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This traditional Canadian Meat Pie combines ground meat, onions, savory spices and is baked in a from-scratch pie crust.
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French-Canadian Meat Pie Recipe
French-Canadian Meat Pie, aka “Tourtiere,” is a regional dish enjoyed throughout Canada and even in New England in the United States. A combination of ground meats (in this case, beef and pork) is mixed with onions, a blend of savory seasonings, and baked in the flakiest from-scratch pie crust ever. It is a dish you really need to try if you haven’t!
This is definitely a winter meal. Typically, it is eaten on Christmas Eve. The flavor suits the season well – it tastes savory and Christmasy. I don’t know if that is a thing, but I’m making it a thing. I personally think it would be out of place to eat this in the middle of the summer – but feel free to do it if you’re so inclined. No judgment here.
As you can tell, I’m not a pie crust maker … even though my pie crust edges look less than perfect, the flavor and flakiness are worth it! One of these days, I’ll figure out how to make the edges look better. 😉
Let me show you how it’s done …
Recipe for Canadian Meat Pie
Ingredients for the crust
- all-purpose flour
- salt
- shortening
- large egg
- cold water
- milk
Ingredients for the filling
- ground beef
- ground pork
- onion
- garlic
- water
- salt
- rubbed sage
- dried thyme
- ground allspice
- black pepper
- ground cloves
How to make French-Canadian Meat Pie
Time needed: 1 hour and 20 minutes
How to make French-Canadian Meat Pie
- Prepare pie crust.
In a bowl, combine the flour and salt. Cut in shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the egg and water – toss lightly with a fork until the dough forms a ball. Divide the dough in half. Wrap each ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
- Cook filling.
In a skillet over medium heat, cook the beef, pork, onion and garlic until the meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the remaining ingredients and cook and stir until the water has evaporated. Set aside.
- Roll out dough and fill crust.
On a floured surface, roll out one portion of the dough, Line a 9-inch pie plate with dough. Spoon the meat mixture into the crust. Roll out the remaining dough to fit the top of the pie. Place over the filling. Seal and flute edges. Brush the dough with milk. Cut slits in the top.
- Bake.
Bake at 375° for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. (If the edges brown too fast, cover them loosely with foil.) Let stand 10-15 minutes before serving.
Recipe Note
You can save time and use a pre-made crust. However, if you have the time, I suggest making this pie crust from scratch! It is so flaky and delicious – you won’t regret it!
Canadian Meat Pie: FAQs
You can save time and use a pre-made crust. However, if you have the time, I suggest making this pie crust from scratch! It is so flaky and delicious – you won’t regret it!
Yes! You have two options:
1. You can make the filling and pie crust separately and wrap them individually. Refrigerate up to three days. When you are ready to assemble the pie, proceed with rolling out the pie crust, filling, and baking.
2. You can assemble the pie completely, wrap it in plastic wrap and a layer of aluminum foil, then freeze it for up to one month. Bake from frozen, adding an extra 20-25 minutes to the cooking time.
Typically we serve this with a side salad or a cabbage slaw. I have heard people serve sweet gherkins, bread and butter pickles, or even pickled beets, too. Any vegetable would be a good option, also.
How did you like this recipe
Isn’t this recipe so delish? It’s a regular in our house sometime during the week of Christmas. I hope your crew enjoyed it as much as mine does. Let me know down in the comments what your thoughts and feedback are – I love hearing from you!
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Canadian Meat Pie
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Equipment
Ingredients
For the crust
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup shortening
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 2 – 3 tablespoons cold water
- Milk
For the filling
- 1 pound ground beef
- ½ pound ground pork
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon rubbed sage
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine the flour and salt. Cut in shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the egg and water – toss lightly with a fork until the dough forms a ball. Divide the dough in half. Wrap each ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
- In a skillet over medium heat, cook the beef, pork, onion, and garlic until the meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the remaining ingredients and cook and stir until the water has evaporated. Set aside.
- On a floured surface, roll out one portion of the dough, Line a 9-inch pie plate with dough. Spoon the meat mixture into the crust. Roll out the remaining dough to fit the top of the pie. Place over the filling. Seal and flute edges. Brush the dough with milk. Cut slits in the top.
- Bake at 375°F for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. (If the edges brown too fast, cover them loosely with foil.) Let stand 10-15 minutes before serving.
Notes
- You can save time and use a pre-made crust. However, if you have the time, I suggest making this pie crust from scratch! It is so flaky and delicious – you won’t regret it!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Orignally published on January 2, 2013. Updated on November 28, 2020.
Delicious
We LaFleurs always had my French-Canadian grandparents’ meat pie on New Years Day. It’s supposed to be for good luck. Hmm… maybe I’ll make a dozen or so pies this year considering what we’ve all been thru this past year! Lol😉!!! Oh, I’ve always used diced potato in my pies to help bind them together. The above recipe does call for potato. Always interesting to see different recipes! Happy New Year All😁!!!
My family is part French and we always called this dish a Tortiere. It was soo good when my mother made it every Christmas. I made one last year for my family and learned that Mom added mashed potatoes to the meat mixture to give it consistency. I love this, it certainly helped hold the pie together and what a great taste.
Yum! This meat pie looks amazing! I'm very impressed that you made your own pie crust, a task I likely would avoid myself when making a meat pie. Love the spices in this pie, it sounds amazing!
This looks scrumptious! Thanks for sharing at Foodtastic Friday!