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low fodmap gluten-free tourtiere with a maple leaf cut-out in the center of the crust on a wooden table in front of a christmas tree.

Low FODMAP Tourtière - French Canadian Meat Pie (Gluten-Free)


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  • Author: Gail Gromaski
  • Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x
  • Diet: Gluten Free

Description

Bursting with savory goodness and a touch of holiday cheer, tourtière is a delicious and comforting French Canadian meat pie traditionally eaten on Christmas Eve. This gluten-free, low FODMAP take on tourtière prepared in the Instant Pot or on the stovetop and then baked to crispy golden perfection in the oven presents a comforting Christmas Eve feast with digestive ease.


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 9-inch low FODMAP gluten-free double pie crust (store-bought or homemade)*
  • 2 tablespoons garlic-infused olive oil
  • 1/2 cup leek, dark green leaves only, finely chopped
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1/2 pound ground pork
  • 1 cup russet potato (about 1 medium potato), peeled or unpeeled, diced into 1/4-inch pieces
  • 2 teaspoons dried chives
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup low FODMAP low sodium beef broth (homemade or store-bought)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 large egg yolk, beaten

Instructions

Instant Pot Instructions:

  1. Make crust: Make pie crust according to the recipe or package instructions. Keep covered to prevent it from drying out until filling. The crust should be thawed but left unbaked prior to filling.
  2. Sauté leek: Press “Sauté” on your 6-quart Instant Pot, 8-quart Instant Pot, or comparable electric pressure cooker. Add the garlic-infused olive oil and swirl the pot to coat. Add leek and sauté for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
  3. Sauté meat: Add ground beef and pork, breaking up the meat with a plastic spoon or spatula (I use this Instant Pot spatula), and sauté until brown, 4-5 minutes. While the meat is browning, add dried chives, allspice, thyme, salt, pepper, and cinnamon to a small bowl and whisk to combine.
  4. Add potato and spices: Once the meat is done browning, add chopped potato and spice mixture and sauté for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
  5. Deglaze: Hit “Cancel” on the Instant Pot. Add beef broth, wait about 15 seconds, and scrape the bottom of the pot clean with a plastic spoon or spatula. Stir meat mixture until evenly combined. Lay bay leaf on the top of the meat mixture.
  6. Pressure Cook: Close the lid. Set the pressure release valve to “Sealing,” hit the “Pressure Cook” or “Manual” button, and set the timer for 10 minutes.
  7. Manual Quick Release (MQR): Once the cooking cycle has completed, quick release the pressure. Remove the lid.
  8. Reduce and cool: Remove bay leaf and stir the mixture. Hit “Sauté” on the Instant Pot, and sauté until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 4-5 minutes. Hit “Cancel” on the Instant Pot. Pour filling onto a rimmed baking sheet, spreading the mixture in a thin layer with a spatula. Allow to cool completely (about 20 minutes).
  9. Prep crust for filling: Meanwhile, using a fork, poke holes in the bottom and sides of the bottom pie crust. On a silicone mat or large piece of parchment paper, roll out top crust to about 12-inches in diameter with a rolling pin. If you would like to create a decorative vent using a Canadian maple leaf cookie cutter (or your preferred cookie cutter), do so while the top crust is on a flat surface (see note).
  10. Fill crust and freeze: Pour cooled meat mixture into prepared pie crust and spread evenly. Roll second crust on top and trim and flute the edges. Place tourtière in the freezer for 15 minutes.
  11. Preheat oven: Preheat oven to 375°F. Remove tourtière from the freezer.
  12. Apply egg wash and vent: Using a pastry/basting brush, brush the surface of the crust with beaten egg yolk. If you didn’t create a vent with a cookie cutter earlier, use a knife (a paring knife works well) to cut slits in the crust to vent.
  13. Bake: Bake in the preheated oven on the center oven rack until crust is golden brown, about 45-50 minutes.
  14. Cool and serve: Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes on a cooling rack prior to slicing into 8 slices and serving. While not traditionally served with gravy, serve with Low FODMAP Gravy on top if desired. 

