Egyptian goulash- a traditional meat pie made with a savory ground meat and onion filling laced with warm spices and nestled between layers of crispy, buttery phyllo dough.

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What is Egyptian goulash?

Egyptian goulash is a dish of layered buttery pastry, usually baked as a casserole, with a middle layer of meat, cheese, vegetables, or any combination of the three.

One of the most common renditions of goulash is this one- layers of phyllo baked with a savory ground meat and onion filling laced with warm spices.

A staple of big meals and family gatherings, goulash is often served at azoomas alongside other classic dishes like molokhia, stuffed grape leaves, and macarona bechamel.

On it’s own, it makes a perfect lunch or dinner main dish, served alongside a bright, fresh Egyptian salad (salata baladi) with some yogurt on the side for drizzling.

How to make goulash

Goulash is simple to put together using pre-made phyllo dough sheets and common ingredients.

You make it by layering the sheets of dough, with ghee or butter between them, in a baking dish. The middle of the pastry gets a layer of spiced, savory meat and onions. Then, the whole dish is baked until crispy and golden.

The first step is to prepare the filling.

Preparing the meat filling

The filling is typically made from ground meat, either beef or lamb, or a combination of the two.

To make it, you will sear your meat of choice in a frying pan, then add to it onions, garlic, tomato paste and spices.

For the spicing, I used baharat- a blend of warm Middle Eastern spices consisting of allspice, coriander, cardamom and others- and cinnamon. You can replace the baharat with allspice, or use your own spices of choice.

The filling is endlessly customizable.

You can add a layer of cheese, or sneak some vegetables into the mix.

I added pine nuts for a little added texture, and minced parsley for some freshness.

Assembling your goulash

Now that you’ve made your meat filling, all you need to do is layer the dish and bake.

Pretty straight forward, right?

Well, yes and no.

It is a straightforward process, but if it is your first time working with phyllo dough there’s a few tricks you need to know to make this dish a success.

Tips for working with phyllo

Phyllo sheets are very thin sheets of dough that are sold in packages in the freezer section.

Since they are very thin, they can tear easily and should be handled gently.

They are also prone to drying out quickly and need to be covered while you work with them.

In order to avoid them drying out and becoming brittle, do what my mama did – dampen a kitchen towel to lay over top of them as you work. Wet a towel and wring it out well and tuck in your phyllo.

Make sure the towel is not so damp as to wet the dough- you can put a sheet of parchment or plastic wrap between the two to be sure.

When you are ready to use a few sheets, uncover the pile, take what you need, and quickly tuck them back in all warm and snuggly.

Layering the phyllo and meat

Now that you’ve got your phyllo set up to work with, its time to begin layering.

Take your 9 x 13 inch baking dish (or similar size that your phyllo sheets will fit), and brush the bottom and sides lightly with melted ghee or a mixture of melted butter and olive oil.

Then, take 2 or 3 sheets of phyllo and lay them gently into the dish, smoothing them down. Brush with a layer of ghee.

If there’s excess hangover of phyllo, no worries. Simply fold it over neatly and brush with ghee.

Continue layering sheets of dough, 2 or 3 at a time, and brushing lightly with ghee.

When you’ve used about half of you phyllo sheets, its time to add in your layer of spiced, oniony, meaty goodness. Spread it out evenly, and make sure to leave behind any excess fat from the meat mix.

Working as you did with the first half, continue layering the rest of your phyllo sheets.

When you get to the last 2 or 3 sheets that will form your top layer, pay attention to making these ones nice and neat. You can do this by trimming them to the size of your pan, or tucking the edges into the pan.

In the pictures below, I got the top layer nice and neat by folding the sheet in half before placing it in the dish.

Brush the top layer with ghee, then, using a sharp knife, cut into pieces. Make sure to cut all the way through to the bottom of the pastry. Don’t skip this step as it makes slicing and serving the cooked dish much easier.

Preparing to bake goulash

Next, combine one large egg with a cup of milk and a pinch of salt to make your eggwash. Pour it over the goulash. Tilt the pan in all directions to make sure it gets into all the cuts and crevices.

Now it might look like you’ve taken all your hard work and drowned it in milk.

But don’t worry, this addition will cook through the pastry and work some magic to make the inside soft and creamy, while the outside gets perfectly flaky and crisp.

Baking the goulash

Lastly, bake your goulash at 375 degrees Fahrenheit until crisp and golden, about 40 minutes.

Serving goulash

Let the goulash rest for 10-15 minutes. Then, recut the pastry along the lines you cut before baking. Serve the goulash hot.

For a large group or a party, serve it alongside your other favorite dishes.

Or, serve it as a meal on its own paired with a refreshing Egyptian salad and yogurt for dipping.

You can find me eating mine hot out of the pan with my hands.

Bel hana wel shifa! Enjoy!