I don’t know about you, but I’m in major need of comfort food. And this Beef Wellington Pot Pie hit the spot. It’s packed with tender pieces of short rib, cremini mushrooms, bacon, and pearl onions, all dressed in a decadent red wine gravy and topped with a flaky pastry crust. It’s not exactly health food, but it’s just what the doctor ordered.
In fact, my husband claimed that he “didn’t want it to end”. As someone who is usually nonplussed by anything I make that’s out of the ordinary (God gave him to me to keep me humble), that’s a really big compliment.
I planned this meal for friends who were experiencing a loss. I wanted something ultra comforting to feed them and nourish them. While Beef Wellington Pot Pie couldn’t possibly fill the loss in their hearts, it could fill their bellies for an evening. Read on below for how I made the recipe!
In the years that I’ve been cooking, I’ve never worked with short ribs. They just seemed fussy. Good news: they’re not. Short ribs are so easy to work with—cut into bite-size pieces, sear, then stir into the gravy. They became melt-in-your-mouth tender after 2 hours in the oven.
The dish starts with two slices of bacon. Then you begin to add layers of flavor: the beef get seared in the bacon fat, and the mushrooms get cooked in the ridiculously delicious combination of beef fat and bacon fat. Then you add butter. It’s not exactly health food, remember!
The butter gets mixed with flour to make a roux, and you whisk red wine and beef stock to make a gravy. I find most beef gravy to be stodgy, so I added a tablespoon of lemon juice and a teaspoon of Dijon to brighten it up. In go the pearl onions and thyme, and you’re well on your way to Beef Wellington Pot Pie.
To bake the pot pie, I used a 10.5×7 inch Le Creuset baking dish
, which is a slightly unusual size. Thankfully, an 8×8 inch baking dish would work well for this recipe.
Short ribs are a naturally flavorful cut, thanks to the marbling. However, they are not naturally tender, so the whole dish goes into a 325°F oven to cook for two hours. As they cook, the short ribs turn fall-apart tender.
The final step is to cover the Beef Wellington Pot Pie with puff pastry. I used about ⅚ of a puff pastry sheet to cover my dish, and discarded the rest. The key to a beautiful top is to score the pastry with a sharp knife. I chose a diagonal pattern, but do whatever design you like! Whatever you do, brush it with a beaten egg before baking to get a gorgeous, shiny crust.
To balance out the richness of the Beef Wellington Pot Pie, I made one of my favorite winter salads: Orange, Fennel & Arugula Salad. The orange vinaigrette takes the bitterness right out of the arugula and mellows out the fennel beautifully. It’s the perfect pairing for the Beef Wellington Pot Pie!
Beef Wellington Pot Pie
Ingredients
- 2 slices bacon, diced
- 2 lbs boneless beef short ribs
- 8 oz cremini mushrooms, quartered
- 6 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup flour
- 1 cup red wine I used Cabernet Sauvignon
- 2 cups beef stock
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
- 10 oz frozen pearl onions
- 1 sheet puff pastry, defrosted
- 1 egg beaten
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- To garnish: fresh chopped parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Place the bacon in a dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Cook until crisp. Remove and place on a paper towel lined plate.
- Meanwhile, cut the short ribs into ¾ inch pieces. Season with salt and pepper. After the bacon is done, cook the short ribs in the bacon fat until browned on all sides. Cook in batches if necessary (I cooked them in 3 batches). Remove the beef after it has finished cooking and place on a plate.
- After the beef has finished cooking, add the mushrooms to the pot. Cook until soft, about 6–8 minutes. Remove and place on a plate.
- Place the butter in the pot and allow to melt. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Whisk in the red wine and beef stock. Bring to a simmer.
- Add the Dijon mustard, lemon juice, and thyme, along with ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Whisk to combine.
- Add the pearl onions, bacon, beef, and mushrooms, and stir to combine.
- Cover the pot and place in the oven for 2 hours, or until the beef is tender.
- Remove the pot and transfer the mixture to a 1.75 quart baking dish (mine was 10.5x7 inches). An 8x8 inch baking dish works well here, too.
- Increase the oven temperature to 400°F.
- Roll the puff pastry out and cut to fit the dish with a ½ inch overhang, trimming if necessary. Score the puff pastry in a diagonal pattern with a knife. Brush with the beaten egg. Gently place the puff pastry over the dish and press lightly on the edges to seal.
- Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve immediately.
Nutrition
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More comfort food recipes:
Spinach Artichoke Stuffed Twice Baked Potatoes
Vegetarian Spaghetti Squash Lasagna
Slow Cooker Italian Beef Sandwiches
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