If you’ve ever been to Nebraska, you’ve probably had a handheld meat pie. These buttery palm-sized dough pockets encase a peppery browned beef, cabbage and onion filling. Great made ahead and heated for lunch, they are built to travel; they’ll fly off the table at a potluck or tailgate.
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 3 hr 40 min |
| Active: | 1 hr |
| Yield: | 10 meat pies |
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees F)
- One 1/4-ounce packet active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup milk
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (see Cook’s Note)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
- 3 cups chopped green cabbage (about 1/2 large head)
- 2 cups chopped onion (about 1 large onion)
- 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, for brushing
- Ketchup, for serving
Instructions
- For the dough: Whisk together the warm water, yeast and 1 teaspoon of the sugar in a small bowl. Set aside until the yeast activates and becomes foamy on top, about 10 minutes.
- Heat the milk and butter in a small saucepan until the butter melts. Allow to cool to less than 115 degrees F.
- Whisk the flour, salt and remaining sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the foamy yeast mixture and cooled milk mixture. Turn on the mixer to knead the dough for about 5 minutes. The dough should be a smooth uniform ball that no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put in a warm area until the dough doubles in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
- For the filling: In the meantime, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the beef and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Brown the beef, stirring and breaking it up into small pieces, about 5 minutes. Once browned, transfer to a bowl and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the skillet. Reduce the heat to medium, add the cabbage, onions and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 15 minutes. Add the browned beef back to the skillet, stir it together with the cabbage and onions for 5 minutes. Add the white pepper and additional salt if needed. Take off the heat and set aside to cool completely.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
- When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and divide it into 10 equal-size balls, about 3 1/2 ounces each. Roll a ball into a rectangle, roughly 6- by 8- inches. Spread 1/2 cup of the cooled filling in the center of the rectangle. Bring the two long sides of dough together so the seam is facing up and pinch them together. Pinch the short ends shut as well. You should have a rectangular shape. Put the filled dough seam-side down on one of the prepared baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining 9 balls and the filling. There should be 5 pies per baking sheet. Cover the meat pies with a dish towel and allow them to rest for about 20 minutes. Bake in the oven until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.
- While the pies bake, melt the butter. As soon as the meat pies come out of the oven, brush the tops with the melted butter and serve with ketchup.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 10 servings |
| Calories | 487 |
| Total Fat | 24 g |
| Saturated Fat | 10 g |
| Carbohydrates | 53 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 10 g |
| Protein | 15 g |
| Cholesterol | 58 mg |
| Sodium | 540 mg |
Reviews
I lived in Omaha all my life, and these are by far the best hand pies you’ll ever have.I now live in AR. So when ever I go back to see family I usually grab me one. But, I seen where you added ketchup? I’ve never seen anyone put ketchup on these? But who knows.
Oh man, I’ve been to the Nebraska Star Party three times (from Chicago). Never even heard of these 🙁
My wife is from Nebraska and we have been making these for over 40 years. They are great and a hit with crowds. One short cut if you are pressed for time. You can use frozen bread dough rather than make your own. In fact, this makes me want to make some now!
Have made these with both ground beef and chicken. Ground beef I added spaghetti sauce, and extra veggies ( finely chopped bell peppers, sometimes finely diced zucchini, etc.) almost sloppy Joe. Chicken I use leftover Or rotisserie chicken meat, add onion shredded cheese, finely diced chilis ( canned is good), and either sour cream, Greek yogurt or crème fraîche ( just enough to combine everything), a little fajita seasoning too.
I make these with pork and beef and use rinsed and drained sauerkraut that is sauteed a bit.I sometimes make a vegan style with leeks and mushrooms!
These are called Runzas, nothing like them and I miss them here in Maine
I made these for a neighbor who is originally from Nebraska, he was almost weeping when he ate it, said it was just like home, they were the real deal. Made me feel pretty good.
My German-Russian grandmother called these Kraut Bierocks and always made them on New Year’s Day. As I cared for my Dad the last year of his life, I made them at least once a month for him. I just wish I had my Grandma’s bread recipe .. it was never written down!
I’m from Nebrasa. Never ever put ketchup on a Runza. Ever.
Looks interesting and adaptable, like eliminating dairy. You lost me a little at “roll each ball into a rectangle” though. I think I would probably make the traditional hand pie shape from a circle because my rectangles never come out square.