Egyptian goulash is made using phyllo pastry and a ground beef and onion filling, seasoned with warm middle eastern spices. The final product looks so impressive but it's actually so easy to make! The Egyptian goulash ends up being so crispy on the outside with a delicious meat filling. It's a must try, and one of my go-to dishes if I'm hosting a dinner.

What's special about this recipe?
Well, it's the pastry. Crispy pastry, sandwiching the most delicious spiced meat mixture, and everything drizzled in butter. And also the fact that it looks so impressive but its very easy to make. This dish very much reminds me of Turkish Borek which is also made using either layered pastry or rolled pastry like this Sigara Boregi.
The ground beef mixture used in this recipe is the classic "Hashweh" used in many middle eastern dishes, like this bechamel pasta, sambousak, and Sheikh El Mahshi. The seasoning (allspice and cinnamon - my favourite spice combination) is the same in all of these recipes, but the meat mixture is used differently. If you have any leftover meat mixture, you can also cook it with rice and make Hashweh Rice which is a quick weeknight meal.
The pastry is ready made phyllo pastry that you can find in the freezer section of your local supermarket. It's generally easy to find and easy to work with. Keep in mind, phyllo pastry tends to be a bit more delicate then puff pastry like in Umm Ali.
Ingredients you'll need
The ingredients needed for this phyllo meat pie are so simple. You just need to make sure you purchase your phyllo pastry ahead of time. It's typically frozen and comes in a pack with at least 15-20 sheets. Here I've used 20 sheets in total, so if your pack has less than that, you need to use two. You'll need to thaw it overnight in the fridge or for a few hours on your counter.
How to make Egyptian goulash
I promised you that making Egyptian goulash would be easy. And you need to trust me on that! Here's what you'll need to do:
- Thaw your phyllo pastry ahead of time either overnight in the fridge or for a few hours on your counter. Ensure you have at least 20 sheets of phyllo dough
- Preheat your oven to 350F
- Make the meat filling by cooking the diced onion first with a bit of olive oil until softened, then add the meat and spices
- Melt the butter and mix with the olive oil. Using a 10" x 6" pan (you can use a slightly bigger pan too, the pie will just slightly less thick which is totally fine), brush the bottom with the butter/oil
- Roughly cut the phyllo dough it to fit your pan size. It doesn't have to be exact and its fine if the edges get folded over along the sides (this part will be extra crispy!).
- Add 2-3 layers of phyllo dough to the pan then brush with the butter/oil mixture. Make sure you're generous and add a good amount. Add the next 2-3 layers and continue brushing every third layer or so until you reach 10 layers minimum on the bottom (a few more is fine)
- Spoon the meat mixture onto the dough and flatten it with a spoon
- Repeat the same steps with the top of the pie, adding 2-3 layers and brushing with butter/oil. Stop when you have reached roughly 10 layers on the top as well
- Brush the top layer with butter/oil and carefully cut the pie into pieces using a sharp knife. Be sure to go all the way to the bottom and go over the cuts a few times
- Whisk together the milk, egg and spice mixture and pour over the top of the pie
- Bake for 45 minutes until golden brown and crispy on top
Tips for working with phyllo (or filo) dough
Phyllo pastry may be intimidating to some people, but I find it's quite easy to work with. This recipe is very forgiving as well, so if you're dough sheets tare, no need to worry! Here are some tips that will help:
- Work quickly when assembling the pie as phyllo dough tends to dry out if left out for a long period of time
- How can I prevent phyllo dough from drying? You can dampen a kitchen towel or paper towels and cover the phyllo dough to make sure it stays moist. As you use it, make sure to put the kitchen towel back on top
- How do I thaw phyllo dough? Phyllo dough must be thawed slowly, otherwise it will get soggy and the layers will stick together. Never thaw it in the microwave. Instead, thaw it overnight in the fridge or thaw it on your counter for a few hours.
