat did you use? It looks a mess at the moment but I am sure it will be delish!! Thanks for sharing!!
Hi Brandy, this recipe calls for 1.5 lb ground beef (see the recipe box toward the bottom) Enjoy! 🙂