Today’s recipe is straight from my mother’s kitchen: phyllo meat pie recipe (aka Egyptian goulash). Layers of flaky phyllo with a tantalizing meat mixture nestled in between. If you’ve been looking for things to make with phyllo dough, this easy recipe is a great one to try!
Phyllo
If you’ve had baklava, you’ve had phyllo! A popular ingredient in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cooking, phyllo is made of unleavened paper-thin pastry dough and is used in both sweet and savory recipes. You can find phyllo dough in most grocery stores in the freezer section near things like puff pastry and pie crust. I use phyllo to make all sorts of delicious dishes, like tarts and savory pies — and I’ve even used it as a crispy pizza crust!
It can be intimidating to work with phyllo, but it’s easier to use than most people think (I have some tips for you below).
One of my favorite phyllo recipes is my mother’s Egyptian goulash. This is not the goulash you may know as macaroni noodles with a beef sauce; Egyptian goulash is something entirely different and so worth a try!
Savory Meat Pie (Egyptian Goulash)
This Egyptian-style meat pie replaces your typical pie crust with phyllo dough! It is basically made of layers of flaky phyllo dough with a ground beef mixture, seasoned with baharat and onions, nestled in between. This pie is known as Egyptian goulash, and it’s my favorite meat pie of all time!
The recipe is fairly simple to put together, and if you’ve ever made lasagna or assembled a casserole dish with several layers, making this savory phyllo meat pie is not much different. You’ll spread several phyllo sheets and brush them with a mixture of olive oil and butter (or olive oil only, as I do most of the time). You’ll add a layer of cooked ground beef, and then finish with a few more phyllo sheets. That’s really all there is to it!
Tips for working with Phyllo Dough
When working with phyllo, first, be sure to thaw it properly overnight in the fridge. You’ll also want to take it out of the fridge and set it at room temperature for about 1 hour.
But the biggest secret to working with phyllo dough, as you will see in the step-by-step, is to lay the phyllo sheets between two very lightly damp towels. This will keep them moist and prevent them from breaking as you work to assemble the pie. Also, don’t skimp on brushing the phyllo layers with olive oil, this is what helps cook the phyllo to crisp perfection!
Ingredients you need for this savory phyllo meat pie
This phyllo recipe comes together with just a few ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need to make it:
- Phyllo dough – You’ll need 1 16-ounce package of frozen phyllo dough, thawed overnight in the fridge in its packaging.
- Egg – Whisk 1 egg into 1 cup of milk.
- Extra virgin olive oil – To generously brush the phyllo dough to keep it from breaking. You can also use ½ cup olive oil combined with ½ cup melted butter.
- Spiced meat filling – Chopped onions, lean ground beef, baharat, and garlic powder.
How to make meat pie with phyllo
While working with filo dough can seem intimidating, it is actually quite simple if you follow my simple tips! Here’s how to make Egyptian goulash (print-friendly recipe below):
- Prepare the phyllo dough. To keep the phyllo pastry moist and pliable, lay the thawed phyllo sheets between two clean, lightly damp kitchen towels.
- Make the meat filling. Heat 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil in a large nonstick pan. On medium-high heat, saute 1 cup chopped onions briefly. Add 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef. Cook until fully browned, tossing regularly. Remove the pan from the heat briefly and drain any fat, then return back to the stove. Add in the spices (1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons baharat, kosher salt, and black pepper), and stir to fully combine. Remove from the heat.
- Assemble the Egyptian goulash. lay three to four sheets of phyllo dough on the bottom of a lightly greased 9 1/2 x 13 x 2 1/4 inch baking pan. Fold any excess dough in. Brush the top phyllo sheet very generously with extra virgin olive oil. Repeat this step as you lay three to four sheets of phyllo at a time in the baking pan until you have used up 1/2 of the phyllo sheets.
Now, as you have a nice base for your pie, spread the meat filling evenly on top of the last phyllo sheet.
Layer the remaining sheets on top of the meat repeating the same process as before (again, three or four sheets at a time, fold excess phyllo and butter the top sheet) until the phyllo sheets are used up.
Brush the top sheet very generously with EVOO. With a sharp knife, cut the phyllo pie into 12 squares. Season the prepared milk and egg mixture with kosher salt and black pepper and pour evenly over the pie. - Bake the phyllo meat pie. Place the phyllo meat pie on the middle rack of a 350 degrees F heated-oven for about 45 minutes to an hour, or until cooked through. It should turn a nice golden brown. Be watchful so that the pie does not over bake or burn. Remove from the oven, and serve warm.
