Pie Perfection: Baking a Pie with Beef and Zucchini
I’m always searching for fantastic food ideas that are not too challenging to make, suitable for both lunch and dinner, delicious, fairly healthy, and great as leftovers. Well, this is it! I adore this meat pie, and my family loves it too. It checks all our boxes—it’s delicious, and to make it healthier, I add our favorite vegetable, zucchini.
The concept of incorporating zucchini and vegetables into ground meat dishes originated from my grandmother. Whenever she prepared ground beef dishes like meatballs, meatloaf, meat pie, or meat piroshki, she would substitute bread with zucchini or some type of squash to create a soft and juicy meat filling. Following her recipes, I began doing the same, leading to the creation of this recipe. Hope you enjoy it!
Ingredients:
1 medium zucchini, shredded
1 pound ground beef
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons almond flour
1 (15-ounce) package refrigerated pie crusts
Instructions:
Sauté chopped onions and garlic until fragrant; add ground beef and cook until done.
Transfer the cooked mixture to a separate plate and let it rest.
Lightly sauté shredded zucchini.
Use a food processor to shred/process the ground beef for smaller pieces, then combine with sautéed zucchini and 2 tablespoons of almond flour. The almond flour adds flavor and will soak up some moisture without drying out the filling.
Grease a pie dish and line it with one pie crust.
Fill the pie crust with the meat and vegetable mixture.
Top with the remaining pie crust.
Make slits or prick the top crust with a fork to allow steam to escape.
Brush the crust with an egg mixture for a golden color.
Protect the pie edges by covering them with aluminum foil (cut a piece the size of the pie, make a hole in the middle, expand the hole to fit most of the pie but not the crust, and fold the outside edges over the pie).
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Bake for 25-30 minutes.
Place a pan under the pie to catch any potential leaks and protect the oven bottom.
Note: Ensure the oven is preheated before cooking.
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