- How long does phyllo dough last in the fridge? If you have opened the package and refrigerated it again, it will last a maximum of 1 week when covered tightly. For unopened packages, they can last for a few months in the fridge as long as they remain sealed
- Handle the phyllo dough with care as it can easily tare. But as I mentioned, for this recipe in particular, it's no worry because they sheets are going to meld together when baking
- Always cut the phyllo dough before baking. After phyllo dough bakes, it crisps up, which will make cutting it impossible. That's why it's important to ensure your cuts are deep and have penetrated all the layers. Do this by going over them a few times
FAQs and expert tips for Egyptian Goulash
- Can I add vegetables to this pie? Yes, you can add vegetables such as peas, carrots, mushrooms, spinach or kale. Simply cook them in with the meat mixture. Make sure your vegetables do not introduce extra moisture as that may make the pie soggy. To avoid this, cook them until all moisture evaporates
- Can I use more or less phyllo layers on the top and bottom? I found that 10 layers on the bottom and 10 on top provide good structure and a great crunch. You can definitely use more if you like. It's all about getting the right dough to filling ratio. If you don't have that much phyllo dough, you can use less sheets but also ensure that the meat filling is a thinner layer
- Can I skip the milk/egg mixture? The milk and egg mixture helps to keep the pie held together and it also adds great flavour. If you do not eat eggs, you can skip the eggs and just use milk
Make ahead instructions
Egyptian goulash is a great dish to have for dinner parties because you can cook the meat filling a few days before and keep it in the fridge. You don't need to heat it when you're using it as it will heat up in the oven. On the day of the event, you simply have to assemble everything with your phyllo dough which should not take more than 10-15 minutes and then bake it.
If you want to save even more time, you can assemble the whole pie a few days before but do not pour the milk/egg mixture on top. Keep it well covered in the fridge. When you're ready to use it, pour the milk/egg mixture and then bake it.
I know you're also wondering: "can I freeze this meat pie?". The answer is yes! You can freeze the baked pie, covered tightly. When you want to eat it, thaw it at room temperature then pop it in the oven until it's heated through and crisps up again.
Other recipes you might like
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Egyptian Goulash (Phyllo meat pie)
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 1.5 pounds lean ground beef
- 1 diced onion roughly 1 cup
- 1 tablespoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
For the pastry:
- 20 phyllo pastry sheets thawed
- ¼ cup melted butter
- ¼ cup melted olive oil
- 1 cup milk full fat or semi-skimmed
- 1 egg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- dash of black pepper
Instructions
- Thaw your phyllo pastry ahead of time either overnight in the fridge or for a few hours on your counter. Ensure you have at least 20 sheets of phyllo dough
- Preheat your oven to 350F
- Make the meat filling by cooking the diced onion first with a bit of olive oil until softened, which takes about 5-7 minutes
- Add the meat and brown it until the liquid dissolves, about 10 minutes. Add all the spices and mix well, then set aside
- Melt the butter and mix with the olive oil. Using a 10" x 6" pan (you can use a slightly bigger pan too, the pie will be slightly less thick which is a matter of preference), brush the bottom with the butter/oil mixture
- Roughly cut the phyllo dough to fit your pan size. It doesn't have to be exact and its fine if the edges get folded over along the sides (this part will be extra crispy!).
- Add 2-3 layers of phyllo dough to the pan then brush with the butter/oil mixture. Make sure you're generous and add a good amount. Add the next 2-3 layers and continue brushing every third layer or so until you reach 10 layers minimum on the bottom (a few more is fine)
- Spoon the meat mixture onto the dough and flatten it with a spoon
- Repeat the same steps with the top of the pie, adding 2-3 layers and brushing with butter/oil. Stop when you have reached roughly 10 layers on the top as well
- Brush the top layer with butter/oil and carefully cut the pie into pieces using a sharp knife. Be sure to go all the way to the bottom and go over the cuts a few times
- Whisk together the milk, egg and salt/pepper and pour over the top of the pie
- Bake for 45 minutes until golden brown and crispy on top. You can broil it for a few minutes to get it extra crispy as well but stay nearby so it doesn't burn
Notes
- You can use a few more phyllo sheets on the top and bottom of the pie, it doesn't have to be exactly 10
- Adjust the meat filling layer thickness to your preference! You can make it thinner so you end up with more dough
- You can also use a larger pan size than the one I used and spread the meat out more
- You can make this ahead of time and freeze it as well - check the make ahead section in the post
Comments
Excellent easy recipe
Hi
Can you specify which brand all spice do you use please.
Thanks!
I honestly get so many different brands, I can't say I have one particular go-to!
Absolutely delicious! We all absolutely loved this dinner! Everyone went back for seconds. Thank you so much for sharing!
Because of allergies we omitted the egg and used unsweetened soy milk. Turn out spectacular!!
That's so wonderful, yay! Great substitute on the eggs too!
I loved it. I made a mushroom sauce for my guest to pour on their plate if they wanted. It was delicious. 👍🏽 ❤️This recipe
Thank you!!!
I love the idea of a mushroom sauce with it - fabulous!
I added shredded kale and use a minced lamb and beef mixture and it was great!