Serve it with
Egyptian goulash is a filling meal by itself, but I like to add a big fresh salad alongside for some crunch.
Make ahead tips
To work ahead, prepare the recipe as written until the step where you cut up the phyllo meat pie. After cutting the pie into 12 squares, cover it tightly and refrigerate. When you are ready to bake the pie, pour the egg and milk mixture over. Do not prepare this pie more than one night in advance.
Leftovers and storage
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven at 350 degrees F until warmed through. Or you can freeze leftover Egyptian goulash in a freezer-safe container, and reheat from frozen.
More phyllo recipes
Turkish
How to Make Baklava
Moroccan and Tunisian
Pastilla (Skillet Chicken Pie)
Appetizer and Mezze
Phyllo-Wrapped Baked Feta with Honey
Browse all Mediterranean Recipes
Visit Our Shop
Phyllo Meat Pie (Egyptian Goulash)
Ingredients
- 16 ounce package of frozen phyllo dough, thawed in its package
- 1 egg, whisked in 1 cup of milk
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil, (OR 1/2 cup olive oil combined with 1/2 cup melted butter)
For the meat filling
- 1 cup chopped onions
- 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baharat
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Carefully lay the thawed phyllo dough sheets between two lightly damp kitchen towels.
- Begin with preparing the meat filling. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large nonstick pan. On medium-high heat, saute the chopped onions briefly. Add the ground beef. Cook until fully browned, tossing regularly. Remove the pan from the heat briefly to drain any fat, then return back to the stove. Add in the spices and stir to fully combine. Remove from the heat.
- Now, to assemble the phyllo pie, lay three to four sheets of phyllo dough on the bottom of a lightly greased 9 1/2 x 13 x 2 1/4 inch baking pan. Fold any excess dough in. Brush the top phyllo sheet generously with olive oil (or oil and butter mixture). Repeat this step as you lay three to four sheets of phyllo at a time in the baking pan until you have used up 1/2 of the phyllo sheets.
- Now, as you have a nice base for your pie, spread the meat filling evenly on top of the last phyllo sheet.
- Layer the remaining sheets on top of the meat repeating the same process as before (again, three or four sheets at a time, fold excess phyllo and brush with the olive oil) until all phyllo is used up.
- Brush the top sheet with olive oil (or oil and butter mixture). With a sharp knife, cut the phyllo pie into 12 squares.
- Season the prepared milk and egg mixture with salt and pepper and pour evenly over the pie.
- Place the phyllo meat pie on the middle rack of the 350 degrees F heated-oven for about 30 to 45, or until cooked through. The phyllo should be crispy and it should turn a nice golden brown. Be watchful so that pie does not over bake or burn.
- Serve warm with a side salad! Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Phyllo tips: Be sure to thaw the phyllo overnight in the fridge. Do not skimp on brushing the phyllo layers as indicated above. Make sure you drizzle or brush a generous amount of olive oil so that each layer is well coated.
- Prepare-ahead option: To work ahead, prepare the recipe as written until the step where you cut up the phyllo meat pie. After cutting the pie into 12 squares, cover it tightly and refrigerate. When you are ready to bake the pie, pour the egg and milk mixture over. Do not prepare this pie more than one night in advance.
- Leftovers and storage: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven at 350 degrees F until warmed through. Or you can freeze leftover Egyptian goulash in a freezer-safe container, and reheat from frozen.
- Visit our shop to browse our spices, olive oils, and more!
I made this last night using some of our family raised pork sausage. The end result was absolutely divine! I will be adding this recipe into our family favorites. 🙂
Sarah, that is wonderful to hear! I like your twist on the recipe!!! Hope you find more to try here 🙂
I made the phyllo meat pie for the 4th of July. It was w winner! It was so delicious ? even more than I expected. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Awesome, Emily!!! Thanks so much for sharing!
Now this one is delicious! I’ll prolly add some cubed carrots and peas next time for some added fiber. Great and easy recipe!
Sure! Carrots and peas would make a great addition here!
Small diced potatoes would be great, too! Yum!
Yes! You can totally add small diced potato (peas and carrots, if you like). Enjoy!
These are so very good! The first time I made them, I got impatient, and put more than the suggested amount of phyllo sheets while layering. It ended up coming out a little dry. My mistake. The second time I made them I made sure to take my time and really slather on the butter/olive oil mixture. I even used a little extra. I also added a little cinnamon and a little extra allspice. Came out perfect to my liking! Thank you for the recipe!
