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Slice of Finnish levylihapiirakka meat pie on a simple off-white plate, showing golden baked crust and savory minced meat and rice filling, photographed in soft natural Nordic daylight.
Erik Lundström

Slab Meat Pie

Slab Meat Pie is a cozy, tray-baked meat pie made with soft, fluffy yeast dough and a savoury minced meat and onion filling. Baked as one big “slab” and cut into generous squares, it’s perfect for feeding a crowd, meal prepping, or packing into lunch boxes – hearty, comforting and incredibly satisfying.
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Prep Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings: 15 people
Course: Snack
Cuisine: Finnish
Calories: 343
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

Dough
  • 100 g Butter, room temperature
  • 2.5 dl (1 cup) milk, lukewarm
  • 25 g fresh yeast
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tbsp honey
  • 420 g All-purpose flour
  • plus some extra flour for rolling
Filling
  • 200 g short-grain rice
  • 1 l (4 cups) beef broth for cooking rice
  • 600 g (1⅓ lbs) ground beef
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 1-2 tsp salt (to taste)
  • 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp allspice
  • 1 egg (mix into filling)
To finish
  • 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
  • a splash of milk or water (optional, for the egg wash)

Method
 

Step‑by‑step recipe
  1. Prepare the dough. Warm the milk to about 37 °C/98 °F, crumble in the fresh yeast and stir until dissolved. Add salt, honey and flour, then knead in the softened butter until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. Cover and let rise in a warm place for roughly 40 minutes.
  2. Cook the rice. Rinse the rice and simmer it in beef broth until tender. Drain any excess liquid and let the rice cool to room temperature.
  3. Make the filling. Finely chop the leek and onion and sauté them in oil until softened. Brown the ground beef until nicely caramelised, then stir the sautéed vegetables back in and combine with the cooked rice. Season with salt, pepper and allspice and mix in one egg to bind the filling. Allow the filling to cool completely.
  4. Roll out and assemble. Divide the risen dough in half. Roll one half on parchment to the size of your baking tray (about 28×38 cm) and transfer it to the tray. Spread the cooled filling evenly over the base, leaving a 1.5 cm border around the edges. Roll the second half of the dough to the same size and carefully drape it over the filling. Brush the edges with water, then press to seal and crimp with a fork
  5. Bake. Beat the second egg and brush it over the top crust. Pierce several small holes to allow steam to escape, then bake at 225 °C (437 °F) for about 30 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. Let the pie cool slightly before cutting into squares.
Tips, variations and substitutions
  1. Cool the filling: A hot filling melts the butter in the dough and makes the crust greasy. Allowing the rice–meat mixture to cool to room temperature prevents a soggy bottom.
  2. Make ahead: You can prepare both the filling and the dough a day in advance and refrigerate them separately. Assemble and bake when needed.
  3. Use what you have: Many Finnish families add hard‑boiled eggs or mascarpone to the filling. You can replace part of the beef with sautéed mushrooms or grated root vegetables for a lighter version, or swap in salmon chunks to make a fish pie.
  4. Ready‑made pastry: When time is short, ready‑rolled puff pastry can replace the yeast dough—just be sure to seal the edges well to prevent leakage.
  5. Other Finnish meat pies: Don’t confuse levylihapiirakka with the deep‑fried lihapiirakka sold at kiosks, which are made from doughnut dough and filled with minced meat and rice. Those smaller pies have regional variations such as atomi and vety, which include ham or egg.