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Moroccan-Spiced Phyllo Meat Pie

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front view of plate of moroccan-spiced phyllo meat pie squares with saffron, potholders, ras el hanout spice and baking dish in the background

Anyone else love a great meat pie? And by meat pie I could mean so very many things. Lots of options to think about and so many flavor profiles to consider. I wanted to create something that had very simple, yet flavorful ingredients and a dough you didn't have to make yourself. With a fantastic spice called Ras el Hanout and a few other ingredients, I've got a crazy delicious Moroccan-Spiced Phyllo Meat Pie to share with you today.

Ground Beef with Spices and Crunchy Phyllo Dough? This One's a No-Brainer

Let's start with the Ras el Hanout spice. This is a Moroccan spice containing (depending on the brand and the blend) cumin, coriander, cinnamon, ginger and cardamom to name a few. If you made my Pork Carnitas, you'll already have this spice on hand! I did buy my Ras el Hanout on Amazon and found the price to be very reasonable.

moroccan-spiced phyllo meat pie uses Ras el Hanout spice which contains cumin, cinnamon, ginger and cardamom to name a few
Here's a closer look at Ras el Hanout which is a blend of spices commonly used in Moroccan cooking

If you live near a Middle Eastern market they will probably carry this spice so you could get it there too. I have also occasionally seen it in with the pricier organic spices at my local grocery store.

beautiful iranian saffron used for this moroccan-spiced phyllo meat pie
I'm lucky to have a friend who brought me some Iranian saffron from his last trip home

Along with the Ras el Hanout, we're looking at just a few other key ingredients. You'll need saffron water, fresh grated ginger, onion, cilantro, cinnamon, phyllo dough (packaged) and a few kitchen staples like salt, pepper, butter and olive oil. It is very easy to make this Moroccan-spiced phyllo meat pie and the flavors are insane.

You can serve this as a dinner entree or eat it with your hands on Super Bowl Sunday. The pie yields 12 squares and they will be gobbled up very quickly on game day! This is a great recipe to double when you're feeding a large group.


Badia brand spices is a less expensive line of spices in a lot of grocery stores. They have a very reasonably priced saffron shown here
Badia spices offers an affordable line of many spices including a very reasonably priced package of saffron. You can find them at your local grocery store.

Easy Steps for Making Moroccan-Spiced Phyllo Meat Pie - Watch the Video Too!

moroccan-spiced phyllo meat pie - making saffron water for this recipe requires the saffron threads to steep in warm water
Start by making saffron water
moroccan-spiced phyllo meat pie - finely chop the cilantro and grate the ginger
Chop your cilantro and grate the ginger
moroccan-spiced phyllo meat pie - cook sliced onions in butter, olive oil, salt and pepper and add ginger at the end
Cook the onions with butter and olive oil, add ginger at end
moroccan-spiced phyllo meat pie - combine cooked ground beef with spices, cilantro, onions ,ginger and saffron water to make the pie filling
Cook ground beef and add onions and spices
moroccan-spiced phyllo meat pie - spray baking dish with non-stick spray and lay phyllo dough on bottom
Layer baking dish with phyllo dough and butter every other layer
moroccan-spiced phyllo meat pie - brush melted butter on every other layer of the phyllo dough
What a buttered layer looks like
moroccan-spiced phyllo meat pie - transfer meat filling into phyllo dough lined baking dish
Add beef mixture to baking dish
moroccan-spiced phyllo meat pie - fold in excess phyllo dough on sides and ends
Fold over edges of phyllo dough
moroccan-spiced phyllo meat pie - brush melted butter on top of phyllo layer
Add more layers of phyllo to top
moroccan-spiced phyllo meat pie - brush melted butter on edge of folded in layers
Fold over excess phyllo and one final butter brushing
moroccan-spiced phyllo meat pie - score, or cut, the meat pie into 12 squares before you cook in the oven
Cut into 12 squares before cooking
overhead view of moroccan-spiced phyllo meat pie still in 9x13 baking dish
Cook until golden brown
close up look of moroccan-spiced phyllo meat pie still in the baking dish
This Moroccan-spiced phylllo meat pie will work its way into your regular dinner rotation, I have no doubt

Are You Still Hungry for More International Flavors? I Thought So.

There has never been a better time to get to our kitchens and make delicious homemade food. Restaurant prices continue to climb and the cost is not worth the food you're being served out there. Is it? Plan your grocery list wisely, look for deals and try to incorporate common items into multiple recipes in a week. I always cook with leftovers in mind so I have built-in lunches for a few days. It's really simple to do if you plan a little.

Cooking our meals at home gives us a chance to bond with our loved ones. To sit and simply exist with our friends and families. This is an opportunity to put down our devices and truly appreciate good food and good conversations.

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close up side view of moroccan-spiced phyllo meat pie on a serving plate garnished with cilantro

Moroccan-Spiced Phyllo Meat Pie

  • Author: Stacey
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 40 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
  • Yield: 6 portions (2 squares each) 1x
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Description

This Moroccan-Spiced Phyllo Meat Pie is a crowd pleaser for sure! Simple ingredients, tons of flavor and crunchiness galore.

