Greek minced beef filo tarts with a rich tomato sauce topped with a creamy cheese sauce

Filo pastry is so versatile and can be used in sweet and savoury dishes. I like to make these into individual tarts. Unless you score filo pastry before cooking, it is difficult to cut without it falling to pieces.

There are usually about 8-10 sheets of filo in a packet and it doesn’t keep very well, so I usually have a filo batch bake and freeze a few snacks/pies/desserts for another day.

Here are some suggestions –

• Baked bean and cheddar cheese spirals
• Mediterranean lamb and feta cheese spirals

Print Recipe

Greek minced beef filo tarts with a rich tomato sauce topped with a creamy cheese sauce

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 4 sheets filo pastry
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 250 g minced beef
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 1 carrot, finely diced
• 1 stick celery, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• 250 g chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 50 g red wine
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• salt and pepper to taste

Creamy cheese sauce

• 125 ml full fat milk
• 20 g butter
• 15 g plain flour
• 80 g strong cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper

Instructions

• Brush 4 individual pie tins with 1 tbsp oil. Brush the filo sheets with the remaining oil and cut each one into four. Line each tin with 4 sheets, layering them at angles, and press down gently.
• Heat the remaining olive oil and fry the onion, carrot, celery and garlic gently until just starting to brown.
• Add the minced beef and break it up so the mixture is well mixed.
• Once the meat is browned add the tomatoes, tomato paste, spices and the red wine.
• Bring to a boil and allow the sauce to simmer gently for 30 minutes stirring occasionally. Cool.
• Prepare the cheese sauce. Melt the butter in a small pan. Add the flour and beat to mix well.
• Add the milk slowly stirring constantly. Simmer until the sauce thickens then add 60g of the cheese. Cook until the cheese has melted and the sauce is thick. Season.
• Heat oven 180C / Gas mark 4. Divide the beef sauce between the pie tins. Top with the cheese sauce and sprinkle ove the remaining cheese.
• Bake for 30 minutes or until golden.

Notes

Delicious served with a Greek salad. If you can get Kefalotyri cheese it works really well in the cheese sauce.