Dairy & Egg-Free Rustic Meat Pie Recipe

With the new year comes new eating habits, right? I know that we are all trying to eat better, with less junk, and this Rustic Meat Pie with Vegan Crust is a great way to still make a delicious, easy meal for your family but cut down on some of the stuff that isn't so great for us in heavy quantities, like eggs and dairy!

For those who are allergic to eggs or are lactose intolerant, this is really a great alternative to regular pie crusts!

Rustic meat pie with a surprisingly flaky dairy & egg free pie crust

Ingredients:

Pie crust:
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup coconut oil, chilled to a solid (fill your measuring cup with the oil and place in the freezer for a few minutes to a half hour).
1 teaspoon salt
⅓ - ½ cup ice water (I put the entire measuring cup in the freezer to ensure it would be really cold.  A thin layer of ice formed over the top).

Meat Pie Filling:
1 pound grass fed ground beef
2 pounds organic ground pork
1 very large onion
3 cups of mashed potato, no butter, milk or seasoning needed
fresh ground nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Start with your meat filling.  Finely chop the large onion and sauté in a bit of olive oil.  When translucent add in all three pounds of meat.  Break up the meat into very small and uniform crumbles so the filling will have a smoother vs lumpier texture.  You will want to be cooking in a large pot to ensure there is enough room to cook and mix.  When the meat is thoroughly cooked through and no longer pink, strain out most of the fat.  Mix in the mashed potato so it is thoroughly combined with the meat, season, cover and let rest with the heat off.

Pre heat your oven to 375 degrees before starting the pie crust.

Start with a clean, dry and lightly floured surface.   Measure out all of the flour and salt, quickly mix together with your fingers.  Then add in small chunks of the cold coconut oil.  As you knead the dough your hands will warm the oil and soften in so you’ll want to work quickly.  Add the ice cold water and carefully work the dough just enough to combine all of the so they will stick together when you squeeze a fist full.  If needed add a little more coconut oil or flour.  Dust the surface with flour again, split the dough ball in half and starts to roll it out.  We found ours to be rather thick, this made for a fantastic flaky crust that was almost deep dish style!  With both the top and bottom layers of the pie crust rolled add one to a standard pie plate forming down in so it fits snuggly.  Add your meat filling, Depending on the size of your pie plate this will be a very full pie that will likely ‘mound’ a bit at the time.  As long as the consistency is correct and the edges are pretty well pressed together on the crust there shouldn’t be any concern about leaking or a messy oven.  Place the second half of the pie crust on top, fold the edges under and press together where needed.  If you like an egg wash can be added.

Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes or until the crust has started to lightly brown.  All ovens cook a bit differently so keep an eye on it as you approach the 25 minute mark, more or less time might be needed.   Let rest for about 10 minutes before cutting.

*Quick note: We found this pie to be fantastic fresh out of the oven.  Reheating took away the delicate and flaky nature of the pie crust.

 12 Months, 12 Bloggers, 12 Recipes!

You can find 11 more quick and easy recipes by visiting my fellow bloggers today - we will be teaming up on the 12th of each month all year long to bring you a themed recipe!

Chicken Posole Casserole By Betsy at Betsy Life

Coconut Chicken Tenders by Brandie at Home Cooking Memories

Rustic Meat Pie by Jennifer at The Rebel Chick

Healthy Crockpot Sesame Chicken by Claire at A Little Claireification

Easy Sweet Potato Sliders by Jess at A Million Moments

Easy Black Bean Chili by Kimberly at A Night Owl Blog

Quick, Easy, and Healthy White Chicken Enchilada Soup by Melissa at Bless this Mess

One Pan Salmon & Vegetables by Sara at Mom Endeavors

Tuna Nicoise Frittata by Stephie at Eat Your Heart Out

Bacon, Egg and Spinach Casserole by Vanessa at See Vanessa Craft

Clean Eating: Quick & Healthy Baked Ziti by Wendy at Around My Family Table

Spaghetti Squash with Pesto by Wendy at Choosing Love