Oh that's such a wonderful idea!! I shall try it 🙂
Oh...Em....Gee....This was divine. My husband talked about it for DAYS. I didn't have 1.5 lbs of beef, so I added some wild mushrooms, just cut really fine. I had to cook off the excess liquid for a little longer because of the mushrooms, but otherwise, I made this EXACTLY as described and it was heavenly. I don't normally have phyllo on hand, but I happened to buy some at the store and forgot about it in the freezer, so win for us. Its only been 3 days since I've made it, and my husband requested it again. Since I still had some of the phyllo left from the last time, I made it again. This time though, I made it with ground turkey (didn't have any more beef), again adding some mushrooms and some better than beef to give it a richer taste, but otherwise, the same. That is cooking right now and the house once again smells like heaven. Will 100% cook this many more times.
That makes me so happy Joline! Well done for that mushroom addition... sounds delicious! I will have to try it with mushrooms now 🙂
Addendum... Sorry Amina I'm asking 2 questions. Am I adding completely cooked meat/onion (instead of lightly browning) in the phyllo pastry. And if it's a smaller portion size will the phyllo burn if I use the same time. Thanks
Hi Chris! Great to hear that you also enjoy Hashweh. Yes, you should completely cook the meat and onion mixture. This will ensure that all the moisture from the meat evaporates - we want a really dry mixture in the phylllo pastry so that it doesn't make it soggy. You can definitely make the size smaller for individual portions, and use the same cooking time. It shouldn't burn, but I would check on it about halfway through and adjust. You can even make them in a muffin tin (line the muffin tin with the pastry, put in the meat, then close it up. Good luck and let me know how it goes!
Hi Amina,
I love hashweh and make it a fair bit in the fall/winter in Canada. This meal looks very delicious with phyllo pastry (never used). A few comments about the hashweh I make and a question about the phyllo pastry please. I use the same spices generously and always add toasted pine nuts or slivered almonds as well as a lot of fresh mint. Yum. If I'm feeling like breaking the bank, its minced lamb. Cooking for 2 only now, so wondering if I can make these as appetizers or small individual meat pies. Do I need to precook the meat mixture if the portions are a lot smaller and how would cooking times change? Thank you. ( I will come back and rate, I know this will be delicious.)
I used puff pastry because I realized at the last moments that I had purchased it instead of phyllo. It worked wonderfully- it just wasn't quite the same texture and wow factor ... But still tasted great!
Oh that's really interesting to hear about! I'm really glad it turned out yummy 🙂
Would puff pastry work in this? I don't have any phyllo dough!
Someone just commented that they used puff pastry. But I wouldn't recommend it if you want to replicate the same texture and visual. Also puff pastry is already heavily buttered, so adding the butter that the recipe calls for on top of that will make it quite heavy. Some things to keep in mind!
I used whole wheat fillo and came out amazing. I'm so happy because i had this in the freezer and had to use it. I will be making it again when we have company because it's so impressive looking. served with salad.
UH...WOW?!!?! I lived as a non-arab in the KSA. I really miss authentic Arab food in stores in Canada...but thanks to this recipe, I can make it at home! I also seve this as an appetizer by cutting in smaller pieces and it is always a hit! Goes great with a salad!
Super delicious and easy to put together. My family enjoyed it 🙂
What's not to love! We devoured it!
So easy and so delicious!
This is one of my favourite Ramadan dishes! It's sooo perfect with a steamy bowl of soup and the Egyptian Goulash crispy dough and savoury meat, it just can't be beat! I love this recipe, Amina ♥️
One of our favourites. Thanks again!
We loved this so much! Our first time making something like this. It smelled amazing while cooking! The recipe was so easy to follow and it turned out delicious. Will definitely be a repeater!
That makes me so happy! Love that you tried a new recipe. Thanks for the feedback Fatimah!
One week later, making this again! We loved it so much! It’s an Amina cooking day today and I couldn’t be happier...two of your delicious recipes, yum!
This dish looks like a show stopper! I’m so excited to try making this mouthwatering dish! I also love that you have it served with a fresh salad, perfect. I already know I’m going to love this recipe. Thanks in advance, Amina.
Thanks so much for your trust in my recipes LindaLee! 🙂
So, today (13 November) I finally made this! I had never used phyllo dough before, but it was super easy. The kitchen smelled so amazing while I was making the meat mixture and then while it was baking. I give this a 100/10. ???? It was delectable!! I will be making this again. Thank you, Amina!
I'm so glad it worked out for you LindaLee! Thanks for the great feedback too! 🙂