Molly, great to hear it! I am so glad you enjoyed these phyllo meat pies! The thing about phyllo is that you do need to give it the right amount of TLC in the form of butter/olive oil; you can certainly do more of the oil than the butter of course. More cinnamon and allspice never hurt anyone 🙂 Glad you made it your own! Thanks for sharing!
Hi, OMG i miss those days back home in the middle east [market] I use to have this every weekend..!! love the way you made it slowly/steady.
I always wanted to know how it comes out so neat and good..!! the only thing in it is that you have to spread alot of butter over it
will try this weekend at home thanks.
Hi Alia!!! So glad you found our site! I always miss home too! You could use olive oil only, but a bit of butter does well in this recipe ? Hope you try other recipes here!
Is it possible to make without egg? My daughter has an egg allergy? Thanks.
Hi there, there is a similar phyllo recipe that is possible without eggs, it uses an egg wash that you can completely skip. Here it is https://www.themediterraneandish.com/phyllo-dough-recipe-meat/
Hope this helps!
My daughter has a severe egg allergy. Have you tried duck eggs? She has no problem with the duck eggs. The allergy is usually to the protein in chicken. We find them in an oriental market.
Thank you for sharing, Betsy!
This looks incredible! I keep making phyllo dishes, so I always seem to have some hanging out in the freezer – this will be next on my list!
Awesome, Rebeccah! Thanks for stopping in
I love the simple flavors in this dish – the butter, meat, allspice, and onion. I used all the oil recommended and wished I’d used half. It felt like a lot as I added it, and the pastry was pretty much frying in the oil/butter mixture. I had to pour it off when I took it out of the oven.
Do you recommend this still or cutting some of the oil prior to cooking?
Thanks!
C
Hi Candace,
First, I am sorry I could not get to your question earlier. It’s getting harder to respond on the same day. Secondly, I have not experienced the phyllo pie quite as you describe it, “frying in the oil/butter mixture.” Not to discount your experience at all. I assume you poured the milk/egg mixture on top before baking?
At any rate, you have 1 cup in total of butter + oil. Brushing the phyllo sheets with this mixture generously keep them moist and gives them that lovely taste and flaky texture when they bake. That said, if you feel like you can do with less, by all means, try it! Just don’t cut too much at once, or the phyllo will start ripping as you work with it, and the end product may be too dry. Hope this make sense.
Would adding cheese inside make it soggy?
I think adding a little cheese works! I’ve used feta before, and an aunt of mine actually adds a little shredded cheddar. Enjoy!
Could this be adapted for someone with a milk allergy? I can’t use butter or milk. Thanks
Hi Gloria, probably a more suitable recipe for you would be this phyllo meat rolls https://www.themediterraneandish.com/phyllo-dough-recipe-meat/
It does not use milk nor butter. You can certainly omit the feta.
Hi Suzy,
We miss you in Des Moines., hope all is going well for you in Atlanta!
Since I’ve been trying many of your recipes my husband said that I’m turning into a gourmet chef, ha ha. Thanks to your help. It’s been fun.
I’m anxious to try this, I’ve never worked with Phyllo dough before so wish me luck :). Could I also add some other veggies to this or would it loose it’s crispness?
Hey Nancy! Great to hear from you!!! I have missed the community in Des Moines, but have been blessed with some wonderful connections here in Atlanta as well. I do miss PowerLife Yoga, though! Excited to hear that you have been cooking more of my recipes. Thank you for that!
You can certainly add some baby spinach, for example. That should work out very well. Thanks for keeping in touch 🙂
OMG these squares look so good. Does it work equally well with lamb?
Oh for sure, Maureen! Ground lamb would work great in this recipe. Thank you for your kind comment, friend.
I actually did a 50/50 mix of beef and lamb when I made this recipe and it turned out absolutely delicious. Thanks for sharing this recipe!!!
Oh hey Tom! Thanks so much for stopping in. Great idea to mix the two meats! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Hey Suzy! The pie sounds so good! Absolutely love it 🙂
Thank you, Mary Frances! Glad you liked it!
Thanks Suzy….looks good I’ll definitely try it….have you tried Kataifi philo pastry very nice…I make Baklava, Custard Pies Spanakopite with Kataifi…
Hi Grace! Glad you’ll give this phyllo recipe a try! Yes, Kataifi shredded phyllo is awesome too! I may share a dessert using it in the near future! Hope to hear again from you!
This looks amazing! I can’t wait to try it.
Angie, so glad you like it! I hope you’ll report back once you try it! Happy weekend!
My boys love these “meat pies”.
I love your blog Suzy!
Maggie, thank you so much sweetheart! So good to hear from you. Glad you’re enjoying the blog! XO
Hi!
Hi Vicki! Happy Friday!