Simple Savory Pie Recipe (Make with hamburger or venison!)

When my husband lived off-campus during his college years, he and his roommate used to make quick “manly food” for good academic nourishment. The dishes they would make and share often involved meat, onion, spice, and some way to hold it all together. One of their favorite creations was a Savory Pie recipe. Well, actually, they called it Hamburger-Onion Pie, but they were boys and didn’t care and I wanted it to have a name that sounded classy 🙂  The two of them loved it so much that they could polish off the entire thing for dinner before heading back to their studies. Pair it up with creamy mashed potatoes and something green and you’ve got yourself a hearty family meal!

Savory pie is savory because there is nothing sweet about it …and it is a pie because it includes a pie crust. Normally, I try to make my crust to save money, but Kroger had a sale this past week on refrigerated pie crusts that I couldn’t pass up! It took just 15 minutes to make the pie and the end result did not disappoint. The best part about this recipe is that you can use your favorite ground meat (we are using venison!) and also your family’s preferred spice. Garlic powder, chili powder, oregano, cumin, curry powder (our choice!) would all work or if they like things on the plain side, simply leave the 1 tsp. of spice out.

Allow me to introduce to you Savory Pie – a simple and delicious all around recipe for those who enjoy a good hearty meal.

Come on in to my kitchen!

Here are the stars. Just seven ingredients : meat, eggs, onion, cottage cheese, spices and pie crust. The only thing I forgot to include in the picture was flour. Silly me.

In a large skillet, brown 1 lb of your favorite ground meat with 1 cup of chopped onion. Add a little salt and pepper like a pro.

As the meat is browning, take a fork and mash it up nice and fine with the softened onion. If there is lots of liquid fat, drain it off to your liking until you get a picture similar to this! …seriously, there is nothing better than the smell of sauteed meet n’ onions!

Turn off the heat and get ready to add 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. cracked black pepper, 2 T. flour and 1 tsp. of your preferred spice. Here I’m using some curry powder for an Indian twist, but any spice will do! If my brother-in-law were eating this, I’m sure he would put in an empty teaspoon here …and that is ok, man! 🙂

Stir it all together while the meat is still hot.

Roll out your unbaked pie shell, crack two eggs and spoon out 1 cup of small curd cottage cheese. In other words, act like Iron Chef!

Spread the meat mixture into your pie shell. Then, whisk the eggs up with the cottage cheese and some more cracked black pepper. Now here comes the artsy part. Pour the egg and cheese mixture over the meat, BUT do not mix. In the oven, this topping will help to keep the meat moist and create a layer affect.

Here is what it will look like before sticking it in the oven!

Sprinkle it with some paprika (optional, bro!) and pop the pie into a hot 400 degree oven for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, the pie will puff up in the middle and signal to you that it is done…or if you had your kitchen window open, a good signal is when the neighbors start knocking on your door and inviting themselves to dinner 🙂

Here we have it folks! Scrumptious, simple, savory pie. Literally, it’s good enough to savor every single bite.

Enjoy!

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Meredith is a pastor’s wife and stay-at-home mom living in NW Ohio. She loves to adapt recipes to her family’s eclectic tastes and is learning to provide nourishment for any bellies who walk through the door at a moment’s notice. If not in the kitchen, you’ll find Meredith in front of her sewing machine or spending quality time with her home and church families. Life goes by so fast!