Tourtière (French Canadian Meat Pie)

4.8
(151)

Tourtière is a hearty and satisfying French Canadian meat pie that's easy to make, so it's a great choice for a holiday main course. Visually impressive, relatively affordable, and best served at room temperature, tourtière doesn't require any precise timing.

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A plated slice of tourtiere (French Canadian meat pie)
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Prep Time:
20 mins
Cook Time:
2 hrs
Additional Time:
5 mins
Total Time:
2 hrs 25 mins
Servings:
8
Yield:
1 (9-inch) pie
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Ingredients

Original recipe (1X) yields 8 servings

Crust:

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour

  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, sliced, frozen

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 7 tablespoons ice-cold water, or as needed

  • 2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar

Spice Blend:

  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt

  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme

  • ½ teaspoon dried sage

  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger

  • ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

  • ¼ teaspoon ground allspice

  • ¼ teaspoon ground mustard

  • teaspoon ground cloves

  • 1 pinch cayenne pepper

Filling:

  • 1 large russet potato, peeled, quartered

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1 tablespoon butter

  • 1 large onion, finely chopped

  • 1 pinch salt

  • ½ cup finely diced celery

  • 4 cloves garlic, crushed

  • 1 pound ground pork

  • 1 pound ground beef

  • 1 cup potato cooking water, plus more as needed

Egg Wash:

  • 1 large egg

  • 1 tablespoon water

Directions

  1. Gather all ingredients.

    Ingredients to make Tourtiere, French Canadian meat pie

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  2. To make the crust: Place flour, frozen butter, and salt into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse on and off until butter breaks down to pea size, about 30 seconds. Stir together cold water and vinegar; drizzle over flour mixture. Pulse on and off until mixture is crumbly and holds together when pinched, about 10 seconds. Drizzle in more cold water if mixture is too dry.

    A food processor with crumbly pie dough

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  3. Transfer mixture to a work surface. Press together until it forms a ball. Flatten to a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.

    A disc of pie dough wrapped in plastic wrap

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  4. To make the spice blend: Mix together salt, black pepper, thyme, sage, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, mustard, clove, and cayenne in a small bowl; set aside.

    A bowl of mixed spices

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  5. To make the filling: Place potatoes and 1 teaspoon kosher salt in a saucepan; cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer potatoes to a bowl, reserving potato cooking water in the saucepan. Mash potatoes with a potato masher until smooth; set aside.

    A bowl of mashed potatoes with a potato masher

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  6. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion and a pinch of salt. Cook and stir until onions turn golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir celery, garlic, and spice blend into the skillet with onions. Stir until onion mixture is evenly coated with spices, about 30 seconds.

    A large skillet with chopped onions and celery in mixed spices

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  7. Add ground pork, ground beef, and about 3/4 cup potato cooking water to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until meat is brown and tender and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 45 minutes. Stir in mashed potatoes, turn off heat, and let cool to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

    A large pot of cooked ground beef, ground pork, mashed potatoes, onion, and celery and spices

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  8. Divide chilled dough into 2 pieces, one just slightly larger than the other. Roll the larger piece out on a lightly floured work surface into a 12-inch circle. Place in a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Roll top crust out into an 11-inch circle; set aside.

    A rolled out piece of pie dough on a floured surface with a rolling pin

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  9. Fill bottom crust with meat mixture; smooth out the surface. Whisk together egg and water in a small bowl to make an egg wash. Brush egg wash over the edges of the bottom crust. Cover with top crust; press lightly around the edges to seal. Trim excess dough and crimp the edges. Cut small slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape. Brush entire surface of pie with egg wash.

    A pie plated lined with pie dough and filled with meat pie filling, with the edges being brushed with eggwash

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

  10. Bake in the preheated oven until crust is well browned, about 1 hour. Let cool to almost room temperature before serving.

    A plated slice of tourtiere (French Canadian meat pie)

    Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

Chef's Note

You can easily tailor this recipe to your tastes; besides the ground meat and mashed potatoes, pretty much anything goes.

I may try this next time with beef gravy, as a few of my Canadian friends have suggested.

Another suggested pairing was ketchup, which I tried on a cold slice, and it was delicious.

156 home cooks made it!

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

767 Calories
47g Fat
47g Carbs
37g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 8
Calories 767
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 47g 61%
Saturated Fat 24g 118%
Cholesterol 192mg 64%
Sodium 775mg 34%
Total Carbohydrate 47g 17%
Dietary Fiber 3g 10%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 37g 74%
Vitamin C 5mg 6%
Calcium 70mg 5%
Iron 5mg 30%
Potassium 751mg 16%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.