Dive into the flavors of our Baked Beef Samosa! They’re a perfect combination of juicy beef, aromatic spices, and crisp pastry – an appetizer that’s both satisfying and delicious.
Table of Contents
What is a Samosa?
A samosa is a popular snack or appetizer in many South Asian and Middle Eastern cuisines. It typically consists of a crispy pastry shell filled with a savory mixture of ingredients. The filling often includes ingredients like spiced potatoes, peas, lentils, ground meat (such as beef, chicken, or lamb), and a blend of aromatic spices.
Samosas are usually deep-fried or baked until they become golden and crispy on the outside. The samosa is made in different shapes, depending on the region, including triangular, cone, or half-moon shapes. Samosas are a popular entrée, appetizer, or snack in the local cuisines of South Asia, Western Asia, Southeast Asia, the Mediterranean, and Africa.
Reasons to Love Baked Beef Samosas
- The crispy pastry shell provides a satisfying crunch that’s hard to resist.
- I love that the spiced beef and vegetable filling for this beef samosa recipe offers an explosion of savory flavors.
- Beef Samosa is perfect for on-the-go munching, making it a convenient snack option.
Recipe Ingredients
- Sweet Yellow Onions: These onions add a sweet and mild flavor when finely chopped. They become soft and slightly caramelized when cooked.
- Ginger Root: Fresh ginger root provides a zesty, slightly spicy, and citrusy flavor.
- Spices (Cumin, Coriander, Turmeric, Chili Powder, Cinnamon, Cumin Seeds, Cardamom): This combination of spices adds a complex and aromatic blend of flavors. They contribute to the overall spiciness, warmth, and depth of the dish.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
While this recipe is for beef samosas, you can switch out the ground beef for ground lamb, chicken, or turkey and instead make lamb samosas, chicken samosas or turkey samosas with this recipe.
MAKE TIME FOR THIS RECIPE
This beef samosa recipe takes a little time to make due to the time it takes to fill the pastry, but it is fun and gets done faster if you invite a family member or friend to help! The time to make this on the recipe card assumes you are doing it yourself. It takes about 2 minutes to fill each beef samosa and since this yields 25-30, the time to fill the samosas is about an hour.
How to Make Baked Beef Samosa
Step #1: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius).
Make the Samosa Filling
Step #1: Fill a medium-sized saucepan with water and salt lightly, and bring the water to a boil.
Step #2: Gently pour in the potatoes and peas, being careful not to get any hot water on you.
Step #3: Cook for about 15 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
Step #4: Drain off the water and then mash the potatoes and peas together, then set them aside.
Step #5: Use a large saucepan and pour in the vegetable oil, heating it with medium-high heat.
Step #6: Add the cumin seeds and bay leaf to the vegetable oil and brown for 60-90 seconds.
Step #7: Mix in the onions and ground beef into the large saucepan. Cook until the beef is browned and the onions are soft, about 5-10 minutes.
Step #8: Mix in the fresh ginger and garlic.
Step #9: Mix in the seasonings: cumin, coriander, turmeric, chili powder, ground cinnamon, ground cardamom, salt, and black pepper.
Step #10: Mix in the mashed potatoes and peas until evenly combined.
Step #11: Remove the saucepan from the heat and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or until it has cooled enough to handle easily.
Step #12: Mix the cilantro and green chile peppers into the samosa filling mixture.
Fill the Samosas
Step #1: Please view the photos and/or video in this post to see exactly how to easily fill these samosas.
Step #2: Open the phyllo package, unroll it, and lay it onto wax paper.
Step #3: Peel off one phyllo sheet and place it onto another piece of wax paper, then cover the rest of the phyllo sheets with wax paper or they will dry out quickly.
Step #4: Brush the melted butter across the phyllo sheet.
Step #5: Taking hold of the long side of the phyllo sheet, fold one-third of the phyllo sheet over, then do the same with the other long side so that you have a long phyllo sheet with three layers.
Step #6: Take one end of the short side of the phyllo sheet and fold it over to form a triangle, where some of the folded phyllo sheet will be outside of the phyllo sheet underneath.
Step #7: Brush butter on the phyllo sheet above the triangle and fold it over one more time for another triangle, where the edges will align together. Please note that it helps to put your finger at the top of the previous triangle to get the fold where you want it. This creates the pocket for the filling.
Step #8: Pick up the phyllo sheet gently and open the pocket for the filling.
Step #9: Place approximately 2-3 tablespoons of the samosa filling into the pocket of each phyllo sheet.
Step #10: Fold the triangle three or four more times to complete the samosa and set it on the baking sheet.
Cook the Samosas
Step #1: Place the samosas on a greased baking sheet and cook for 15-20 minutes until the corners are golden brown.
Serve
Step #1: Serve warm with Simple Mango Chutney, plain yogurt, and/or sour cream.
