Simple Ground Beef Puff Pastry Recipe

Simple Ground Beef Puff Pastry Recipe is one of my family’s favorite dinners. It is so delicious. And let me let you in on a little secret. It could not be more simple. It looks fancy, but it’s totally not. It’s one of my go-to easy recipes that are perfect for a hectic day and also fancy enough to serve guests! It’s always a huge hit when I make it and it’s just scrumptious with the ground beef filling and the flaky puff pastry. You just cannot go wrong with this ground beef puff pastry recipe. I’m always on the hunt for new recipes that are easy, delicious, and that I can get on the table quickly. This dish fits the bill and will be a hit with the entire family.

What ingredients do we need to make this amazing and simple meat pie dinner? Let’s dive in!

• 1 package frozen puff pastry (2 puff pastry sheets)
• 1 pound of ground beef
• McCormick Brown Gravy Mix (1 packet)
• Salt and black pepper, to taste

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• Large non-stick skillet – I like this one because it comes with a lid. If I’m going to buy a pan or pot I like to have as many options to use it as possible!
• Oven Mitts – This is a heavy and hot dish! Make sure you have good oven mitts to protect your hands!
• Flat Whisk – I adore this OXO Good Grips Flat Whisk. If I couldn’t have anything else in the kitchen, THIS is the gadget I’d keep. It’s the best whisk I’ve ever had and the flat part of the design is such a game-changer for making things in the pan! I could not recommend this more! This is the only brand I’ve ever had, and I’m a big fan of all the OXO products.
• Baking Sheets – These Nordic Ware natural aluminum commercial baker’s half sheets are my absolute favorite baking sheets I’ve ever owned in my cooking days! They are super heavy-duty, have a great rim around them, and they stay in great shape no matter what you cook on them. And they clean up incredibly easily as well!
• Parchment Paper Sheets – This is parchment paper that’s already cut for you! And it is the size of a half baking sheet pan, which is absolutely perfect!
• Pizza Roller Cutter – I love my KitchenAid Classic Pizza Cutter. And it’s the best thing to cut a whole lot of food in addition to pizza! Use it for beef puff, quesadillas, garlic bread, and more!

This recipe could not be more simple! And best of all, you can clean up and throw together a side dish or two as it bakes in the oven!

Preheat your oven to 400*. Lay out the puff pastry dough sheets from the freezer to thaw. You can put it in the fridge the night before, or just let it sit at room temperature on the baking sheet while you cook the beef and the oven preheats.

Brown one pound of ground beef and drain the beef. You don’t want all that extra grease in your mixture.

Add the beef back to your skillet and return to the stove. Add in gravy mix and 1 cup cold water and cook over medium heat until gravy thickens, stirring often. This step will take a couple of minutes. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste. The gravy packet has a good amount of sodium in it, so it might not need much salt if any at all. Generally, I might add a tiny pinch, if anything at all.

Once the meat mixture is done, put parchment paper on the baking sheet and unfold one sheet of puff pastry flat onto the sheet. I don’t take the time to roll pastry. You could roll it out a little more flat and make a slightly larger and more thin beef puff pastry. I don’t take the extra time to get a rolling pin out for that. I will, however, press it all around evenly with my fingers to help it spread out just a little. For me, I like my puff pastry thicker and it’s certainly easier not to roll out that dough!

Top the sheet of puff pastry with the beef and gravy mix, leaving a one-inch border all around the puff pastry. (Spread it more than what is pictured here! I didn’t capture the photo of the beef perfectly spread out. Oops!)

Put the second piece of puff pastry on top of the meat. Let it sit on top of the warm meat mixture for a minute or so to let it get flexible and fall into place. You can see my sheet was still a smidge stiff and a tiny bit frozen when I put it on top here.

To crimp the edges shut, press a fork down all around the entire puff pastry to seal the edges together. This will stop any of the meat and gravy mixture from leaking out while the puff is cooking. If you miss a small spot and a little leaks out, it’s not a big deal! But, if you make sure to crimp all the way around, in my experience it works beautifully and it looks rustic and pretty when it bakes too!

With that same fork, go around the top and poke a few holes in the top of the puff pastry “pocket” to allow steam to escape. If you skip this step, the puff pastry can get really soggy and you don’t want that.

If you want the puff pastry to have a golden and glossy hue when it’s finished, go ahead and make an egg wash to brush over the top of the pastry. All you have to do is crack an egg in a bowl and stir it up with a tablespoon of milk, and using a pastry brush, brush the beaten egg mixture on the top of the puff pastry in an even layer. I usually skip this step. If I’m making the recipe for guests, I might go that extra mile so it’s extra pretty for presentation!

For more info on how to do an egg wash, read HERE.

Bake for 20-25 minutes in the preheated oven until the puff pastry is golden brown and has its beautifully flaky crust. (If the puff is getting too brown on top too quickly, cover it lightly and loosely with aluminum foil to avoid it burning.

I find it easiest to cut pastry pie with a pizza cutter into 6 pieces. A serrated knife would also work very well. I bake my beef puff pastry as one giant puff pastry, and then I slice it into 6 pieces when it’s done. If you wanted to do individual pot pies or puff pastry, you could totally cut the pastry into 12 rectangles (6 per sheet) and follow the directions the exact same way, just for the smaller versions!

This beef puff pastry is a perfect main course. Truly, all it needs is a salad or vegetable on the side. If you are feeling really, really decadent, add some mashed potatoes as well.

Want to really take it up a notch?? Serve it with this Easy Twice Baked Mashed Potato Casserole!

You could definitely use pie crust if you have it on hand. But, I’m telling ya, you’re missing out if you don’t try this with puff pastry sheets. The beef mixture inside with the flaky pastry on the outside is just magical and delicious.

Absolutely! There are tons of opportunities to change up the filling for this recipe. You could use different spices on the beef, and add in vegetables like sweet onion, green peppers, peas, corn, etc. Get creative with it! If you want a little heat to it, feel free to add some hot sauce! For a fun twist, you could do a version with more Latin flair and use taco spice flavorings with cumin powder and chili powder, and cheddar cheese.

You could. I like the ground beef because it’s so quick to cook. This would be perfect if you had leftover pot roast or tender stew meat you wanted to use up. If you used filet meat and added a mushroom mixture, it would be a take on beef wellington! Just know, no matter which meat you decide on for the filling, it’s not going to bake for that long, so you’ll want to have your filling fully cooked before you put it in the puff pastry and bake it.

What’s not better with cheese? I have never tried this with cheese but I’d imagine it would be good. My husband has asked to put cheese in it several times and I’ve never done it! I’ll have to try it! I would imagine it would be delicious with some cheddar cheese or mozzarella cheese!

This recipe could not be easier, more delicious, or comforting to make! We have it every few weeks at our house. And the best news? The leftovers are every bit as good as the first night you serve this dish! I’m always on the hunt for easy recipes with simple ingredients that my family will love, and this Simple Ground Beef Puff Pastry recipe certainly fits that bill perfectly. I hope you make it for your family soon! Let me know what you think when you make it!

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