BEEF FLORENTINE FILO PIE
Rich, savoury mince covered with a cheesy spinach layer and finished with crisp, golden filo pastry sheets. If you haven’t tried beef florentine filo pie before, you’re missing out!
Let me just say, this pie is awesome (better than it looks)! We went to our good friends, Chris and Maddalena, for dinner a few weeks ago and they served up this delicious meal, which was inspired by a recipe from Chris’ granny, Marlene. It only took one mouthful to realise that beef florentine filo pie needed to feature on one of my menus soon! My version isn’t quite as mouth-wateringly good as theirs (which has 4 different cheeses + lots of butter), but a slightly healthified pie that’s perfect for weeknight eating. I hope you enjoy it as much as we have.
P.S. Not only are Chris and Maddalena great at making pies, they also run a business called Spa & Celebration, based on Auckland’s North Shore. They offer beauty therapy and bespoke event planning services – Maddie is a trained beauty therapist and absolute queen of organisation and planning, while Chris is an excellent DJ. If you’re in the market for any of these services, I can highly recommend them!
BEEF FLORENTINE FILO PIE
Rich, savoury mince covered with a cheesy spinach layer and finished with crisp, golden filo pastry sheets. If you haven’t tried beef florentine filo pie before, you’re missing out!
Ingredients
MINCE
- 1 large carrot
- 1 brown onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 500 g prime beef mince (1lb 2oz)
- 1 beef stock cube dissolved in 1/2 cup boiling water (125ml)
- 400 g can Italian flavoured crushed tomatoes (14oz)
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 400 g can brown lentils (14oz)
SPINACH
- 500 g frozen spinach (1lb 2oz)
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese (150g)
- 150 g lite cream cheese (5.3oz)
FILO TOPPING
- 12 sheets filo pastry (300g)
- 50 g butter (1.8oz)
GREENS
- 100 g sugar snap peas (3.5oz)
- 250 g green beans (8.8oz)
Instructions
PREPARE MINCE MIXTURE
Finely dice carrot and onion. Crush garlic. Heat olive oil in a large pot over a medium-high heat. Add carrot, onion and garlic and cook for 3 minutes, until softened. Add mince and cook until browned all over. Pour in beef stock, tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Simmer rapidly for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 180ºC (360ºF) fan bake.
MAKE SPINACH LAYER
Defrost spinach in microwave. Place in a colander and press down firmly to remove excess water. Roughly chop. Whisk egg in a medium bowl. Stir in spinach, cheddar and cream cheese. Season with a little salt and pepper.
ASSEMBLE PIE
Stir lentils into the mince mixture. Pour into a large oven-safe dish (roughly 24cm square). Spread the spinach mixture over the top. Melt butter in microwave. Cut three sheets of filo pastry to the size of the oven dish. Brush sheets with butter (one side is fine) and place on top of the spinach mixture. Brush remaining nine sheets of filo with butter, scrunching them up as you go and placing on top of the pie. Once complete, the scrunched up filo should cover the whole top of the pie. Bake for 25 minutes, until filo is golden brown.
PREPARE GREENS
When pie is almost ready, trim ends off the beans and sugar snap peas. Place beans in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute. Add sugar snaps and microwave for a further 30 seconds.
SERVE
Cut filo pie into pieces and serve with beans and sugar snap peas on the side.
Recipe Notes
WINE MATCH: Try a Merlot.
GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: Use a gluten-free stock cube. Ensure Worcestershire sauce is gluten-free. Replace filo pastry with very thin slices of potato (you will need 1 large potato - microwave for 2 minutes before slicing).
INGREDIENT SWAPS: This meal would work nicely with lamb mince in place of the beef mince. Frozen kale is a good substitute for spinach.
STORING AND REHEATING: Store in airtight containers in the fridge and reheat in the microwave for quick and easy leftovers. Note that the filo pastry won’t be as crisp. You can also reheat in the oven.
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