Ingredients

Units Scale

For the onions

  • 1 medium onion, cut in thin slices
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

 For the phyllo dough

  • 11 sheets of phyllo dough (freezer section - sold in 1 lb boxes of phyllo sheets)
  • 5 tablespoons of melted butter for brushing the dough (see note#1)
  • non-stick cooking spray

For the beef mixture

  • ¼ cup saffron water (¼ teaspoon of saffron threads soaked in ¼ cup of warm water)
  • 2 to 2 ¼ pounds of ground beef (80/20 blend, see note #2)
  • 2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
  • ½ cup finely chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish
  • 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Ras El Hanout Spice (LINK HERE)
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon white granulated sugar
  • Splashes of olive oil when needed

 

NOTE: You will need a 9x13 baking dish and a pastry brush for this recipe

Instructions

  1. Put your frozen phyllo dough in the refrigerator to defrost the day before you make this recipe. You will find packages of phyllo dough sheets in the freezer section of your local grocery store. 
  2. Make saffron water. It takes ¼ teaspoon of saffron threads and ¼ cup warm water for this. Warm tap water is fine. Take a few pinches of saffron and put in your measuring spoon – it will overflow a little. Add saffron threads to water and let it steep while you do the prep work. You can stir with spoon if you want. Should steep 15-30 minutes. 
  3. Cut the onion in half and slice it into thin strips. Then add to a large pan with olive oil, butter, salt and pepper. Cook on medium heat for 8-10 minutes. 
  4. Put ground beef in a second pan (medium heat) and chop with spatula or wooden spoon. The beef needs to be crumbly by the end of the cooking process. Should take 8-10 minutes to cook. 
  5. While the onions and beef are cooking, finely chop your cilantro. You should stir the onions and beef while prepping the cilantro. Chop a little extra cilantro for garnish as well if you want. 
  6. Peel a chunk of ginger and grate it on a microplane. If you don’t have one, use fine side of box grater or finely dice with a knife. 
  7. Once the onions are soft and browning a little, add the ginger to the center of the onion pan with a splash of olive oil. Let it cook in the middle of pan for 30-60 seconds, then mix together with onions and cook another couple of minutes. 
  8. When beef is cooked through and crumbly, carefully tilt your beef pan and let the fat fall to one side of pan. Spoon out most of the fat into a bowl and discard once it’s cooled down. Leave a small amount of fat in the pan. 
  9. To the beef pan add: Ras El Hanout spice, cinnamon, saffron water, cilantro and give a good mix. Then add the onions and ginger along with salt and sugar and mix thoroughly. Taste it here. Adjust seasonings if you’d like. (eg. more sugar, salt, Ras el Hanout based on your preferences) 

PIE ASSEMBLY:

  1. Spray the bottom and sides of a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
  2. Melt butter in the microwave and unroll the package of phyllo sheets so they are laying flat on your counter or cutting board.
  3. Phyllo Dough Order (see note#3): Place two sheets of phyllo dough on the bottom of the baking dish, overlapping, with excess phyllo dough hanging from the sides of the baking dish. Phyllo is thin and fragile so handle gently. Throughout this process, as you add each layer of dough gently press down on the dough to flatten. (my video shows this entire process very well, please watch it will be very helpful) 
  4. Brush melted butter on the bottom and sides of the dough. 
  5. Place two more sheets of phyllo dough, overlapping, but this time with excess phyllo dough hanging from the ends (or handles) of the baking dish. Don’t butter this layer. 
  6. Place two more sheets on top of that, overlapping, with excess dough hanging off the sides again. 
  7. Brush melted butter on the bottom and sides of the dough. 
  8. If you see any holes in the phyllo dough, just tear a few pieces from one sheet of phyllo dough and patch the holes. This would be the 11th sheet of phyllo dough listed above. If you have no holes you won’t use it.
  9. Transfer the ground beef mixture to the baking dish on top of the bottom layer of phyllo dough and smooth out to make sure the beef is distributed evenly. 
  10. Fold over the excess phyllo dough hanging from sides and ends. 
  11. Place one sheet of phyllo dough on top of the meat mixture and brush with butter. 
  12. Place two more sheets on top of that then brush with butter. 
  13. Fold over the excess hanging phyllo dough and brush the folded over edges with butter too. 
  14. Time to score, or cut, the pie into 12 squares. You must score the pie before it is cooked as it will be difficult and messy to do after and will compromise the presentation. Using a small, sharp knife works well for this. 
  15. Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes until the phyllo dough is golden brown. Let it cool 10 minutes before serving. Feeds six people with two squares each as the portion size.

Equipment

Notes

  1. When I tested this recipe, I used some of the beef fat along with butter to brush on the pastry. I also used a combination of butter and beef fat for the bottom of the baking dish. Overall, I didn’t think this changed the flavor too much and resulted in everything being too greasy. Also, some phyllo pie recipes butter every layer not every other layer like this. I was trying to cut down on the butter and fat a little. You can butter every layer if you want just remember to melt a little more butter to do so. 
  2. With the ground beef it’s hard to find exactly one pound or exactly two pounds of ground beef because of the way it’s packaged. My two packages totaled 2.17 pounds of beef. I think this recipe could hold up to 2 ¼ pounds total. 
  3. You can add more phyllo dough layers on the bottom and top if you like. I found what I used was enough, but if you want it more phyllo-ey add another sheet to each layer.

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