Mini Beef Wellington {Appetizer Bites}
Get ready to fall in love with these Mini Beef Wellington appetizers with mushrooms and savory gravy in flaky homemade tartlet shells. They are a tasty appetizer that comes together in about an hour. They’re perfect for a bite-sized hors d’oeuvre for a holiday party or festive gathering.
This post was published on January 5th, 2014. I have updated the images to share them with you today.
Table of contents
Why We Love This Recipe For Mini Beef Wellington Bites
This recipe was inspired by Beef Wellington, which is a classic British steak recipe. I wanted to make a tasty little appetizer version of the dish to serve at dinner parties and holidays like Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
Traditional Beef Wellington is usually made with filet mignon, topped with sautéed mushrooms and pate and wrapped in puff pastry. This dish is a labor of love, as it requires lots of chilling, rolling, egg wash—the whole nine yards.
The classic dish is also incredibly hearty and isn’t the best for you, which is why I decided to make this into the perfect mini (portion-controlled) savory appetizer!
Key Ingredients For This Appetizer Recipe
- White whole-wheat flour- This one from King Arthur’s is really great. I used it to make the pie shells.
- Cold unsalted butter- I used less butter than a normal pie shell recipe here.
- Neufchatel cheese- This is basically just reduced-fat cream cheese.
- Olive oil- You’ll need olive oil for the pie shells.
- Lean ground beef- I used lean ground beef.
- Veggies- You’ll need chopped garlic, onion and mushrooms for the filling.
- Seasonings- Season with salt, pepper and paprika.
- Beef or chicken broth- You can use either but I went with beef for this recipe.
- Worcestershire sauce- This helps add depth to the filling.
- Tomato paste- To make the sauce for the filling.
- Brown sugar- You could use white sugar if you don’t have brown.
- Corn starch- This helps thicken the filling.
Step-by-Step Instructions to Make Mini Beef Wellingtons
Step 1: Make shell dough
Process white whole-wheat flour, butter and ¼ teaspoon salt in a food processor until it resembles the texture of coarse cornmeal. Add Neufchatel and drizzle oil over the flour mixture, and process until the mixture comes together as a dough.
Step 2: Portion Dough and Press into Pan
Roll while squeezing into a log, and cut into 24 even pieces. Lightly coat 2 mini muffin tins with cooking spray (24 cups) Press each dough ball into and up sides of the muffin cups.
Step 3: Refrigerate Dough and Preheat oven
Refrigerate tins while you prepare the filling. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375ºF.
Step 4: Cook filling
Coat a medium skillet with cooking spray and place over medium-high heat. Add beef and garlic, and cook, breaking up and stirring until the beef is browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Add onion, mushrooms, paprika, pepper and the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, and cook, stirring often until the mushrooms and onions are tender, 3 to 5 minutes.
Step 5: Make Sauce
Whisk broth, Worcestershire, tomato paste, cornstarch and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Stir into the beef mixture and cook, stirring and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet, until the liquid bubbles and thickens, about 2 minutes.
Step 6: Bake pie shells
Divide the beef mixture among the muffin tins, using a dinner fork, and bake until the pie shells are browned and the filling is bubbling, 15 to 18 minutes.
Step 7: Let cool & serve
Let cool for about 10 minutes before gently removing pies from the tins. Serve warm.
FAQs and Expert Tips
My first tip is to try not to overwork the dough, otherwise, your pot pie crusts will be tough! Secondly, when making the filling, make sure to scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan once you add the liquids in—there’s lots of flavor at the bottom of the pan!
Make the pie shells and the filling a day ahead and assemble right before serving.
Store the filling in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. Carefully store the pie shells in a large sealable plastic bag at room temperature (best eaten within the first day or so as they can lose their crunch quickly).
If you think there might be leftovers, only assemble as many as you’ll need. If you store leftovers already assembled, the filling might make the pie shell soggy and they won’t taste as fresh.
At Healthy Seasonal Recipes, we specialize in cooking with fresh veggies and creating weeknight meals. Sign up HERE to get more produce-forward dinner ideas for FREE! If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought! Happy Cooking! ~Katie
PrintMini Beef Wellington {Appetizer Bites}
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 24 pot pies 1x
Description
Get ready to fall in love with these Mini Beef Wellington appetizer bites with mushrooms and savory gravy in flaky homemade tartlet shells. They are tasty hors d’oeuvres that come together in about an hour.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup white whole-wheat flour
- 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
- 4 ounces Neufchatel cheese (reduced fat cream cheese)
- 1/4 cup mild olive oil
- 1/4 pound lean ground beef, preferably grass-fed
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 3/4 cup finely diced onion
- 3/4 cup finely chopped mushrooms
- 1 teaspoon paprika, hot if desired
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 cup reduced sodium beef or chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoons corn starch
Instructions
- Process white whole-wheat flour, butter and ¼ teaspoon salt in a food processor until it resembles the texture of coarse cornmeal. Add Neufchatel and drizzle oil over the flour mixture, process until mixture comes together as a soft dough.
