Easy Meat Pie Recipe (With Hidden Organ Meats)
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Homemade Meat Pie with Hidden Organ Meats is a hearty, nourishing dish that’s perfect for feeding your family—especially the meat-lovers! It’s a simple and delicious way to sneak nutrient-rich liver into your meals without anyone noticing. Rich in flavour and comfort, this pie also freezes beautifully, making it an ideal make-ahead meal for busy days.
I love a good meat pie. It’s simple, satisfying, and high in protein and nutrition. A lot of the meat pie recipes on the internet don’t have many vegetables in them which we like for more variety. This meat pie has the best of all worlds. A large dose of protein, a dash of organ meats, and some flavourful vegetables.
Organ meats are nutrient dense and nature’s multivitamin, so I like to sneak it into meals wherever I can.
The flaky crust is one of my favourite aspects of this meat pie. It is rich, flaky, buttery and crunchy. It’s full of flavour from the whole wheat flour and brings the pie together deliciously. Read more about my go-to pie crust recipe
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Why Add Liver to Meat Pie?
Beef liver is highly valued in many cultures around the world. In traditional diets and indigenous cuisines, liver was often prized as a nutrient-rich food that provided essential vitamins and minerals, including iron, vitamin A, vitamin B12, and folate. Because of its nutritional value, it was commonly used to support general health, a healthy pregnancy and the development of robust babies.
Beef Liver Cubes
To make this recipe, I would first recommend you make some beef liver cubes. Making these ahead of time makes the process a whole lot easier and cleaner! I always have a bag of beef liver cubes on hand to add whenever I cook a dish with ground meat. Simply add a 2oz beef liver cube per pound of ground meat. This ratios allows you to reap the benefits of beef liver without it overpowering your meal, no one will even know it’s in there!
How Much Liver Should I Eat?
A healthy and sustainable amount of liver consumption for an adult would be around 2-4 oz a week and 1-2 oz per week for a child. These liver cubes are around 2oz which makes it easy to calculate your intake. Aim to use 1-2 liver cubes per adult that you’re cooking for per week. If you want to add liver to your children’s diet, simply share your liver-enriched food with your children and they will reap the benefits from their usual portion of the meal!
Recipe Tips
Make the filling ahead of time: Adding hot filling to a raw pie crust will make it hot which could melt the butter, and may result in a mushy crust when baked.
Freeze an extra for later: I like to double this recipe. You just need to have enough crusts for 2 pies, assemble and freeze one to bake later.
Make the filling in the Instant Pot: Sometimes, I like to sauté everything in the Instant Pot, add liquid and then set it to manual low pressure, sealing, less, for 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- Pie crust – you can make my recipe in bulk, buy from the store, or use a recipe of your choosing. Make sure it’s enough for the bottom and top of the pie.
- Olive oil
- Onion
- Garlic
- Beef
- Ground beef liver (or liver cubes)
- Ground beef heart
- Flour
- Potato
- Peas
- Carrot
- Broth (or water)
- Salt
- Pepper
- Thyme
- Rosemary
- Paprika
- Cayenne
- Worcestershire
Materials
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Make the Filling
Sauté:
Heat a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat and add a generous spoonful of fat (butter, tallow, or oil).
Add the diced onions and garlic and cook until soft and fragrant.
Brown the meat:
Add the ground beef, ground liver, and ground heart to the pan.
Cook until the mixture is deeply browned, breaking it up as it cooks.
Season and build flavour:
Stir in your spices, a splash of Worcestershire sauce, and the flour.
Cook for 1–2 minutes to remove the raw flour taste and coat the meat.
Add the vegetables:
Mix in the diced carrots, potatoes, and peas.
Add liquid and simmer:
Pour in broth or water.
Bring to a simmer and cook until the vegetables are tender and the filling has thickened (around 20 minutes).
Mash for a cohesive filling:
Use a potato masher to gently mash the mixture. This helps create a homogenous, classic meat-pie texture.
Cool completely:
Turn off the heat and let the filling cool to room temperature. This prevents the crust from getting soggy.
2. Prepare the Pie Crust
Use your favourite pie crust recipe (your own or store-bought both work well).
Roll out the bottom crust and line a 9-inch pie dish, pressing gently into the corners.
Place the pie dish in the fridge or freezer to chill while the filling continues to cool.
3. Assemble the Meat Pie
Once the filling has cooled, spoon it into the chilled, lined pie dish and spread it out evenly.
Roll out the top crust and lay it over the filling.
Trim any excess dough, then crimp the edges using a fork or your preferred crimping method.
Use a sharp knife to score a few small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
Brush the crust with heavy cream or a whisked egg wash for a golden finish.
4. Bake the Pie
Bake at 425°F (220°C) for 25–30 minutes, or until the crust is crisp and golden brown.
Remove from the oven and let the pie cool for 15–30 minutes to set before slicing.
Serve warm and enjoy!
Recipe FAQ
Easy Meat Pie Recipe with Hidden Organ Meats
Ingredients
crust
- 2 pie crusts homemade or store-bought
filling
- 1 tbsp fat olive oil, butter, bacon fat, lard, or tallow
- 1 onion
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 lb ground beef
- 2 oz ground beef liver
- 2 oz ground beef heart
- 3 tbsp flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1/2 tsp rosemary
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp cayenne
- 1 tsp Worcestershire
- 1 large carrot diced
- 1 large potato diced
- 1/2 cup peas
- 1 cup beef broth or water
egg wash (optional)
- 1 egg whisked
- 1 tbsp milk
Instructions
- Make the filling: Heat a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat and add a generous spoonful of fat (butter, tallow, or oil). Add the diced onions and garlic and cook until soft and fragrant.
- Add the ground beef, ground liver, and ground heart to the pan. Cook until the mixture is deeply browned, breaking it up as it cooks.
- Stir in your spices, a splash of Worcestershire sauce, and the flour. Cook for 1–2 minutes to remove the raw flour taste and coat the meat.
- Mix in the diced carrots, potatoes, and peas.
- Pour in broth or water. Bring to a simmer and cook until the vegetables are tender and the filling has thickened, around 20 minutes.
- Use a potato masher to gently mash the mixture. This helps create a homogenous, classic meat-pie texture.
- Cool completely: Turn off the heat and let the filling cool to room temperature. This prevents the crust from getting soggy.
- Prepare the Pie Crust: Use your favourite pie crust recipe (your own or store-bought both work well). Roll out the bottom crust and line a 9-inch pie dish, pressing gently into the corners.
- Place the pie dish in the fridge or freezer to chill while the filling continues to cool.
- Assemble the Meat Pie: Once the filling has cooled, spoon it into the chilled, lined pie dish and spread it out evenly. Roll out the top crust and lay it over the filling. Trim any excess dough, then crimp the edges using a fork or your preferred crimping method.
- Use a sharp knife to score a few small slits in the top to allow steam to escape. Brush the crust with heavy cream or a whisked egg wash for a golden finish.
- Bake at 425°F (220°C) for 25–30 minutes, or until the crust is crisp and golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and let the pie cool for 15–30 minutes to set before slicing.
- Serve warm and enjoy!
