Savory Pie Recipes

Classic potpies use several pans to simmer and sauté vegetables, build a sauce, and bake the pie. The skillet does it all here, and it is the perfect size for a golden, flaky piecrust lid. No chicken collection is complete without a potpie. You can substitute diced Yukon Gold potatoes and kale or chard for the turnips and turnip greens.

Chances are, when you hear the word pie, visions of sugar plums and other sweet fillings begin to dance in your head. However, pie can also be savory and satisfying as a main course. These 14 recipes feature hearty ingredients for dishes that can be stand-alone stars or accompanied with various sides.

To start us off, our Greek Greens and Sweet Onion pie is double phyllo-crusted and filled with fresh dill and feta cheese flavor. Serve with vegetable soup and crusty bread. Cutting slits into the top phyllo layer allows steam to escape so the crust will be crisp. To serve a larger crowd, double the recipe, and bake the pies side by side in the oven.

This recipe is a healthy version of Fritos Chili Pie. Often served from concession stands at fairs, festivals, and sporting events, this crowd-pleaser usually involves splitting the bag of chips open, ladling chili into the bag, and then topping with cheese, onions, and other garnishes.

Skip the potpie and try a casserole for your turkey leftovers. We ditch the pastry dough for a flaky, golden phyllo crust. Don’t fret about getting the phyllo topper to fit snugly in the baking dish; any overhang will become delightfully crisp in the oven.  

Sweet potatoes provide a nice foil for the full-flavored lamb, tangy olives, and earthy spices. You can also bake the entire mixture in an 8-inch square baking dish. Assemble up to a day ahead, cover, refrigerate, and bake just before serving.

Try this quick, playful spin to turn pizza night on its head—in a good way. You get all the creamy goodness of chicken potpie, in a fun, eat-with-your-hands way that kids will love. Grown-ups will dig it, too, especially if you offer hot sauce at the table. Cooking the pizza in a preheated cast-iron skillet makes the crust wonderfully crispy so that it doesn’t sog out when the creamy sauce goes on. Be sure to use only 10 ounces of dough (though you’ll likely have to purchase in a 1-pound or larger ball); save the remaining dough to make breadsticks the next night.

Our Green Chile Tamale Pie brings sirloin and a multitude of vegetables together in a tender crust for a stand-alone, hearty, and comforting dish.

Meet your new favorite casserole recipe. This budget-friendly dish (costing under $10) allows you to stretch a small amount of meat over several servings. It's family friendly, filling, and loaded with flavor--the perfect weeknight meal. The high heat on this recipe allows it to cook quickly, crisping the spaghetti slightly on the outside to make the perfect "pie crust" for this dish. You can use crumbled sausage in this dish, or start with Italian sausage and remove the casing, which is what the recipe calls for. Remove the casing by cutting up the side with a knife or kitchen shears, then crumble the sausage using a spoon in the skillet as it cooks.

Leftover mashed potatoes are mixed with white cheddar cheese to form the top crust for this British pub-food staple. Ground beef is traditionally used, but lean ground turkey will work, as well. Brown the crust under the broiler for a minute or two, if you like.

To keep things lightning-fast, we forgo the layered-in-a-skillet approach to shepherd's pie and instead serve the veggie-flecked beef mixture on top of a bed of creamy mashed potatoes.

This savory vegetarian pie is full of flavor and elegant enough for special occasions.

The addition of mushrooms—what a forager might find—makes for a delicious twist on classic shepherd's pie.

You may be more familiar with the Latin American variety, but the savory pocket pie called the empanada originated in Galicia in northwest Spain. This version is filled with a typical combination of seasoned meat and tender onion and bell pepper.

We thicken the chili slightly, stir in more fresh fall vegetables, and bake with a flaky cheddar biscuit topper for a fun, fast take on a classic potpie. Creamy butternut squash and hearty beef chili provide combine to make this wholesome, easy weeknight dinner. We skipped the hassle of peeling and chopping the squash by buying the packaged cubes. Topped with flaky cheddar biscuits that rest atop the potpie like soft pillows, this meaty dish is a great way to repurpose chili and make use of seasonal fall vegetables. The kids won't be able to resisting dunking biscuit after biscuit in this flavorful beef chili. Use a vegetarian chili for a tasty meat-less option.

Who says pie is only for dessert? Try this recipe for a warm, comforting meal on one of those last cold nights before spring. The best part: You can go from raw materials to finished potpie in less than half an hour.

The bulgur releases just enough starch to bind the lentil- and mushroom-packed filling together. The skin of the potato contains about half the total fiber; we love the rustic edge and earthiness it adds to our creamy tater topper. Even better—our plant-packed pie saves 282 calories, 20g sat fat, and 244mg sodium over traditional meat-based shepherd's pie.

Flaky phyllo, fresh flavor, and the vitamins-and-minerals punch of greens make this pie a taste and nutrition powerhouse. It'll serve eight as a stylish dinner-party starter or four as a vegetarian main course for the family.

Capture the flavors of your favorite tamale recipe in a casserole. This hearty turkey tamale potpie takes under 40 minutes to prepare from start to finish.

Turn to rotisserie chicken and frozen puff pastry dough to shave time from this deconstructed version of a comfort classic. Cooking the crust separately keeps it crisp and crunchy.

Serve a homemade chicken potpie for dinner tonight. It tastes just like mom's, but cooks in a fraction of the time.

This homey pie boasts creamy, savory sauce and refrigerated piecrust dough for convenience.

The pastry is a breeze to prepare. Much like a cheesecake crust, the crumbly mixture is simply pressed into a deep-dish pie plate--no kneading or rolling required.

Serve these individual potpies with a side of spicy black beans: Heat 2 teaspoons canola oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add 1/2 cup diced green bell pepper and 2 minced garlic cloves; sauté until soft. Stir in 1 (15-ounce) can rinsed and drained black beans, 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, and 1/2 teaspoon grated lime rind; cook until thoroughly heated (about 5 minutes). Stir in 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, if desired.

The fresh tomato salsa livens up the traditional corn and cheese flavors in the pie. Serve with a salad for a light weeknight dinner.

Making the most of supermarket convenience items gets this family favorite on the table in a flash. Precut matchstick carrots are easier to chop into small pieces quickly, and using prepared mashed potatoes for the topping is a good trick for when you don't have leftover mashed potatoes on hand.

Peppers, tomatos, cilantro, and spices come together to create a south-of-the-border inspired dish that's delicious and vegetarian friendly, too.