Expert Tip
When folding the samosas, make sure to seal the edges of the wrappers securely with a mixture of flour and water. This will prevent the filling from spilling out during baking, ensuring neatly wrapped and delicious samosas.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. You can use garam masala which is a blend of ground spices commonly used in India. It typically includes spices like cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and more.
You can substitute melted butter with ghee or a dairy-free alternative for a similar result.
Storage Info
To store these Baked Beef Samosas, allow them to cool completely before refrigerating them in an airtight container. You can store them in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days, maintaining their flavor and texture.
If you want to extend their shelf life, you can freeze them for up to 2-3 months. Place the samosas in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag.
When reheating, place them in a preheated oven at 350°F(180°C) for about 15-20 minutes until they are heated through and crispy.
More Delicious Recipes That You Will Love
Baked Beef Samosa Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 4 cups baking potatoes peeled and cubed - about 2 large potatoes
- 4 cups sweet yellow onions - finely chopped (about 2 large onions)
- 1 cup frozen peas - thawed
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 cloves garlic - minced
- 1 Tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 bay leaf - finely chopped
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 Tablespoons chopped green chile peppers
- 1 16 ounce package phyllo dough
- 12 Tablespoons salted butter - melted
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius).
Make the Samosa Filling
- Fill a medium-sized saucepan with water and salt lightly, and bring the water to a boil.
- Gently pour in the potatoes and peas, being careful not to get any hot water on you.
- Cook for about 15 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
- Drain off the water and then mash the potatoes and peas together, then set them aside.
- Use a large saucepan and pour in the vegetable oil, heating it with medium-high heat.
- Add the cumin seeds and bay leaf to the vegetable oil and brown for 60-90 seconds.
- Mix in the onions and ground beef into the large saucepan. Cook until the beef is browned and the onions are soft, about 5-10 minutes.
- Mix in the fresh ginger and garlic.
- Mix in the seasonings: cumin, coriander, turmeric, chili powder, ground cinnamon, ground cardamom, salt, and black pepper.
- Mix in the mashed potatoes and peas until evenly combined.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or until it has cooled enough to handle easily.
- Mix the cilantro and green chile peppers into the samosa filling mixture.
Fill the Samosas
- Please view the photos and/or video in this post to see exactly how to easily fill these samosas.
- Open the phyllo package, unroll it, and lay it onto wax paper.
- Peel off one phyllo sheet and place it onto another piece of wax paper, then cover the rest of the phyllo sheets with wax paper or they will dry out quickly.
- Brush the melted butter across the phyllo sheet.
- Taking hold of the long side of the phyllo sheet, fold one-third of the phyllo sheet over, then do the same with the other long side so that you have a long phyllo sheet with three layers.
- Take one end of the short side of the phyllo sheet and fold it over to form a triangle, where some of the folded phyllo sheet will be outside of the phyllo sheet underneath.
- Brush butter on the phyllo sheet above the triangle and fold it over one more time for another triangle, where the edges will align together. Please note that it helps to put your finger at the top of the previous triangle to get the fold where you want it. This creates the pocket for the filling.
- Pick up the phyllo sheet gently and open the pocket for the filling.
- Place approximately 2-3 tablespoons of the samosa filling into the pocket of each phyllo sheet.
- Fold the triangle three or four more times to complete the samosa and set it on the baking sheet.
Cook the Samosas
- Place the samosas on a greased baking sheet and cook for 15-20 minutes until the corners are golden brown.
Serve
- Serve warm with Simple Mango Chutney, plain yogurt, and/or sour cream.
VIDEO
NOTES
Nutrition
The crunchy wrapper and savory beef filling make these absolutely irresistible. The filling works great as a bun filling too. Well done, Linda!
If one is using 1 16 sheet phyllo pastry for the recipe and 1 sheet per samosa how does one get 25-30 samosas?
Hi Karen, it is a 16 ounce package of phyllo pastry. If you are using the Athens brand, a 16 ounce package has approximately 36 – 9” x 14” Phyllo Sheets; with 18 sheets per 8 ounce roll. So, there is plenty for 30 samosas.
Hi there,
quick question, can i make them a day in advance and keep in the fridge? or will the dough soften too much?
Or can i maybe freeze them and cook from frozen?
Basically, what is the max time between folding and baking. As i am making a large dinner, i’d like to have them ready to go in the oven when everyone’s here 🙂
Thanks!
Ina
Hi Ina, yes, you can make them a day in advance and keep in the fridge, then cook them the next day. If you want to make them more than a day in advance, then make them and freeze them uncooked. Put them in the fridge the night before you want to cook them so that they can thaw and then cook them the next day.
So I’m not the most proficient chef (loose term!) And this took me a while because I’m over analytical, but my goodness, it was worth the time spent!!
The meals I made were delicious so thank you for the recipes. I’m looking forward to trying some more now that I have spices aplenty ready for attempt number 2!
Nick,
Yes, these take some time, but are sooooo good! Glad you loved them!
– Linda