Louisiana Meat Pies

For a taste of the old South—as in the 1700s old—you don’t need to travel back in time. Louisiana meat pies (aka Natchitoches meat pies) are a regional specialty dating back to the very origins of the United States.

As a type of hand pie, almost every Louisiana meat pie recipe features a savory, meaty filling of equal parts beef and pork, along with aromatics and color from the Cajun holy trinity (the classic southern mixture of cooked onion, bell pepper and celery). The filling is nestled inside a crispy, flaky pastry that’s often deep-fried.

What is a Louisiana meat pie?

Louisiana meat pies come from a place of historical significance in the development of the United States.

The City of Natchitoches was founded in 1714 by French colonists near a village of the Natchitoches tribe. As the oldest permanent settlement in the Louisiana Purchase territory, this area represents a collection of cultures where French and Spanish colonists and early American settlers converged with Native American culture and heritage. It is here where the Natchitoches meat pie originated.

Often called Louisiana meat pies, they were made famous in the 1960s by local butcher and chef James Lasyone. The savory handheld pie from north-central Louisiana features a ground beef-and-pork filling cooked with onion, green bell pepper and celery in a flour pastry crust.

What makes this Louisiana meat pie unique?

This recipe from Taste of Home contributor Kristyne McDougle Walter features her customized version of this iconic meat pie.

In Walter’s version, beef and breakfast sausage serve as the meat filling, along with a variation of the holy trinity—celery, sweet red pepper and onion—cooked into a flour-thickened filling. Rather than the traditional scratch wheat pastry dough, this recipe uses frozen puff pastry to cut back on time and make this recipe more approachable. The meat pies are cooked in an air fryer instead of a typical deep fryer. Anyone looking to avoid fried foods (or a splattered mess in the kitchen) can give these a go!

Ingredients for Louisiana Meat Pies

• Canola oil: You’ll cook the meat mixture in canola oil. You can sub it out for olive oil, shortening or lard if you prefer.
• Meat: This recipe calls for equal parts ground beef and uncooked breakfast sausage links with the casings removed. You can also use bulk ground breakfast sausage.
• Holy trinity mixture: Equal parts of chopped celery, bell pepper and onion go into the meat filling for flavor and aromatics. In this recipe, sweet red peppers add a bit more sweetness than the usual green bell peppers.
• Filling add-ins: All-purpose flour thickens and stabilizes the meat filling, while vegetable broth gives it the liquid to form a gravy-like sauce. The filling is flavored with seasoned salt, garlic powder and cayenne pepper. Add more or less pepper to taste, or add crushed red pepper flakes to make these meat pies more fiery.
• Frozen puff pastry: This recipe keeps things easy by subbing out traditional pastry dough for frozen puff pastry. While this swap veers away from conventional Louisiana meat pie, it provides a flaky crust that home cooks have thoroughly enjoyed.
• Egg: A beaten egg brushed over the unbaked pastry helps create a golden, crisped crust. You’ll also brush some on the edges to also help seal the meat pies.

Directions

Step 1: Cook the meat filling

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In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the beef, sausage, celery, sweet red pepper and onion. Cook until the meat is no longer pink and the vegetables are tender, six to eight minutes, stirring often to break the meat up into crumbles. Drain off the fat, then return the meat mixture it to the skillet.

Editor’s Tip: The easiest way to drain your filling here is to pour everything into a strainer and let the drippings run off. You don’t want too much liquid left in this mixture or you risk a runny pastry with a dreaded soggy bottom.

Step 2: Thicken and season the filling

Stir the flour, salt, garlic powder and cayenne into the meat filling until combined. Gradually whisk in the broth. Cook, stirring, until the filling thickens, three to five minutes. Transfer the filling to a large bowl and refrigerate it for 30 minutes.

Editor’s Tip: It’s important to refrigerate the filling here so that it isn’t warm when you fill your pastry sheets later. Keeping your ingredients cool when handling unbaked pastry is critical for it to bake up flaky and intact.

