Yum Yum Cheeseburger Pie Recipe on Food52 (2024)

This recipe combines the Cheeseburger Pie from my mom’s recipe box with my sister’s Yum Yum Stew, a crowd-pleasing dish she invented at a beach shack one evening when we found ourselves in charge of feeding nine hangry children. My sister whipped it up with ingredients at hand—hamburger meat (history repeats!), canned tomatoes, chickpeas, and spices—and served it over rice. To our astonishment, every kid finished their bowl and asked for seconds. Since then, it’s been one of my most reliable go-to recipes. With just a few tweaks, I was thrilled to discover it works perfectly in the crescent-roll crust of my mom’s Cheeseburger Pie.

One of my favorite things about this recipe is its no-fuss adaptability. You can use any ground meat (I prefer ground turkey), or even a meat substitute. Canned chopped tomatoes, lightly drained, work fine instead of fresh. And if you don’t keep garam masala around, you can substitute it with your favorite warming spice mix. (My mom, ever resourceful, still swears by those taco-flavor packets.) Now in regular rotation at the dining table I share with my husband and son, it’s a quick and easy comfort dinner. For them, it’s “I love you” on a pie plate. For me, it’s an homage to my mom, and all the sisters, neighbors, and friends who fill our recipe boxes, and help us find our way.
—MollyFitzSimons

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 375°F.
2. Unroll the Crescent Roll Dough. Stretch and arrange pre-cut triangles forming a rustic patchwork of crescent dough to line a 9-inch pie pan (preferably glass).
3. Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the bay leaf and mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds start to pop, add the onions. Fry the onions until translucent, stirring constantly. Add the garam masala, stirring it into the onions, and fry for another minute.
4. Reduce the heat to medium and add the ground meat. Fry, while stirring, until the meat is broken up, mostly cooked through, and incorporated with the onions. Add the tomatoes and chickpeas. Cook for another few minutes, until the tomatoes begin to break down and all ingredients are well incorporated.
5. Turn off the heat. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Add ½ cup of the grated cheese and stir to incorporate. Spoon the meat and cheese mixture into the prepared pie pan. Top with the remaining cheese.
6. Bake for 25 minutes, or until crust turns deep golden brown, and is cooked through. (If using a glass pan, check the bottom for doneness.) Remove from oven, and garnish with chopped scallion tops.