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Crockpot Beef Pot Pies

When a wild mushroom stew meets puff pastry the most incredible and scrumptious crockpot beef pot pie is born.  The stew is incredibly flavorful and ridiculously simple.  Cooking it in the crockpot makes this a perfect make ahead, minimal effort entree that will blow everyone at your dinner table away.

When a wild mushroom stew meets puff pastry the most incredible and scrumptious crockpot beef pot pie is born. #crockpot #beefpie
When a wild mushroom stew meets puff pastry the most incredible and scrumptious crockpot beef pot pie is born. #crockpot #beefpie

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About a year ago when I posted my freezer and crockpot friendly Wild Mushroom and Beef Stew recipe on the blog.  It was the culmination of the perfect dinner: Simple, fuss free and ridiculously delicious.  So delicious that everyone always asked for some crusty bread to mop up the sauce with.  Which led me to the idea of add puff pastry to this sucker and convert it to a classic beef pot pie…but a really unforgettably delicious one.  Loaded with wild mushrooms and subtle flavors of sweet shallots and Cognac.

In my humble opinion, gourmet dinners just need to LOOK complicated and gourmet.  I feel a dinner is a success when everything comes together with ease and when I do not look like some sort of frazzled chicken who needs a shower, a massage and an entire bottle of wine to calm down before serving dinner to my guests. A recipe should be simply filled with delicious ingredients that all combine to make the perfect flavor bomb.  It’s an even bigger bonus when it is as fuss free as this Crockpot Beef Pot Pie that comes together with ease and deliciousness.

When a wild mushroom stew meets puff pastry the most incredible and scrumptious crockpot beef pot pie is born. The stew is incredibly flavorful and ridiculously simple. Cooking it in the crockpot makes this a perfect make ahead, minimal effort entree that will blow everyone at your dinner table away.

That being said…

Pot pies were never my cup of tea.  I never had a particularly tasty one.  But my mom used to make stews in little clay pots for dinner back in the old country and she covered them with homemade puff pastry until they were golden brown and piping hot.

I figured it was time to revive her recipe when the hubs yet again reminded me that something crusty to mop up the sauce with would be great with the beef stew.

Fragrant mushrooms and tender meat are combine with fresh herbs to give this classic beef stew a gourmet twist.

Point made and understood.

When making this stew, I typically make a double batch and freeze half and serve the rest.  Like my brisket, meatballs and stuffed cabbage, these freeze beautifully.  I have this theory that when these kinds of hearty foods are frozen, something beautiful happens in the process when it starts to slowly defrost in the oven and it gets even more tender and flavorful due to the deepening of flavors that occurs during this process.

If your stew is frozen like mine was, you can easily put this Crockpot Beef Pot Pie recipe together by following a few important steps:

  1. Make sure your oven is preheated to a nice low 325-degrees. This will ensure that your stew defrosts slowly and does not over cook or burn.
  2. I like to defrost the stew a bit in the microwave so that it can be easily removed from the container it was frozen in. I usually do it in 1 minute increments.  You do not want it piping hot, just warm enough that it easily pulls away from the container it was frozen in so that you can slip it into an oven proof container.
  3. Cover the container that will be going in the oven with the stew. You do not want any color getting on the stew nor do you want the water to evaporate.  You simply want to warm it through.
  4. Once the stew is warmed through to 155 degrees F you are ready to consume and enjoy…or…. Place some fancy puff pastry on top bake away and enjoy.

Now if you for some reason do not have this ready in your freezer (which I recommend you go bake some up…right. Now.)  Have no fear, a delicious Crock Pot Beef Pot Pie is in your very short and immediate future.

The Wild Mushroom and Beef Stew base for our Crockpot Beef Pot Pie has been created and recreated over and over again by yours truly.  And I have made it in both the crockpot and the oven with fabulous results.

Fragrant mushrooms and tender meat are combine with fresh herbs to give this classic beef stew a gourmet twist.

Regardless of which cooking method you choose for your stew the most important part is not to skip the actual searing and deglazing portion of the recipe.

Sure…all the ingredients can be thrown in a crockpot and cooked without searing.  But that will just give you an average stew.

For a little bit more effort and about 10-15 extra minutes you get an incredibly complex and deep flavor in the stew.

  1. Browning the meat gives it a much deeper flavor and adds a ton of flavor to the sauce because it leaves behind seared bits of meat on the bottom that are just waiting to be deglazed.
  2. Wild Mushroom and Beef Stew. Girl and the Kitchen .2.  When the mushrooms caramelize, their natural Umami flavors are awakened and they add a deep and savory flavor to the stew that otherwise would be impossible to achieve.Wild Mushroom and Beef Stew. Girl and the Kitchen .
  3. Finally the Cognac deglazes (picks up) all the gorgeous bits from the bottom of the pot…a certain magic happens that would never be achieved if all those flavors were not allowed the time to develop.