Stovetop Instructions:

  1. Make crust: Make pie crust according to the recipe or package instructions. Keep covered to prevent it from drying out until filling. The crust should be thawed but left raw prior to filling.
  2. Sauté leek: Place a dutch oven or large pot on medium heat on the stovetop. Add the garlic-infused olive oil and swirl the pot to coat. Add leek and sauté for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
  3. Sauté meat: Add ground beef and pork, breaking up the meat with a plastic spoon or spatula, and sauté until brown, 4-5 minutes. While the meat is browning, add dried chives, allspice, thyme, salt, pepper, and cinnamon to a small bowl and whisk to combine.
  4. Add potato and spices: Once the meat is done browning, add chopped potato and spice mixture and sauté for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
  5. Deglaze and simmer: Add beef broth to the pot and stir. Lay bay leaf on top of the mixture without stirring. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium low, cover, and gently simmer for 30 minutes. Then, uncover and simmer until liquid has mostly evaporated, about 4-5 minutes.
  6. Cool: Remove bay leaf and stir the mixture. Pour filling onto a rimmed baking sheet, spreading the mixture in a thin layer with a spatula. Allow to cool completely (about 20 minutes).
  7. Prep crust for filling: Meanwhile, using a fork, poke holes in the bottom and sides of the bottom pie crust. On a silicone mat or large piece of parchment paper, roll out top crust to 12-inches in diameter with a rolling pin. If you would like to create a decorative vent using a Canadian maple leaf cookie cutter (or your preferred cookie cutter), do so while the top crust is on a flat surface (see note).
  8. Fill crust and freeze: Pour cooled meat mixture into prepared pie crust and spread evenly. Roll second crust on top and trim and flute the edges. Place tourtière in the freezer for 15 minutes.
  9. Preheat oven: Preheat oven to 375°F. Remove tourtière from freezer.
  10. Apply egg wash and vent: Using a pastry/basting brush, brush the surface of the crust with beaten egg yolk. If you didn’t create a vent with a cookie cutter earlier, use a knife (a paring knife works well) to cut slits in the crust to vent.
  11. Bake: Bake in the preheated oven on the center oven rack until crust is golden brown, about 45-50 minutes.
  12. Cool and serve: Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes on a cooling rack prior to slicing into 8 slices and serving. While not traditionally served with gravy, serve with Low FODMAP Gravy on top if desired. 

Notes

  • Crust: you need one 9-inch double crust, enough to have crust on the top and bottom. I’m working on a homemade recipe for a crust, but it's not ready for publication. I have used store-bought frozen gluten-free crusts and crust mixes to make this tourtière many times with decent results. Make sure the store-bought crust you choose only contains low FODMAP ingredients. That being said, I used Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Pie Crust Mix for the crust in these photos; however, it may or may not be low FODMAP as it contains brown rice flour in addition to other gluten-free flours. Monash University has recently tested brown rice flour for FODMAPs, found it contains fructans, and has no suggested low FODMAP serving size for it (look it up in their low FODMAP diet app for more specific info). If fructans, brown rice flour, or this particular pie crust mix haven't bothered you in the past, it may not be an issue for you. The mix does easily make a beautiful, delectable pie crust that goes incredibly well with this tourtière and is gluten-free. If you end up using this mix, make sure you have extra gluten-free flour on hand for dusting though in case it sticks when you roll it out (it did for me).
  • Decorative vent: while it looks incredibly cool, adding a decorative vent is tricky business and doesn't come without some risk of it being off center, the cookie cutter tearing the crust oddly, etc. Once you put the top crust on, you may be able to recenter it a little bit, but you can't roll it out again as it will be covered in meat mixture.
  • Cooking times reflect that for the Instant Pot method only and do not include the time to make a homemade crust. The stovetop method takes about 20 minutes longer.
  • Low FODMAP serving: I set the serving size at 1 slice, but you could have 2 slices for a low FODMAP serving. 
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Category: Holiday
  • Method: Instant Pot / Stovetop + Oven
  • Cuisine: French Canadian