We used to eat these really delicious meat pies when we were growing up. I’m not sure exactly what was in them, but I do know that the mix had ground beef seasoned with curry powder, tender cubed potatoes, and sweet peas. It was so simple, hearty, filling, and one of my absolute favorite things to eat. But these days I’m a busy person, so when I got the craving for those tasty meat pies I just whipped up the curried ground beef filling and ate it in a bowl instead of fiddling with dough and stuffing it into hand pies. It was still totally satisfying and way easier. There are a few different ways you can serve this curried ground beef, so keep reading to see some options!
Recipe Inspiration
I ate this delicious ground beef mixture throughout my entire childhood without ever realizing that it’s basically an Americanized version of Keema, a spiced ground meat dish from India. It’s also very similar to the filling often used for Samosas. The recipe below is not going to be nearly as amazing as real keema, since it uses a store-bought curry powder blend of spices and a very simplified list of ingredients, so I don’t want to call it Keema and do the name such an injustice. If you’d like to try an authentic version of Keema, check out Keema Matar from Tea for Turmeric, Pakistani Aloo Keema from Flour and Spice Blog, or Classic Keema Matar from Afelia’s Kitchen. And if you’d like to try a Samosa, try this Samosa Recipe from Swasthi’s Recipes.
What Kind of Beef to Use
Since the spices and aromatics are going in the skillet before the beef, you won’t want to have to drain off any fat after browning the ground beef, or else you’ll lose some of the flavor. For that reason, you’ll want to use a lower fat ground beef, maybe 10-15% max. Having some fat is good for flavor, but you don’t want it pooling in the bottom of the skillet.
What Kind of Curry Powder to Use
Curry powder blends can vary a LOT from brand to brand, so it’s important to choose one that you’re familiar with and that you know you like. The kind I happen to be using today is 365 brand curry powder, but I’ve also enjoyed Sharwood’s brand in the past. You can use a mild curry powder, or spicy if you prefer. If you’d like to try making your own homemade curry powder, here is a great recipe for homemade curry powder from Spice it Up.
How to Serve Curried Ground Beef with Peas and Potatoes
This dish is quite filling on its own since it contains meat, potatoes, and vegetables, but I like to add a little bread on the side. I love serving naan with this curried ground beef so I can scoop up some of the beef mixture with the piece of naan and get everything in one bite (just like those meat pies I used to eat, but open-faced!). You could also serve the curried beef over a bed of rice for a little extra inexpensive filler.
Can I Add More Vegetables?
Yes! This mixture is so flexible. If you want to incorporate a few extra vegetables, consider adding a diced onion, sliced carrots, and maybe even broccoli. If you want to swap out the potatoes for a lower carb option, you can use small cauliflower florets.
Curried Ground Beef with Peas and Potatoes
Servings 6 1 cup eachIngredients
- 4 cloves garlic, minced ($0.32)
- 1 tsp grated fresh ginger ($0.10)
- 2 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.08)
- 1 Tbsp curry powder ($0.30)
- 1 tsp turmeric ($0.10)
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (optional) ($0.02)
- 1 lb. ground beef (15% fat or less) ($5.49)
- 1 russet potato (¾ lb.) ($0.63)
- 1 cup beef broth ($0.13)
- 1 cup frozen peas ($0.50)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 2 green onions, sliced (optional) ($0.22)
Instructions
- Add the minced garlic, grated ginger, and cooking oil to a large deep skillet. Sauté the garlic and ginger over medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Add the curry powder, turmeric, and crushed red pepper and sauté for one minute more.
- Add the ground beef to the skillet with the spices and sauté until the beef is cooked through.
- While the beef is cooking, peel and cube the potato into ½-inch pieces.
- Add the cubed potato and beef broth to the skillet. Stir to combine with the ground beef. Place a lid on the skillet and turn the heat up to medium-high. Allow the broth to come up to a boil.
- Once the broth reaches a boil, turn the heat down to medium-low and allow it to continue to simmer for 10 minutes with the lid in place (stir occasionally). After ten minutes, the potatoes should be tender. Remove the lid and simmer for a few more minutes, or until most of the broth is evaporated.
- Finally, stir the frozen peas into the beef and potato mixture and heat through. Give the curry beef a taste and add salt to taste (about ½ tsp). Top with sliced green onions and serve hot.
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Nutrition
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How to Make Curried Ground Beef with Peas and Potatoes – Step By Step Photos
Start by mincing four cloves of garlic and grating about 1 teaspoon fresh ginger. Add the garlic and ginger to a skillet with 2 tablespoons of cooking oil. Sauté the garlic and ginger over medium heat for one to two minutes.
Next, add 1 tablespoon curry powder, 1 teaspoon turmeric, and ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional) to the skillet. Continue to sauté over medium heat for about one more minute to toast the spices.
