Kimadopita (Greek Phyllo Pie With Ground Meat)

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour & 5 minutes
Servings: 8 pieces

Greek ground meat phyllo pie, or Kimadopita, is a delightful traditional dish that shares similarities with Goulash pie and Cottage pie. Picture a meatloaf sandwich wrapped in a crispy phyllo pastry. The flaky, crunchy layers encase a juicy filling of ground meat. This kimadopita recipe is super simple and requires just a few basic ingredients. Once you master it, I bet you'll be making it over and over again!

Ingredients:

For The Meat Filling:

2 tablespoons olive oil
500 grams (17.6 ounce) ground beef or half ground beef and half ground pork
200 grams (7 ounce) leeks finely chopped
130 grams (4.6 ounce) onion finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoon sweet paprika
⅓ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon fresh parsley minced

For The Pie:

450 grams (1 package) phyllo pastry
145 grams (⅔ cup) milk
70 grams (3 tablespoons) Greek yogurt
80 ml water
120 grams (12 tablespoons) olive oil or half olive oil and half vegetable oil (or melted butter)
2 medium-sized eggs

Directions:

Thaw phyllo in the fridge overnight or for at least 6 hours.

Prepare The Meat Filling:

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a non-stick skillet over high heat.
Add the ground meat and break it apart into coarse crumbles with a wooden spoon.
Saute the meat until all juices drain from the pan and the meat is starting to brown.
Add the spices. The allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, coriander, and sweet paprika. Stir well.
Add the leeks and onions and drop the heat to medium. Season with salt and pepper.
Saute until leeks and onions soften.
Remove from heat and stir in the parsley. Set aside to cool.

Make The Pie:

Preheat oven to 175°C / 350°F.
In a small bowl whisk together the milk, water, Greek yogurt, olive oil (or oil mixture), eggs, and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Lay the phyllo stack flat open and cut it in half so you have 2 stacks of phyllo the size of the pan. One stack is for the bottom and the other one is for the top of the pie. Cover the phyllo with a tea towel so it won't air dry.
Grease a 13 x 9-inch pan and add 2 sheets of phyllo. Drizzle the phyllo with 2 tablespoons of the milk mixture.
Add 2 more phyllo sheets on top and again drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the milk mixture. Repeat this process until you have used up all of the first stack of phyllo.
Add the ground meat filling and spread it evenly.
Add phyllo on top the same way you did for the base of the pie, using the second stack of phyllo.
Cut the pie into 8 pieces and pour the remaining milk mixture on top.
Bake for 40-45 minutes until deep golden and crispy on top.
Cut and serve with a side salad. Enjoy!

Tips & Notes:

Keep breaking the meat apart until it browns. We don't want any big juicy lumps we want it crisped and browned.
Let all juices drain from the pan before adding the leeks and onions.
Cook and stir the leeks and onions for a couple of minutes until they become soft. Steam cooked from their own juices, flavoring the meat to its core.

Working with phyllo pastry:

When using frozen phyllo sheets make sure you defrost them completely prior to using them in the pie. You can either defrost them overnight in the fridge or for 1-2 hrs in room temperature. When defrosting phyllo pastry in fridge, let it reach room temperature and then use.
Phyllo sheets dry out quickly so make sure you cover them with a damp kitchen towel whilst assembling the pie. Always remove the phyllo sheets from the packaging just before assemble the pie to prevent then from drying out.
Phyllo sheets thrive on moisture and turn even crispier with moisture. To get a perfect crispy phyllo in any pie, the filling has to have some moisture, so make sure you do not overcook the mince meat and render it dry. If you do, no need to worry, simply brush each phyllo with sunflower oil.
My trick to a crispy meat pie lays on lathering the phyllo with moisture. In a bowl, mix equal amounts of sunflower oil and water and brush each phyllo sheet with it. This will provide the extra moisture the phyllo sheets crave.

Types Of Meat:

This ground beef pie is very tasty when it's made with half pork and half beef. Using just pork could work but I haven't tried it yet. Lamb can be used as well. Just make sure it's pretty lean and that you drain excess fat from the pan when browning the meat.

To Make Ahead:

You can make this pie up to the point of cutting it into pieces (before adding the milk batter) the day before and keep it in the fridge. Or you can keep it in the freezer for up to a month then thaw in the fridge overnight and the next day pour the batter on it and bake.

Storing And Reheating:

You can keep the leftovers of this meat pie recipe in an airtight food container in the fridge. Then reheat in the oven at 175°C / 350°F, uncovered. Or reheat individual pieces in a non-stick pan at the lowest heat, covered. This helps phyllo become very crispy again, as it tends to soften in the fridge.

Serve With:

Wondering what to serve with this meat pie with phyllo dough? I've got some really good suggestions. Of course, a salad is the number one option like a leafy green Maroulosalata, or an eggplant salad dip Melitzanosalata.
But a cheesy side dish like spicy feta and red pepper dip Htipiti, or a feta cheese Saganaki, both go great with this savory meat pie.