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My brothers stood at the counter and watched my mother pour a thin, runny batter over a pie plate full of ground beef, and the oldest one said it would never turn into a pie. He was wrong, and that is why it is called impossible. Impossible cheeseburger pie was a supper of the seventies that half the mothers in our neighborhood made, because it fed a family on one package of ground beef and there was no crust to roll out. Browned beef and onion go into a buttered pie plate under a layer of cheddar, a thin batter is poured over, and in the oven the batter sinks around the beef and sets into a soft crust on the bottom and a golden puffed top.
The recipe you will usually find calls for a box of baking mix. My mother made the batter from scratch with milk, eggs, flour, baking powder and a little butter, and it takes two minutes. What decides whether it makes its own crust is the thickness of that batter. It must be thin and pourable, like heavy cream, so it runs down between the beef. A thick batter sits on top like a biscuit. Here is how thin the batter should be, and how to tell when the pie is set.
Why this impossible cheeseburger pie works
- Beef browned hard. Well browned beef and onion carry the cheeseburger flavor, and draining the fat keeps the crust from going greasy.
- Cheese under the batter. The cheddar melts into the beef and the batter sets around it.
- A thin batter. Pourable like heavy cream, it runs down to the bottom of the plate and bakes into a crust there as well as on top.
- Baking powder. A spoonful puffs the top golden and keeps the crust tender, the job the old baking mix did.
- A short rest. Ten minutes out of the oven lets the custardy crust finish setting so the wedges cut clean.
Ingredients
Makes one 9 inch pie, 6 wedges. The measurements are in US cups with grams in brackets.
For the filling
- 1 pound lean ground beef (450g)
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard or 1 tablespoon ketchup (optional)
- 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar (170g)
For the batter
- 1 cup whole milk (240ml)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (65g)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (28g)
To serve
- Sliced pickles, chopped tomato, shredded lettuce and ketchup
Lean ground beef gives a cleaner crust. If you use a fattier blend, drain it very well after browning. Shred the cheddar yourself from a block; it melts more smoothly.
How to make impossible cheeseburger pie
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees (200°C). Butter a 9 inch glass or metal pie plate well.
- Brown the ground beef with the onion in a skillet over medium high heat, breaking it up, until no pink remains and the onion is soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain off the fat.
- Season the beef with the salt, pepper and mustard or ketchup if using. Spread it evenly in the pie plate and scatter the cheddar over the top.
- In a bowl, whisk the milk, eggs, flour, baking powder, salt and melted butter until completely smooth. The batter should be thin and pourable, like heavy cream. If it is thicker, whisk in another spoon or two of milk.
- Pour the batter slowly and evenly over the beef and cheese, letting it run down between them.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top is puffed and golden and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the pie rest for 10 minutes, then cut it into wedges. Serve with pickles, tomato, lettuce and ketchup.
Tips that make the difference
- Whisk the batter until there are no lumps; a smooth batter bakes into an even crust.
- Pour slowly so the batter seeps down to the bottom of the plate.
- Drain the beef well. Extra fat stops the bottom crust from setting.
- Do not cut it straight from the oven; the rest is what makes the wedges hold.
Variations
- Deluxe. Stir a chopped tomato and a few chopped pickles into the beef before the cheese goes on.
- Taco pie. Season the beef with chili powder and cumin and use Monterey Jack in place of the cheddar.
- Mushroom. Brown a cup of sliced mushrooms with the onion.
- Double batch. Double everything and bake in a 9x13 inch pan for 30 to 35 minutes.
Storage and make-ahead
Keep leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Reheat wedges in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes, or briefly in the microwave.
The baked pie freezes, wrapped well, for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Frequently asked questions
Why is it called impossible pie?
Because the thin batter poured over the filling bakes into its own crust, which looks impossible until you see it come out of the oven.
Can I make it without baking mix?
Yes. This recipe makes the batter from scratch with flour, baking powder, milk, eggs and a little butter, which is all the mix ever was.
How thin should the batter be?
Thin and pourable, like heavy cream. It must run down between the beef to form a bottom crust.
Can I make it ahead?
Brown the beef ahead and keep it in the refrigerator. Mix the batter and bake just before supper.
Pour the batter in front of whoever does not believe it, and let the oven settle the argument.
Impossible Cheeseburger Pie (The 1970s Supper That Makes Its Own Crust)
Old-fashioned impossible cheeseburger pie from scratch: browned ground beef and onion in a pie plate under cheddar, with a thin batter of milk, eggs, flour and baking powder poured over, baked at 400 degrees until it sets into its own crust. No baking mix.
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard or 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- Sliced pickles, chopped tomato, shredded lettuce and ketchup
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees (200°C). Butter a 9 inch glass or metal pie plate well.
- Brown the ground beef with the onion in a skillet over medium high heat, breaking it up, until no pink remains and the onion is soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain off the fat.
- Season the beef with the salt, pepper and mustard or ketchup if using. Spread it evenly in the pie plate and scatter the cheddar over the top.
- In a bowl, whisk the milk, eggs, flour, baking powder, salt and melted butter until completely smooth. The batter should be thin and pourable, like heavy cream. If it is thicker, whisk in another spoon or two of milk.
- Pour the batter slowly and evenly over the beef and cheese, letting it run down between them.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top is puffed and golden and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the pie rest for 10 minutes, then cut it into wedges. Serve with pickles, tomato, lettuce and ketchup.