Add one pound of ground beef to the skillet and continue sautéing until it is cooked through.
While the beef is browning, peel and cube one russet potato into ½-inch pieces. My potato was about ¾ lb. total, but it’s flexible so you can add a little more or less if you have it.
Once the beef is browned, add the cubed potato and one cup beef broth. Stir to combine.
Place a lid on the skillet, turn the heat up to medium-high, and bring the broth up to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium-low and let the skillet simmer for about 10 minutes, with the lid in place, stirring occasionally. After ten minutes the potatoes should be nice and tender. Remove the lid and let it simmer a few more minutes, or until most of the broth is evaporated.
Add one cup of frozen peas to the skillet and stir to combine, then allow the peas to heat through.
Give the curried beef with peas and potatoes a taste and add salt to your liking (I added about ½ teaspoon).
Top with sliced green onions and enjoy!
This recipe right here is the best thing ever.
It’s easy, filling, and most of all, just plain delicious! It’s become a favorite of mine, and I do confess that I love making it when I fall prey to wine-induced cravings ;)
But seriously, thanks for this recipe, Beth! I saw it some three years ago, so here’s my belated post of gratitude.
Thanks for reminding me about this one! I should rephotograph it to make it look as yummy as it really is. :)
This was sooooo good and easy! we didn’t have the peas, and didn’t use garlic or rice because of my husband’s diet considerations, and it was still amazing! Added two extra potatoes b/c no rice and added more broth( we used chicken) and it was excellent; Thank you :)
I’m from the Caribbean Islands so the dish is some what similar to one of our native dishes. My son is not a big fan of ginger but he couldn’t even tell ginger was in it until he bite into a piece that didnt get ground up when I grated it. This dish was a HIT! and big thumbs up from my boys and I love the earthy taste of all the spices. I added bell peppers and onions and a bay leaf to my rice. Very good and filling. Thanks, for sharing a great recipe and waking up my childhood taste buds. Looking forward to visiting and trying out another recipe of yours meat pie Yah say… Looking forward to making it Beth.
Just made this tonight and it was absolutely delicious. I paired it with Savory Coconut Rice which is always awesome. The curry powder was juuuust a hint too spicy so I’ll add less next time, but that’s just my taste. Loved this and I can’t wait to make another batch!
I love this recipe – it’s so delicious and I use it really frequently! Have you ever tried to recreate it as a pie? I would love to try my hand at meat pies, and I think this would be a great filling! I imagine you would want it to be a bit drier than it usually turns out just to put over rice. Do you have any suggestions for doing this? Maybe play with the flour/broth proportions? Blind bake the crust to avoid a soggy bottom? I’m all ears!
I actually think this would be dry enough to use as a hand pie filling (at least mine was, the potatoes absorbed most of the liquid). :) I’ve actually been meaning to make a meat pie version of this for some time. We ate meat pies with a similar filling growing up and I miss them. We used to just use regular bread dough (instead of pie dough) and stuff it with a curry beef mixture, and then baked them. They were so good!
Really tasty
You could use this filling (minus potato) and pie crust pastry to make an Indian style empanada, maybe. Portable street food.
This is so great! I adapted it cause I’m not a curry fan: changed the spices to chili powder, oregano and red pepper flakes. I kept the ginger (realized too late that it might be weird with the change of flavors but it actually worked out just fine!). Ate it over noodles and was happy as a clam. Thank you!
So basically, you didn’t make the recipe at all …
lol truuuue
Made this tonight with naan bread and basmati rice. Very tasty! Definitely a keeper. Thanks Beth!
If you add tomato paste, this would be incredible
My family loves this recipe. I make this at least once a month. We love so many of your recipes.
This is currently simmering on the stove and I cannot wait!! Smells sooo good! I added another potato to stretch this meal further, and another cup of broth (and tsp of flour). Saw the comments about raisins just in time to add about 1/2 cup to the pot too. Serving it with brown rice.
I made this, and instead of serving over rice i put into puff pastry squares and made a kind of Samosa! was outstanding
It’s kind of great when all you have to buy for a recipe is the potato! I had everything else in the house. This was FANTASTIC. And it satisfied such a craving that I had. I used to have a coworker who would make something like this years ago, and then the company we worked for folded, and we lost touch. I never got the recipe – but it was beef, and peas, and curry, and potatoes!
This was almost exact. Probably missing something like an onion… but so perfect for that craving. I will be making this again and again – it was hard not to eat the whole pan. Leftovers were awesome, too. Thanks, Beth, for something super delicious!
Made this for a quick dinner again tonight! It has become a favourite in the meal rotation. I add in a diced onion and extra peas to stretch out the beef a bit. Thank you Beth for the quick, easy and yummy recipes! 😊