Step 3: Prepare the pastry

Preheat an air fryer to 360°F. On a lightly floured surface, unfold the puff pastry sheets. Cut each pastry sheet into six 4-1/2×3-inch rectangles.

Editor’s Tip: To cut your puff pastry, simply use a sharp knife, and always cut downward into the pastry without dragging the knife.

Step 4: Assemble the meat pies

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Divide the chilled filling evenly among the centers of nine of the pastry rectangles. Brush the edges of the pastry with the beaten egg. Top with the remaining pastry rectangles, and press the pastry edges together with a fork to seal. Prick the tops of the filled pies with a fork, and brush with the beaten egg.

Editor’s Tip: When you place your filling on each pastry sheet, be sure to leave a little border without filling around the sheet. This will be the area where you press together the pastry sheets to make that gorgeous crimped crust.

Step 5: Cook the meat pies

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Working in batches, arrange the meat pies in a single layer on a greased tray in the air-fryer basket. Cook each batch until the pies are golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes.

Editor’s Tip: If you’d like to keep each baked batch warm while you wait for the rest to cook, you can hold them in a preheated 200° oven until it’s time to serve.

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Louisiana Meat Pies Variations

• Make homemade pastry dough: Make these pies more traditional with a from-scratch pastry dough. Use our classic pie pastry recipe if you don’t have one stashed in your recipe folder.
• Deep-fry the pies: Go further down the traditional route and deep-fry these meat pies instead of air-frying them. Use this guide to deep-frying if you need a refresher.
• Make a vegetarian version: Reimagine these meat pies as meatless pies by subbing out the ground meat for vegetarian crumbles. You won’t have the same level of umami and fatty richness that you’d get with beef and pork, but you’ll still have delicious “meat” pies.
• Add native herbs: Add chopped wild onions or ramps to the filling mixture for sharp brightness and a special touch of foods native to North America. Use green onions or scallions if that’s what’s available for the same green zing.

How to Store Louisiana Meat Pies

You can store your Louisiana meat pies in the fridge or the freezer, depending on how long you need to keep them.

How long do Louisiana meat pies last?

Your baked meat pies will last up to four days in the refrigerator. Let them cool, then store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Can you freeze Louisiana meat pies?

You sure can. To store unbaked meat pies in the freezer, arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet, then place them in the freezer until frozen. Transfer them to a freezer-safe bag, and store them in the freezer for up to three months. Bake them directly from frozen, adding 15 to 20 minutes to the bake time or as needed to fully bake.

You could also freeze your baked meat pies following the same instructions above. Just make sure they’re completely cool before you place them in the freezer.

How do you reheat Louisiana meat pies?

If you’re reheating your meat pies from the refrigerator, place them in a 350° oven or air fryer, and heat them until they’re warmed through, about five minutes. You can also reheat them in the microwave, but they’ll lose some of that crisp pastry texture.

To reheat baked meat pies from the freezer, bake them directly from frozen to prevent them from getting soggy. Again, the best bet for maintaining their crisp, flaky pastry is to reheat them in a 350° oven or air fryer, adding 15 to 20 minutes to the bake time since you’re starting from frozen.

Louisiana Meat Pies Tips

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What other dough can you use for Louisiana meat pies?

You can make these meat pies with any other dough you’d use in a recipe for turnovers or pasties. Make yours from scratch or buy a premade pie crust to experiment with.

What else can you serve with Louisiana meat pies?

Your spread of Cajun and Creole food or other Louisiana recipes will be full of vibrant colors and intoxicating aromas. Try classics like Louisiana red beans and rice, jambalaya, crawfish étouffée and beignets. If you’re just enjoying the meat pies as a snack, top them with Louisiana hot sauce!

Can you bake these Louisiana meat pies?

Yes, if you’d like to enjoy these meat pies fresh from the oven (instead of the fryer), Walter recommends you bake them in a single layer at 350° until they’re cooked through and golden, 17 to 22 minutes.