This step-by-step recipe for layered burek - fillo meat pie is perfect for when you start cooking with fillo dough. It's a fuss-free, easy process that will eliminate your fear of making fillo dishes for good.
Check baking with fillo off your bucket list now!
Tackling and succeeding in something new is always rewarding, especially when the outcome is as delicious as the meat filling between the layers of fillo pastry. I promise you'll be making this meat pie, aka burek, again and again!
Savory fillings baked in thin flaky pastry dough known as fillo, filo, phyllo, or yufka are popular throughout southeastern Europe, one of many legacies of the Ottoman Empire.
Stretching raw dough into paper-thin sheets likely originated in the kitchens of the Topkapı Palace in Turkey during their 400+ years of ruling.
🛒Ingredients and Notes
- frozen fillo dough
- ground beef
- onions
- garlic clove
- Vegeta (optional)
- Salt and black pepper
- eggs
- sour cream
- vegetable oil
🔪Step by Step Instructions
- Sauté onions in a large skillet over medium-high heat until translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Do not overcook them; they'll finish cooking in the oven. Add ground beef, garlic, Vegeta if using, salt, and pepper.
- Simmer for 15 minutes and let cool. Beat the eggs with sour cream and mix with the ground beef and onion mixture.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, Grease a 9x13 baking pan generously with oil.
- Lay the thawed phyllo dough sheets between two lightly damp kitchen towels.
- Place two (three if extra thin) sheets of fillo dough into the prepared pan. Fold any excess dough in or cut with scissors. Brush or drizzle the top sheet with oil. Spread some meat filling evenly over the fillo, about three tablespoons. Repeat the layering process until the filling is used up, finishing with two-three layers of fillo.
- Brush the top of the pastry generously with the remaining oil. With a sharp knife, cut the phyllo pie into squares.
- Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until cooked through and golden brown, and serve with buttermilk or Balkan-style yogurt (like Greek) for authenticity.
Every country of the Balkan region and region within a country is proud of their version of burek. You might remember the Albanian burek recipe guest posted by a young cook. Burek, the meat pie, is one of the Bosnian favorite national meals.
Using commercially produced fillo dough is almost an insult to a true Bosnian, but who has time to make it from scratch? Not me, although I do know how to make this paper-thin dough.
We think of Greece when we hear fillo, especially baklava and spanakopita, although fillo and those dishes are traditional to all Balkan countries.
Where to buy fillo dough?
Your local grocery stores most likely carry fillo pastry in the refrigerator with pie crusts. They often don't stock enough, though, but fear not!
You can easily get them from your local store or order them online.
I suggest thinner pastry for baklava, and all the others are good for various savory recipes unless otherwise specified. I know you will love them, so go ahead and order a few. They ship frozen and will keep great in your freezer for months!
Interesting fact: There is an ongoing dispute amongst my fellow citizens regarding the name of various fillo pies. We call stuffed fillo dough a pie, aka pita, no matter the filling.
But now it gets more complicated: if the filling is meat, then the pie is called burek. Cheese, spinach, potato, zucchini, and even apple and sugar cream fillings are merely called "[the name of the filling] pita."
However, burek has become a common noun, and some refer to all pitas as "burek with [the name of the filling]," hence the dispute. It's not burek with cheese; it is cheese pita. First-world problems. 🙂
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Layered Burek - Fillo Meat Pie
Ingredients
- 1 package frozen fillo dough thawed
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 large onions chopped
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 tablespoon Vegeta optional
- Salt and black pepper to season
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- ⅔ cup vegetable oil
Instructions
- Sauté onions in a large skillet over medium-high heat until translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Do not overcook them; they’ll finish cooking in the oven. Add ground beef, garlic, Vegeta if using, salt, and pepper.
- Simmer for 15 minutes and let cool. Beat the eggs with sour cream and mix with the ground beef and onion mixture.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9x13 baking pan generously with oil.
- Lay the thawed phyllo dough sheets between two lightly damp kitchen towels.
- Place two (three if extra thin) sheets of fillo dough into the prepared pan. Fold any excess dough in or cut with scissors. Brush or drizzle the top sheet with oil. Spread some of the meat filling evenly over the fillo, about 3 tablespoons. Repeat the layering process until the filling is used up, finishing with two-three layers of fillo.
- Brush the top of the pastry generously with remaining oil. With a sharp knife, cut the phyllo pie into squares.
- Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until cooked through and golden brown in color. Serve with buttermilk or Balkan style yogurt (like Greek) for authenticity.
Expert Tips
- Use melted butter instead of oil.
- Try replacing onions with leeks for a different hint of flavor.
Elma says
I watched my mom making burek my whole life, but I don’t remember she’d ever use eggs and sour cream, mixed with ground beef!! I wonder is this “addition” only because we are using fillo and not homemade “jufke”, or you recommend same filling for homemade too?!
I will definitely try it, no matter your answer:)
Many greetings from someone who takes meat out of burek and eats only dough part!!
Jas says
Hi, Elma! It's just another way to make burek. This recipe was printed on an apron I had for decades and it does go better with store-bought fillo (jufke), but you can definitely use it with the homemade dough too. Although it tastes fantastic, I'm partial to this burek recipe (never mind old photos that need updating.) I promise you will love the dough even if you remove the meat. 🙂
Nencica says
I have made a very similar recipe but I followed yours this time and I’m just curious as I have never done this before when you say cut it into squares before baking. Why is this? Also yours is the first I have seen that lays it out flat in a 9 x 13 baking dish. This is how I have always done it only because I find it easier is there a reason you do it this way?
Jas says
Hi, Nencica. Cutting it before baking is just a recommendation, nut a rule. Just like you would with baklava, it ensures even cooking. As you can tell from my photos, I didn't do it at that time. There are many ways you can make the pie and this method is easy enough for someone who had never made it before or when you are short on time. The flavor is the same, though! I also have the recipe with homemade dough. Thanks for stopping in! 🙂
Diana says
Thanks Jas. I went ahead with the one large onion i had previously chopped (I measured it to be a little more than 3 cups), which seemed like so much when I put it in pan, but it turned out to be just right. Recipe came out well. It was easy and tasty. My family liked it. Thanks!
Jas says
Ah, glad it turned out fine. Thank you so much for trying it and liking it! Hugs!