Dinner Time

  • About 60 minutes before your guests arrive, remove your frozen puff pastry dough and let it rest near a warm place so it defrosts just enough to be cut.
  • Once it is workable (about 30 minutes) place your mini pots on top of the dough and cut a circle around it. You want to cut the circle slightly larger than your little pots because you want the puff pastry to hang over the edge.  You can even cut a square so that it hangs over even more.  (Do not pay attention to my picture.  I initially cut them out for much smaller ramekins and only after did I realize that I had much cuter clay pots.  It still worked fine even though it was not as picture perfect as I would have liked it)
  • Right before your guests arrive, fill your little mini pots (ramekins would work perfectly fine as well) with the glorious stew and place the pieces of puff pastry on top. Make sure to cut little slits in them otherwise they will  puff up more than necessary.  Use a fork to press the puff pastry to the rim of the ramekin or mini pot.
  • Then just brush them with some egg wash so that they get golden brown and glorious.

When a wild mushroom stew meets puff pastry the most incredible and scrumptious crockpot beef pot pie is born. The stew is incredibly flavorful and ridiculously simple. Cooking it in the crockpot makes this a perfect make ahead, minimal effort entree that will blow everyone at your dinner table away.

Crank out a quick salad and perhaps some of my gorgeous crispy restaurant style Brussel sprouts and this will be one gourmet dinner with minimal effort.

Your guests will be beyond thrilled to receive these adorable little mini Crockpot Beef Pot Pies in front of them.  Everyone likes their own personalized meals, especially when they happen to be this delicious.

And if you are looking for adorable little mini dishes for this… check out Cilantro Cooks!  They have fantastic and unique cookware for the everyday chef!  Plus you will get to see a nifty little article about yours truly 🙂

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When a wild mushroom stew meets puff pastry the most incredible and scrumptious crockpot beef pot pie is born. The stew is incredibly flavorful and ridiculously simple. Cooking it in the crockpot makes this a perfect make ahead, minimal effort entree that will blow everyone at your dinner table away.

Crockpot Beef Pot Pies


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  • Author: Mila Furman
  • Total Time: 135 minutes
  • Yield: 8 people 1x

Description

When a wild mushroom stew meets puff pastry the most incredible and scrumptious crockpot beef pot pie is born. The stew is incredibly flavorful and ridiculously simple. Cooking it in the crockpot makes this a perfect make ahead, minimal effort entree that will blow everyone at your dinner table away.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 x the recipe of my Wild Mushroom and Beef Stew
  • 1 box of puff pastry
  • 1 egg+1 tbsp of water
  • fresh thyme to garnish (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. About 60 minutes before your guests arrive, remove your frozen puff pastry dough and let it rest near a warm place so it defrosts just enough to be cut.
  3. Once it is workable (about 30 minutes) place your mini pots on top of the dough and cut a circle around it. You want to cut the circle slightly larger than your little pots because you want the puff pastry to hang over the edge. You can even cut a square so that it hangs over even more. (Do not pay attention to my picture. I initially cut them out for much smaller ramekins and only after did I realize that I had much cuter clay pots. It still worked fine even though it was not as picture perfect as I would have liked it)
  4. Right before your guests arrive, fill your little mini pots (ramekins would work perfectly fine as well) with the glorious stew and place the pieces of puff pastry on top. Make sure to cut little slits in them otherwise they will puff up more than necessary. Use a fork to press the puff pastry to the rim of the ramekin or mini pot.
  5. Then just brush them with some egg wash so that they get golden brown and glorious.
  6. Place into the oven for 20 minutes or until puffed up and golden brown.

Notes

I love this crockpot because it has all the options I could ever need but most importantly it goes from the stove to the crockpot and to the oven if I need it to.

  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 120 minutes
  • Category: Stew
  • Cuisine: French/American

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When a wild mushroom stew meets puff pastry the most incredible and scrumptious crockpot beef pot pie is born. The stew is incredibly flavorful and ridiculously simple. Cooking it in the crockpot makes this a perfect make ahead, minimal effort entree that will blow everyone at your dinner table away.

When a wild mushroom stew meets puff pastry the most incredible and scrumptious crockpot beef pot pie is born. The stew is incredibly flavorful and ridiculously simple. Cooking it in the crockpot makes this a perfect make ahead, minimal effort entree that will blow everyone at your dinner table away.

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