These puff pastry steak bakes are almost like the ones you buy from your favourite local bakery (or frozen food outlet). These are absolutely packed with tender chunks of steak, onions and mushrooms, and I’m loving them!
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My inspiration
The inspiration for this recipe came from the UK iconic baker, Greggs, which is well-known for its sausage rolls and other savoury pies.
Greggs bakery has over 2100 outlets, making it one of the most popular bakeries in the UK. Their sausage rolls are legendary and it is reported that they sell over 2 million per week. (We British love our sausage rolls 🙂 ).
They also do a very nice steak bake, which is made from tender pieces of steak in a thick gravy, encased in crispy puff pastry.
This is my attempt at replicating their steak bake, and I’ve taken the liberty of adding onions and mushrooms (because I like them).
I think my steak bakes turned out pretty well, and I’ve since been cooking up a storm and filling the freezer with them. Hubby loves them – and that’s always a sign of success!
Why I think you’ll love them too
There are so many reasons!
- Great taste – let’s be honest about this – who doesn’t love a crispy puff pastry shell stuffed with a deliciously meaty filling?
- Packed with meat – let’s face it, a homemade pie always has more filling than a store-bought pie!
- Easy to make – all you have to do is make the filling and then encase it in store-bought puff pastry before popping them in the oven.
- Economical – in my opinion, homemade is always cheaper than store-bought, and you have the added advantage of being able to vary the ingredients to suit your family’s preferences.
- They make a great main meal with mashed potatoes, veggies and gravy, or they are just as good eaten cold when packed into a lunch box.
Let me show you how I make them!
What you will need
Equipment
You will need a large frying pan with a lid for making the filling.
If you buy a roll of puff pastry, you can just unroll it out onto the paper it came in, otherwise you will need a rolling pin to roll the pastry to size.
For brushing the eggwash onto the pastry you will need a silicone brush.
To bake the pies, you will need a baking tray and a roll of baking parchment to line the tray. You can get away with not lining the tray, but if the gravy leaks out of the pies onto the tray you’ll be sorry if you haven’t lined your tray first. It’s not easy washing baked-on gravy off a baking tray 🙂
Ingredients
**You can get the complete list of ingredients and full instructions for making these steak bakes on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**
Stewing steak – or braising steak, flank steak, topside or chuck. You could also use rump steak which would be a bit more more expensive.
Mushrooms – these should be finely chopped. You can use white or chestnut mushrooms.
Onions – finely chopped,
Red wine – I used half a cup of red wine. If you don’t want to use alcohol you can substitute with extra stock.
Water – half a cup, but if you leave out the wine use a whole cup of water.
Stock pot – beef-flavoured Knorr stock pot (or use your favourite brand). You could use a beef bouillon cube instead.
Tomato puree – otherwise known as tomato paste. This is highly concentrated tomatoes, not to be confused with tomato ketchup.
Wholegrain mustard – substitute with your preferred mustard of choice.
Flour – for thickening the gravy.
Salt – for seasoning (to your own taste).
Puff pastry – I tend to use store-bought puff pastry, and I’ve heard a lot of professional chefs say that they use it too. You will need one and a half rolls of pastry. Use the remaining half of the pastry to make these Christmas mince pinwheels or use it to as a topping on this chicken and leek pie.
Egg – for egg-washing the pastry before baking.
You will also need one or two tablespoons of sunflower or vegetable oil for frying the meat and onions.
What to do
This recipe makes enough filling for 6 steak bakes.
**You can find the complete list of ingredients and full instructions for making these puff pastry steak and onion bakes on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**
Make the steak and onion filling
Cut the stewing steak into small cubes. They should be less than half-an-inch in size so that the meat fits nicely into the pastry.
Heat a tablespoon of sunflower oil in a frying pan, and let it get nice and hot. Add the meat and sear it, stirring continuously, until it browns.
Remove the meat from the pan and set it aside.
Add another splash of oil to the same pan, turn the heat down, and saute the onions and mushrooms until the onions start to turn translucent. Don’t allow them to brown.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the flour, taking care to remove any lumps. Then add the stockpot, the mustard and the tomato paste.
Add the water, red wine and salt to taste.
Return the meat to the pan and stir well until the stockpot has dissolved into the liquid.
Cover the pan with a lid, reduce the heat to a simmer, and leave to cook for 40 minutes until the steak is tender and the liquid has reduced and become thick.
Set the filling aside until it is completely cold.
Assemble the steak bakes
Unroll one of the puff pastry sheets and cut it into 8 equal pieces.
If you are using a block of puff pastry roll it out into a rectangle roughly 11 x 15 inches in size.
Transfer 4 pieces of the pastry to a baking tray which has been lined with baking parchment.
Place spoonfuls of the steak and onion mixture in the centre of each square.
Brush the edges of the pastry with beaten egg.
Cover each pie with a second square of puff pastry, stretching the pastry slightly to fit.
Seal the edges of the pastry with a fork.
Make three or four diagonal slits on top of the pastry to allow the steam to escape.
Brush the pies with the beaten egg.
Bake in a preheated oven (200C / 400F) for 18 to 20 minutes until the pies are golden brown.
Repeat the above steps to finish off the remaining pastry and filling. You should end up with 6 pies.
