Italiano Meat Pie

Italiano meat pie is a 1970s-style retro dinner that hits like a deep-dish lasagna without the noodles. The base is a quick stovetop ragu: a pound of ground beef browned and drained, green pepper softened in the fat, then tomato paste, water, and a packet of spaghetti sauce mix simmered together for ten minutes until thick enough to scoop. The mix is the shortcut of the era and gives the filling its instantly familiar Italian-American flavor.

The layering is what turns it from skillet supper into a proper pie. Half the parmesan gets sprinkled across the bottom of a pie shell to seal the crust against moisture, then half the meat, then a generous cup of mozzarella, then more meat and parmesan. Bake fifteen minutes, top with the rest of the mozzarella, return to the oven until the cheese bubbles and browns at the edges. Serve in wedges with a green salad.

Pro Tips

• Bake the pie shell on a cookie sheet, as the directions say. The drippings can boil over and the sheet catches them before they hit the oven floor.
• Let the pie rest five minutes before slicing. The cheese sets and the wedges hold their shape instead of sliding apart.
• Sprinkle the bottom parmesan layer evenly. It’s a moisture barrier that keeps the bottom crust from going soggy.
• Use whole-milk mozzarella for proper melt and stretch. Part-skim never quite delivers.

Variations

• Add a half pound of Italian sausage to the beef for spicier, fattier filling.
• Stir a handful of sliced black olives or sauteed mushrooms into the meat mixture.
• Swap the pastry shell for a pizza-dough crust for a stuffed-pizza style pie.