Ground Beef Pot Pie

A ground beef pot pie skips the rolled crust entirely! The filling is beef, mushrooms, carrots and peas in a rich gravy, and the topping is cheddar drop biscuits that bake right on top. One skillet, and dinner is on the table in about an hour!

Before You Get Started

Most pot pies start with a rolled crust. This one uses cheddar drop biscuits instead, which means no chilling, no rolling, and no soggy bottom crust to worry about. A few things still separate a good one from a great one:

1. Season the filling generously. Two pounds of beef and a pan of vegetables need more salt than you’d expect. Taste it before the biscuits go on, because you can’t fix it after.
2. Scoop the biscuits the same size. An ice cream scoop keeps them even so they bake through together. Mismatched ones leave you with raw centers.
3. Add the peas straight from frozen. Don’t thaw them first. They’ll go mushy and brown in the oven if you do.

How to Make Ground Beef Pot Pie

A pot pie is really just a savory filling baked under a crust, and nothing says that crust has to be pastry. The filling comes together in one skillet on the stove, the biscuits go on top, and the oven does the rest!

Step 1: Brown the Beef

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook until there’s no pink left, breaking it up as you stir, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Drain off the fat and move the beef to a bowl. Leaving the fat in means it pools under the biscuits later, and the filling turns greasy instead of rich.

⇢ Brown the beef in two batches: If your skillet isn’t very large, brown the ground beef in batches so that it doesn’t steam. Giving it room builds more flavor into the gravy later.

Step 2: Cook the Vegetables

Add another tablespoon of oil to the empty skillet and cook the mushrooms, carrots and onion over medium-high heat until softened and lightly browned, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Dice the carrots and onion small, roughly the size of the peas. This is the only window they get to soften, so anything much bigger stays firm in the finished pot pie.

⇢ Add Potatoes: If you have some leftover diced potatoes or thawed frozen diced or shredded potatoes, feel free to add a handful to the filling. Potatoes always pair well with beef!

Step 3: Build the Gravy

Stir in the tomato paste and garlic and cook about 30 seconds, just until fragrant.

Add the flour and cook one minute more. The flour is what thickens the gravy, and cooking it now keeps it from tasting raw later.

Pour in the wine and cook until it’s almost completely evaporated, about 2 minutes.

⇢ Pick a dry red you’d actually drink. Pinot Noir or a French Burgundy works better here than Cabernet, which can taste harsh once it reduces. To skip the alcohol, use an extra half cup of beef broth.

Add the broth and Worcestershire a little at a time, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring it to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer 3 to 4 minutes, until the gravy is thick enough to coat a spoon.

Stir the beef back in along with the frozen peas and thyme. Taste and season now, while you still can. Once the biscuits go on, there’s no getting back in there.

Step 4: Mix the Cheddar Biscuits

Stir the Bisquick, buttermilk, cheese and parsley together with a fork until a soft dough comes together. Stop as soon as it holds. Overworking the dough makes the biscuits tough and dense instead of fluffy.

Buttermilk gives the biscuits a little tang and a tender crumb, but regular milk works if that’s what’s in the fridge.

Step 5: Scoop and Bake

Drop about a quarter cup of dough at a time onto the hot filling. You should end up with 7 or 8 biscuits. Use a large scoop so they’re all the same size, since that’s what keeps them cooking at the same rate.

Bake uncovered at 425°F for about 12 minutes. They’re ready when the tops are golden and a toothpick pushed into the center of one comes out clean. The filling should be bubbling around the edges.

⇢ No oven-proof skillet? Use a baking dish. Move the filling to a 2½ to 3 quart casserole dish before adding the biscuits. A smaller 2-quart dish gives you a deeper filling and biscuits that sit closer together.

Step 6: Brush with Garlic Butter

Stir the melted butter and garlic powder together and brush it over the biscuits while they’re still warm. It takes about thirty seconds and it’s the difference between a plain biscuit and one that tastes finished.

Storage, Freezing, and Make-Ahead

Store: Wrapped tightly, leftovers keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.

Reheat: Let the dish sit on the counter for about 30 minutes first, then cover it loosely with foil and warm it in a 350°F oven for around 20 minutes. The oven brings the biscuits back in a way the microwave doesn’t.

Make-Ahead: The filling can be made up to 48 hours in advance and kept covered in the refrigerator. Warm it over low heat, covered, until it’s hot and bubbling before you add the biscuit dough. Dropping raw dough onto cold filling is the fastest way to end up with doughy centers.

Freeze: After baking, cool the dish to room temperature, cover it tightly with foil, and freeze up to 2 months. Reheat straight from frozen, still covered, for 1 hour in a 350°F oven. You can also thaw it overnight in the refrigerator, let it sit out 30 minutes, and bake covered until warmed through, about 20 to 30 minutes at 350°F.

⇢ Freeze the filling on its own instead. It holds up better than the assembled dish, and you get fresh biscuits on top when you reheat it. Thaw the filling overnight, warm it in the skillet until bubbling, then mix and drop the biscuits as usual.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my pot pie filling watery?

Usually the gravy didn’t simmer long enough before the biscuits went on. Once the dish is in the oven the filling can’t reduce as much, so it needs to be thick enough to coat a spoon beforehand. 

If it’s still loose, let it bubble uncovered a few more minutes, or sift in a little extra flour a teaspoon at a time. Frozen vegetables that were thawed first will also release water into the filling, so add them straight from the freezer.

Why are my biscuits doughy in the middle?

Three things usually cause it. The biscuits were too big, the filling was lukewarm when they went on, or they came out of the oven too early. Scoop them at about a quarter cup each so they cook evenly, and make sure the filling is hot and bubbling before you drop the dough. 

A toothpick pushed into the center of the biggest biscuit should come out clean. If the tops are browning before the centers set, tent the skillet loosely with foil and give it a few more minutes.

Can I use ground turkey instead of ground beef?

Yes! Ground turkey is much leaner, so add an extra drizzle of oil to the pan when you brown it and there may be little or no fat to drain off afterward. The bigger difference is flavor. Beef brings its own richness to the gravy and turkey doesn’t, so lean harder on the Worcestershire and tomato paste if desired, and taste carefully before the biscuits go on.

Do I have to use red wine?

No. Swap in an extra half cup of beef broth and the recipe works fine. What you lose is acidity, which is what keeps a rich beef gravy from tasting flat, so it’s worth adding something sharp back in. A teaspoon of balsamic vinegar or an extra splash of Worcestershire stirred in with the broth does the job.

More Savory Pies for Dinner

• Old-Fashioned Chicken Pot Pie
• Chicken Pot Pie with Puff Pastry
• Bisquick Cheeseburger Pie
• Tamale Pie
• 4-Ingredient Crescent Roll Ground Beef Casserole