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Steak bake FAQ
You can freeze the steak bakes once they have been assembled. Place them into the freezer on the lined baking tray and leave them until frozen, then transfer them to a strong freezer bag. You can freeze these pies for up to 4 months.
Bake from frozen, but add 3 or 4 extra minutes to the total baking time to compensate for them being frozen.
To freeze the cooked pies, wrap each pie individually in tinfoil then place in a plastic bag and freeze for up to 4 months. To reheat, allow to defrost and then place on a baking tray in a hot oven for about 7 minutes.
The cooked steak bakes can be stored in the refrigerator in a covered container for up to 3 days. They are delicious served either hot or cold, so they are ideal for popping into a lunch box.
I like to serve them with mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables, and of course lashings of gravy. See my toad-in-the-hole recipe for instructions on how to make caramelised onion gravy.
They are also perfect for a light lunch, either served on their own or with a fresh green salad.
Save for later
If you would like to try your hand at making homemade steak bakes, why not save the recipe to one of your Pinterest boards so you can find it easily. Just click on the image below.
Alternatively, you can save the recipe by clicking on the floating heart icon on the right-hand side of the screen.
Other recipes
You may also like to take a look at some of my other pie recipes:
- Steak and mushroom pie with crispy puff pastry – a full-sized pie, packed with tender steak and mushrooms and covered with a layer of crunch puff pastry.
- Granny’s homemade chicken pie – an old-fashioned pie that always gets rave reviews – filled with chicken and mushrooms.
- Raised beef and onion pie with crispy yoghurt pastry – this is a deep-dish pie, absolutely packed with a tasty beef filling, encased in crispy pastry.
- Creamy mushroom tarts with puff pastry – the perfect little hand pie for snacking on at Christmas (or any other time really.
- Leftover chicken and ham pie – this is the recipe you need to use up all the Christmas leftovers.
The recipe
Puff pastry steak bakes
(Click the stars to rate this recipe)
Equipment
- Frying Pan with lid
- Rolling Pin optional
- Pastry brush
Ingredients
- 1¼ pounds / 300 grams stewing steak
- 3½ ounces / 100 grams mushrooms white or chestnut finely chopped
- 2 medium onions finely chopped
- ½ cup / 120 ml red wine or substitute with water
- ½ cup / 120 ml water
- 1 beef stockpot or boullion cube
- 1 tablespoon tomato puree / tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard or dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons / 20 grams flour
- Salt to your own taste
- 1½ rolls puff pastry
- 1 small egg
- 1 to 2 tablespoons sunflower oil for frying
Instructions
- Cut the stewing steak into small cubes. They should be less than half-an-inch in size so that the meat fits nicely into the pastry.1¼ pounds / 300 grams stewing steak
- Heat a tablespoon of sunflower oil in a frying pan, and let it get nice and hot. Add the meat and sear it, stirring continuously, until it browns.Remove the meat from the pan (along with any juices) and set it aside.1 to 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
- Add another splash of oil to the same pan, turn the heat down, and saute the onions and mushrooms until the onions start to turn translucent. Don't allow them to brown.3½ ounces / 100 grams mushrooms, 2 medium onions
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the flour, taking care to remove any lumps. Then add the stockpot, the mustard and the tomato paste.1 beef stockpot, 1 tablespoon tomato puree / tomato paste, 2 tablespoons / 20 grams flour, 1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard
- Add the water, red wine and salt to taste.½ cup / 120 ml red wine, ½ cup / 120 ml water, Salt
- Return the meat to the pan and stir well until the stockpot has dissolved into the liquid.
- Cover the pan with a lid, reduce the heat to a simmer, and leave to cook for 40 minutes until the steak is tender and the liquid has reduced and become thick.Set the filling aside until it is completely cold.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F
- Unroll one of the puff pastry sheets and cut it into 8 equal pieces. If you are using a block of puff pastry roll it out into a rectangle roughly 11 x 15 inches in size.1½ rolls puff pastry
- Transfer 4 pieces of the pastry to a baking tray which has been lined with baking parchment.
- Place spoonfuls of the steak and onion mixture in the centre of each square.Brush the edges of the pastry with beaten egg.1 small egg
- Cover each pie with a second square of puff pastry, stretching the pastry slightly to fit.
- Seal the edges of the pastry with a fork. Make three or four diagonal slits on top of the pastry to allow the steam to escape.Brush the pies with the beaten egg.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes until the pies are golden brown.
- Repeat the above steps to finish off the remaining pastry and filling. You should end up with 6 pies.
Notes
Bake from frozen, but add 3 or 4 extra minutes to the total baking time to compensate for them being frozen. To freeze the cooked pies, wrap each pie individually in tinfoil then place in a plastic bag and freeze for up to 4 months. To reheat, allow to defrost and then place on a baking tray in a hot oven for about 7 minutes. The cooked steak bakes can be stored in the refrigerator in a covered container for up to 3 days. They are delicious served either hot or cold, so they are ideal for popping into a lunch box. I like to serve them with mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables, and of course lashings of gravy. See my toad-in-the-hole recipe for instructions on how to make caramelised onion gravy.
They are also perfect for a light lunch, either served on their own or with a fresh green salad. Nutrition is per pie and assumes that you will make 6 pies.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
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