This brilliant mini chilli beef pies can be served warm with chips or cold with a crisp green salad.
They are also a great way of using up leftover chilli con carne if you've cooked a big batch for dinner. In fact, they're so useful, we'd say it's worth making extra chilli just so you can have a few of these as well. They freeze well too. If you're going on a picnic, wrap each pie in a piece of kitchen towel, then pop them in a sandwich bag or tuppaware box. They're easier to make than classic pork pies but they're just as good on a picnic spread.
Ingredients
- 175g lean beef mince
- 1 small onion, chopped
- ½-1 tsp hot chilli powder, to taste
- 1 large ripe tomato, chopped
- 50g cooked kidney beans
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 250g shortcrust pastry
- 1 egg, beaten, to glaze
WEIGHT CONVERTER
Method
- Pre-heat oven to 200°C/400°F/Fan 180°C/Gas Mark 6. Lightly grease a 12 cup muffin or deep cup cake tin. Put the mince in a bowl and mix in the onion, chilli to taste, tomato and kidney beans. Season well. Set aside.
- Roll out the pastry thinly on a lightly floured surface. Using a 9cm round pastry cutter, stamp out 9 circles, reserving the trimmings. Gently press each circle into the tins. Put a portion of filling in each and pack down well to just below the pastry rim. Brush the exposed pastry with water.
- Roll out the trimmings thinly and stamp out 9 x 6cm rounds, re-rolling as necessary. Press a circle of pastry on top of each pie and pinch the edges together to seal. Make a hole in the centre of each and brush the tops with egg.
- Bake in the oven for about 30 mins until golden and cooked through. Cool for 10mins, before carefully removing from the tins and transferring to a wire rack. Serve warm or allow to cool completely. Delicious with chilli tomato sauce and a crisp salad.
Top tip for making mini chilli beef pies
This is a versatile recipe so you can change the filling to any minced meat, and add your own spices to taste. Replace the beans with sweetcorn if preferred. If you're serving these hot, you could add a layer of grated cheddar in the top of the pie as well.
You might also like...
Octavia Lillywhite is an award-winning food and lifestyle journalist with over 15 years of experience. With a passion for creating beautiful, tasty family meals that don’t use hundreds of ingredients or anything you have to source from obscure websites, she’s a champion of local and seasonal foods, using up leftovers and composting, which, she maintains, is probably the most important thing we all can do to protect the environment.
-
Fish pie with swede mash
Swap the usual potato topping for a sweet, earthy swede mash instead with this fish pie with swede mash recipe...
By Rose Fooks Published
-
Mince beef pot pies
These mince beef pot pies are like a cottage pie but with a crisp buttery pastry top.
By Rose Fooks Published
-
Christmas dinner pie
Our Christmas dinner pie turns all your festive leftovers into a pastry covered feast.
By Rosie Conroy Last updated
-
Annabel Karmel's trio of vegetables with tomato and basil
Suitable for six months plus, this baby food by nutritional expert Annabel Karmel is made with a whole heap of veggies...
By Annabel Karmel Published
-
Annabel Karmel's cheesy carrot stars
These flavour-packed cheesy carrot stars by Annabel Karmel are perfect for introducing finger foods to your little one...
By Annabel Karmel Published
-
Steak and salsa wraps
Our steak and salsa wraps are one of those build-you-own suppers the teens in your house will love...
By Jessica Ransom Published
-
Princess Charlotte's favourite snack usually requires a 'refined palate' - would your kids choose it?
Princess Charlotte has inherited her love for this grown-up from her mum Kate Middleton
By Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse Published
-
“Representation matters” British actress Samantha Morton dedicates BAFTA award to every child in the care system
The British actress, who grew up in foster care, received the highest accolade at the BAFTAs on Sunday
By Daniella Gray Published
-
Here's why popcorn isn't for toddlers - brave mum shares warning over 'harmless-looking' snack that can be a go-to
You might think twice about handing your child the snack after a brave mum shares her ordeal
By Selina Maycock Published