Individual Beef & Stout Pot Pies

These Beef & Stout Pot Pies with a flaky blue cheese crust are delicious comfort food for the late winter season!  

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As the winter chill starts to thaw, we begin to think about spring recipes, but the oft still chilly days mean late winter comfort food is frequently on the mind. These Beef & Stout Pot Pies are an excellent choice for those days when you want something cozy and warm.

They combine tender beef cubes with an assortment of veggies, which are then simmered in a beef and Irish stout broth to form a super tasty stew. The flaky crust combines blue cheese and puff pastry for a unique topper.

Contents:

• Recipe Ingredients + Substitutions
• How to make this recipe
• Frequently asked questions
• Recommended tools
• Serving Suggestions
• More comfort food recipes
• Mini Beef & Stout Pot Pies

Recipe Ingredients + Substitutions

The full list of ingredients and quantities can be found in the recipe card below.

• Lean beef: Any type of steak you like will work for this recipe. I prefer to use something relatively lean, like a NY Strip Steak.
• Puff pastry: While another brand will work,  I'd recommend using Dufour if you can find it!  It's an all-butter version and just a little bit flakier than other options!
• Beef broth: I recommend using organic beef broth. You can buy the boxed version or you can make it using a beef base/bouillon.
• Red potatoes: You'll need several small to medium-sized red potatoes.
• Veggies: You'll need a yellow onion, some carrots, baby bella mushrooms, and a couple of garlic cloves
• Stout beer: I often use Guiness as I can buy single cans at my grocery store.
• Tomato paste: Buying tomato paste in a tube makes it much easier when a recipe only calls for a small amount. You can find it in this packaging at most grocery stores.
• Egg: I generally use large eggs, however, since you are using it for an egg wash you can use any size. You can also use liquid egg whites, though the crust won't be quite as shimmery if you do.
• Crumbled blue cheese: I use blue cheese in salads so I buy the pre-crumbled version. You can also buy a block and crumble it yourself.
• Spices: dried rosemary, kosher salt, ground pepper
• Pantry staples: Olive oil, cornstarch, all-purpose flour

How to make this recipe

The full printable recipe card is below, but let’s walk through the details before you start cooking.

Since this recipe has several steps, it is a good one to practice mise en place, the French art of everything in its place before you start cooking.

Step 1 | Brown the beef. You start this recipe by searing the beef for the stew. You can leave it in large cubes when you sear it, as it's easier to cut once partially cooked. Don't worry if it's not cooked through after searing, it's going into the stew almost right away where it will finish cooking.

Step 2 | Make the base. Start by sautéing the onions and garlic. If the beef was really lean you'll want to add a bit of extra olive oil to the pan so the onions don't stick.

Step 3 | Deglazed the pan. Deglazing gets all the nice brown bits that were created when you seared the beef off of the pan. This adds extra flavor to the stew. To deglaze, add a small amount of the beef broth and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan using a silicone spatula. Then add the carrots, potatoes, thyme and rosemary. Cook the mixture for an additional minute until the herbs are fragrant. Then add the remaining broth, beer, mushrooms and tomato paste to the pan. Stir everything together.

Step 4 | Season the beef. If you haven't already done so, cut the seared beef into bite-sized pieces and then season it with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the pieces with the cornstarch and flour and then return the beef to the pot.

Step 5 | Simmer the stew. Turn the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and let the mixture simmer for about 45 minutes. Once it's done, remove the pot from the heat and let the mixture cool a bit while you assemble the crust.

Step 6 | Make the crust. When you are ready to start the crust, preheat the oven to 400°F. Cut the puff pastry into two even pieces and roll each lightly with a rolling pin.  Sprinkle one half of each piece with blue cheese. Fold the unsprinkled side over the sprinkled side. Lightly roll each piece with a rolling pin again. At this point, you can either just use the rectangular pieces as they are though they will hang over the edges of the pans as you see in the photos. If you prefer a neater presentation, you can cut the sheets into rounds slightly larger than the pan. I like this option, but sometimes as it cooks, the puff pastry sinks into the pan a bit, so it doesn't puff as nicely. Either way works just fine!   

 

Step 7 | Assemble the pot pies. Divide the stew mixture between the two gratin pans and then top each with a sheet of the prepared puff pastry. Place the pans on a rimmed baking sheet. Using a baking sheet will prevent a mess in your oven if a bit of the stew mixture bubbles over the edge of the pan.

Step 8 | Bake. Bake the pot pies in a 400°F oven for 35 - 40 minutes. The pastry top should be puffed and golden brown. Let them cool slightly before serving.

Frequently asked questions

Recommended tools

Mini Gratin Pans – I love these little pans! They are great for individual frittatas, pasta dishes or for breaking servings of things like this dip into multiples so you can place at different spots on your party buffet or serve at different times without too much additional effort.

Silicone spatula – A silicone spatula is essential for ensuring you don't scratch your pans. This one from William's Sonoma is my favorite. I prefer the wood handle so it doesn't get hot, however, if you lean it on the side of a very hot pan you can get some burn marks on the handle.

Serving Suggestions

Since you've already got protein, carbs and veggies built into a pot pie, I'd add a simple green salad or a light starter like this veggie-based Butternut Squash Soup, for a complete meal.

More comfort food recipes

If you are looking for other comfort food recipes check out these reader favorites:

• Bolognese Sauce. Homemade Bolognese Sauce creates comfort food in a bowl. This version combines ground beef and pork for a hearty sauce that's perfect on a cold winter day!  
• Loaded Baked Potato Soup. This rich and creamy loaded baked potato soup gives you all of your favorite baked potato flavors packed into a comforting and warming meal. It's the perfect recipe for a chilly day!

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This post was originally published in February 2018. It was updated in February 2024 with some new information and photos. No changes were made to the original recipe.