After a brief warm-up, we’re in for an arctic BLAST of cold air and possibly….do I dare say it out loud?….S-N-O-W. Maybe if I spell it, it won’t happen? Ha, I wish! It’s too early for that “white stuff”!! So it’s time to start breaking out the leg warmers, heart warmers and tummy warmers! 😀 

They don’t call it “comfort food” for no reason! 😉 It truly is comforting, not only nutritionally, and not just to warm the tummy, but food for the soul, too! It just plain makes you feel good inside and happy to be alive! 😀 

And this beef pot pie does just that. Sometimes it’s the simple things in life that make you feel the best!  And though this recipe may seem to be complicated due to the long list of ingredients, don’t let that fool you. It comes together quickly and easily actually. It’s not difficult to make at all. 😀

I do make my own simple, easy beef gravy for this, but you can make your own homemade or use jarred or packets. *I promise to add my homemade easy one to my blog separately as soon as I can so that you can find it easier and make it for other things as well!  

But for now, it’s simply 4 Tbl. butter, 5 Tbl. flour, and 2 cans Campbell’s beef consommé.

Do your basic roux from the butter and flour, and whisk in the consommé and simmer until thickened.

I also add pepper, garlic and sometimes herbs to compliment whatever it’s going with, and a bit of beef base for salt and extra flavor.

But that’s really all there is to it! It’s basically like my Easy Chicken Gravy pretty much, only using beef consommé instead. 😉 

I LOVE to use my pressure cooker for the meat, too! If you’re still scared of them, you really need to check out the newer models that may change your mind about pressure cooking. 😉

I insist on the old-fashioned kind with the little regulator that makes that wonderful rocking sound, but they have new ones now that are electronic and programmable that are also noiseless.

So please do check them out if you don’t already have a pressure cooker! They are the most wonderful way to cook less tender, economical cuts of beef turning them into melt-in-your-mouth chunks of heaven in no time at all!

For this I use thick-cut round steak, but chuck roast is equally as delicious. Round steak does tend to hold it’s shape much better, though. Chuck roast will shred, so be aware of this. If you want nice pieces, go for the round steak. 

The veggies are really up to you. I add all of the ones we like, omitting the usual peas for myself, as I prefer green beans in mine when making this with beef, but you can add whatever vegetables you personally like in yours!

Just make sure you add equal amounts so that you don’t end up with too many making the pie dry or not enough resulting in a runny pie. 😉 

And the easy pastry just plain ROCKS it! You can whip it right up in the food processor, and the herbs and black pepper add so much extra flavor! It’s super simple to make with pantry items you already have, that there’s just no reason to use store-bought instead. So go for it! You can do it! 😀

You can even make the pastry the day before and chill overnight so that there’s not as much to do the next day. 😉 Even the filling can be made a day or two ahead if wanting this to come together super quick the day of! 😀 

Though the “carb police” would have a fit, you can serve this with mashed potatoes & gravy on the side, or you can save yourself a ticket and simply serve this with a tossed salad, fruit salad, cole slaw, or jello salad, some bread and butter, rolls or biscuits, and even more veggies if you’d like! Even a nice beefy brown or wild rice with veggies is nice, too. 😉  

So bundle up, put another log on the fire, and buckle down! S-N-O-W is on it’s way here, and for some, it has already hit! And be sure to have this heart-warming pie baking in the oven to warm the tummy, feed the soul and unthaw the toes! 😉  Take care all, and I’ll see you tomorrow! 😀 ~Kelly

Yield: 8 servings

Tender Beef Pot Pie with Thyme, Rosemary & Black Pepper Pastry

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 55 minutes

Additional Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 5 minutes

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Ingredients

For Filling:

• 1 1/2 lbs thick-cut round steaks, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes, fat trimmed
• 1 (10 3/4 ounce) can beef broth
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt (I use Johnny's)
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 teaspoon thyme, crushed with fingers
• 3 -4 medium red potatoes, not small ones
• 1 cup sliced fresh baby carrots, measure after slicing
• 1 (7 ounce) can corn, drained
• 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can green beans, drained
• 1 (4 ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained (optional)
• 2 cups (or a bit more) beef gravy, homemade or packet kind
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

For Pastry:

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 cup cold butter, cut up
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp. finely crushed or ground dried rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4-1/2 cup ice water
• 1 tablespoon milk
• pinches each of thyme, rosemary and some fresh cracked black pepper

Instructions

For Pastry:

In food processor, place flour, butter, salt, thyme, rosemary and pepper.

Mix for a few seconds, then slowly add ice water, pulsing, until mixture forms into a ball.

Divide dough in half, form into two round, flat disks, wrap each tightly in plastic wrap, and chill in fridge.

For Filling:

Place first 9 ingredients into pressure cooker. Place on lid.

Heat over medium heat til regulator starts rocking.

Adjust heat to a gentle rock, and cook for 15 minutes. Let pressure drop on it's own accord. (*Can also simmer in a pot for 45 minutes *or til tender, if desired to do it that way.).

Meanwhile, cut up potatoes and carrots and boil til tender, about 10 minutes. Drain.

Make 2 cups brown gravy and pour into large bowl.

Add potatoes, carrots and rest of vegetables.

Carefully open pressure cooker when safe, drain meat and onion, and add to gravy/veggie mixture.

Stir in a 1/4 teaspoon each of garlic powder and pepper *or to taste.

Roll out 1 ball of chilled pastry to fit a 9" deepdish pie shell and place into dish.

Fill with meat mixture.

Roll out other ball of dough and cover pie, sealing edges well.

*You can do a lattice top, or cut slits to vent in solid top.

Brush top and edge with milk, sprinkle with dried thyme and rosemary, and fresh cracked black pepper. Just a light sprinkling of each.

Bake in 400º oven for 35-40 minutes. Let cool 20-30 minutes before slicing.