Frozen Beef Pot Pie

If using a disposable dish, be sure to bake on
a cookie sheet to support the bottom.

        In an earlier post I went over making a beef pot pie. When I made that one, I went ahead and made a second one into a disposable aluminum dish. This was my first attempt at freezing a pot pie to have later. The process was the same as mentioned in my earlier post. In this particular one I also added potatoes. I had some leftover potatoes from a pot roast the night before. I've done raw potatoes in a pie before but they always seem to come out crunchy. I recommend using cooked or half way cooked potatoes if you want to add them to your pie. Then, after I sealed the edges and vented the crust, I covered the whole thing with aluminum foil and put it into the freezer.

        Then to cook it, I put it into the oven and set it to 425 degrees F and set the timer for thirty minutes. After the timer went off, I removed the foil and baked for another thirty minutes. I'm not sure why I thought doubling the bake time would be enough. It wasn't. It wasn't even close. After that first hour, the pie was still frozen in the center! Well, we let it bake for about another hour and forty-five minutes with the foil on, and another fifteen with it off. The pie was finally done. We gave it about ten minutes to cool before eating. 

So for a frozen pie I suggest placing it in the oven and set for 425 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Bake for 2 hours 40 minutes covered with foil and another 20 to 30 minutes without the foil.

        Other than having to wait three times as long as I had originally hoped, the pie was just as great as the fresh one. The filling had a good flavor and smooth consistency. The crust was golden and flaky. Overall, a very good pot pie. I had hoped that this could be one of those meals I could keep in the freezer and just have for dinner when not wanting to make something. However, a freezer pie like this will need some prior thought and planning as it will take about three hours to bake. That said, it will still be a convenient way to make a pot pie. I could spend an hour or so on a day off and make a few to freeze. Then later, it would only be a matter of minutes to get it started. Kind of a set it and don't worry about it for a while. It would allow my family to enjoy one on those days that I don't have the time to devote to the whole process. I can see this as a positive thing for my family, as we do really enjoy them, because we could have them more often. Still we will have to decide on what to have for dinner at least three hours before we will want to eat.