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Nebraska Meat Pies

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With these Nebraska meat pies you get soft, buttery rolls filled with meat and veggies and baked to perfection. If you’re thinking that this sounds like a pasty you’re not entirely wrong. But, these pies have a yeasted dough which makes them so incredibly tender.

The filling is a simple one of meat and cabbage, but flavored just so. Taken altogether it’s a unique treat that Nebraska is known for- thanks to the local German and Russian immigrant populations that popularized these European style hand pies there for generations. They have become a staple of Nebraska cuisine that’s popular at restaurants and bakeries, including ones known as runza. And, now you can make them at home!

FOR THE DOUGH:

  • 1/2 cup warm (not hot) water
  • 1 (.25 oz) packet active dry yeast
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup milk
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for flouring
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

FOR THE FILLING:

  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
  • black pepper to taste
  • 3 cups chopped green cabbage (about 1/2 large head)
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon white pepper (or to taste)
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, for brushing

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