- Roll while squeezing into a log, and cut into 24 even pieces. If necessary use additional flour to make the dough workable. Lightly coat 2 mini muffin tins with cooking spray (24 cups) Press each dough ball into and up sides of the muffin cups.
- Refrigerate tins while you prepare the filling. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375ºF.
- Coat a medium skillet with cooking spray and place over medium-high heat. Add beef and garlic, and cook, breaking-up and stirring, until the beef is browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Add onion, mushrooms, paprika, pepper and the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, and cook, stirring often until the mushrooms and onions are tender, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Whisk broth, Worcestershire, tomato paste, corn starch and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Stir into the beef mixture and cook, stirring and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet, until the liquid bubbles and thickens, about 2 minutes.
- Divide the beef mixture among the muffin tins, using a dinner fork.
- Bake until the pie shells are browned and the filling is bubbling, 15 to 18 minutes. Let cool about 10 minutes before gently removing pies from the tins. Serve warm.
Notes
Storing Instructions: Store the filling in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. Carefully store the pie shells in a large sealable plastic bag at room temperature (best eaten within the first day or so as they can lose their crunch quickly). Reheat on a baking sheet until heated through.
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: British
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 piece
- Calories: 78
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 94 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 7 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
Has anyone made these in advance thru first part of step 4 and frozen them before cooking? Then when ready taken them out and cooked from frozen state. Would love to make in advance for a party.
Pam, I would love to know the answer to that myself. Would it be worth it to you to test it in advance? If you do it, please report back. Thanks so much.
We are planning a Downton Abbey Season Finale Party at our home. These recipes will come in very handy. Though I will be playing the role of Mrs. Patmore and my daughter as Daisy. I will also be playing the role of Cora, the regal hostess. I adore these characters but then I also love them all…
Lisa, That is so cool that you’ll be in character. Don’t forget to be nice to Daisy!
I have heard such wonderful things about this show. My hubby is not a fan of shows where there are tons of people talking with British accents. I am going to have to watch on Netflix to catch up 🙂
Yes the only character who doesn’t have a real British accent is Lady Grantham, and even hers is pretty strong. Have fun watching.
Love Downton Abbey! I made some Raspberry Coffee Cake Muffins for my own little party 🙂 Enjoy the show!
Thanks Lindsay. Raspberry Coffee Cake Muffins sound amazing. Thank you for dropping by.
just ordered the first 3 seasons of downtown abbey on amazon, can’t wait to watch them all, commercial free 🙂
We watched them all on Netflix too for the first two seasons. I would love to go back and watch the opening credit of the first episode.
The Dowager Countess. Maggie Smith is brilliant in everything she does.
Isn’t she amazing? If only I could live a life as well led as she has. And her character is perfect too.
OMG!! AWESOME RECIPES!! I LOVE YOUR RECIPES!!! AND MUCH MORE Lady Mary’s TOO!! =D
Thank you so much Daniela. I just love lady Mary:)
I like Liam Connor
Agreed! He is fantastic. He makes me so mad and happy at the same time. Such a great actor and quite a character!
These are the cutest little pot pies!! I wish I had one (or 3) right now 🙂
Ha ha! I did just have three:) So good to meet you. Looking forward to tonight.
Oh my, these are one of my favorite dishes to make at Christmas but I love the way you made these into a mini pot pie. Fantastic! Also, great to meet you via this wonderful event that Carrie organized.
For sure Nik! Likewise. I have never had the guts to make beef Wellington, since I am afraid to either overcook it or end up with soggy crust. I’ll have to get your recipe! Honestly this seemed like an easy solution and like one that would work through football season too. lol.
Michelle Dockery love her….
Lady Mary Crawley, almost forgot this part!
I am always swooning over Lady Mary’s outfits! I love the navy blues and blacks. They inspired the colors for these pics.I can’t wait to see what happens with her character tonight!
These would be perfect for any type of celebration! Just like little hand pies. Thanks for posting this and sharing.
Kim, exactly! I love little hand pies. These little crusts are so easy and fuss free. Thank you for stopping by.
Love love love these!!! They are so cute, and I am a huge fan of both pot pies and beef wellington.
Beef Wellington always makes me think of my very first job. I was a bus girl at a stuffy inn. That was their most popular dish. I like to think these are a lot more laid back:)
These look perfect for a fun canapé party! Love the mini version!
Marnely, Thanks so much. I agree about them being good for a part. Gotta love the minis.
I’m totally loving how these came out! What a great idea!
Thanks so much Lauren! We’ve been nibbling on them for days now, and they are so savory. Looking forward to the show tonight.