This Keto Tourtiere is an adaptation of the classic Canadian pork pie that I’ve been making with my grandmother for years. Low carb and gluten free, but nobody will mind because it’s so delicious and satisfying!
Every fall back in CT, my grandmother and I would make lots of Tourtieres (French Canadian Pork Pies) together to keep in the freezer for special occasions throughout the year. I wrote a post about it a few years back, and shared our family recipe.
Since then I’ve gotten lots of requests from people for a low carb and gluten free Keto Tourtiere recipe.
Well I finally got around to making a low carb and gluten free version that you and I can eat without going off plan. Don’t tell my grandma but Mr. Hungry thinks it’s even better than the original! Shhhh….
If you’ve never had a Tourtiere it’s a meat pie typically made with ground pork, mashed potatoes or ritz crackers for filler, and fragrant herbs and spices like sage, allspice, cloves, etc.
It has a very distinct and comforting flavor and texture that I have loved since my childhood. My grandmother has always served her tourtiere with manzilla olives on the side, and their tangy brininess perfectly complements the savory pork pie.
For me that’s the only accompaniment a good Tourtiere needs (maybe a salad if you’re having it as a main meal rather than an appetizer,) but I have seen people peel off the top and load it up with ketchup.
If you try that at my house I will cut you. That is all.
For the crust of this keto tourtiere I used a variation on the low carb crust for my low carb chicken pot pie. That one uses cheddar cheese in it but I didn’t want a strong cheese flavor in this – so I substituted mozzarella. It works great and tastes amazing, but if you don’t get it fully incorporated it will cause cheese freckles in the dough as seen above.
For that reason I recommend using a block of full fat mozzarella that you grate yourself, rather than the pre-shredded stuff which is coated with starch and won’t melt right.
Even with the cheese, this – like most gluten free pie crust recipes, is on the fragile side. It’s a pain to work with but the results are worth it. That being said if you have a go-to low carb and/or gluten free pie crust recipe that you like, then you can absolutely go with that for this recipe.
To make this Keto Tourtiere filling low carb, I used pureed cauliflower in place of the traditional mashed potatoes that my grandmother uses. I wasn’t sure how it would work out when I first tried it, but the slight sweetness of the cauliflower actually adds a depth of flavor that the potato-based pork pie doesn’t have. It’s fantastic!
Mr. Hungry, a sworn hater of cauliflower LOVES this filling and that is a miracle in itself.
Together, the crust and meat filling in this keto tourtiere combine to make a truly comforting and sublime flavor and texture that is sure to be a hit with the entire family!
It’s almost worth waiting the whole year for!
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Tourtieres (Canadian Pork Pie) – Low Carb & Gluten Free
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This Keto Tourtiere – a low carb version of the classic Canadian Pork Pie tastes just as good as the real thing! Keto, Atkins and Paleo friendly!
Ingredients
For the pie crust (makes two 9 inch rounds):
- 2 cups superfine almond flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 egg
For the pork filling:
- 2 lbs raw ground pork
- 1/3 cup raw onion, pureed in a blender or magic bullet
- 1/2 cup water
- 1.5 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 tablespoon ground sage
- 2 cups cooked cauliflower
- 2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
To make the pie crust:
- Combine the dry ingredients together and mix thoroughly.
- In a medium bowl, mash the butter and cheese together with a fork until fully combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and use a fork or pastry cutter to mash it together until fully incorporated into little pea sized lumps.
- Add the egg and stir until a dough forms.
- Divide the crust into 2 balls of equal shape and chill for ten minutes before rolling out for your pie.
To make the pork filling:
- In a heavy bottomed saucepan add the meat, salt, onion puree and water. (The water helps the meat stay soft and not cook in large, tough chunks.)
- Cook it over medium heat for about 15 minutes (or until fully cooked and most of the water has evaporated) and stir it to make sure it doesn’t brown and that there are no large chunks of meat.
- Puree the cooked cauliflower in a blender or magic bullet – you should have about 1 cup of puree.
- Combine the meat, cauliflower puree, butter and spices and mix thoroughly. Taste the mixture and adjust salt and pepper accordingly.
To assemble the pie:
- If planning to bake the pie immediately, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Roll out a ball of dough between two layers of parchment paper. Peel off the parchment and place the crust dough in the bottom of a 9 inch pie plate.
- Spoon the meat mixture into the pie plate and spread it out evenly.
- Roll out your second dough ball between two sheets of parchment to fit the top.
- Peel off the parchment and place the crust dough over the top of the filling.
- Press the edges down and crimp with your fingers or press it together with the tines of a fork to seal it.
- Use a sharp knife to cut some vents in the top of the dough for the steam to escape during baking.
- Cover with foil and freeze to use later, or bake immediately.
- When we bake these out of the freezer it takes about an hour at 350 degrees. If you are baking them unfrozen, probably about 40 minutes. Since the filling is fully cooked, it’s really about getting the crust a nice golden brown so use your discretion.
- Serve warm with green olives.
Notes
Approx nutrition info per slice: 485 calories, 41g fat, 4g net carbs, 29g protein
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Category: keto main dish
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8th of pie
- Calories: 485
- Fat: 41g
- Carbohydrates: 4g net
- Protein: 29g
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Marilyn says
I’m going to try this soon. My French Canadian Grandmother made this every Christmas Eve when I was a child and we would go to her house and eat it after Midnight Mass. It was a little heavy for so late at night, but we all gobbled it up and slept like babies. Great memory.
Mark Parrott says
This looks gorgeous. I’m in the UK & our pork pies are completely different (& far too rich for me) but this looks great. Talking of ketchup, I may have a similar problem with my wife. She likes brown sauce (it’s a northern thing) & I know she will smother the pie in this awful stuff.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Hope it’s a hit with you and the wife Mark, I’ll try not to think too much about how she’s defiling it with brown sauce! ?
Danielle @ From Girlie to Nerdy says
Just made this for dinner and it was FANTASTIC! I gave my hubby the stabby eyes for inquiring about ketchup usage ;)
Deb says
This may be a stupid question, but do you put a crust on the bottom of the pie or is this for 2 pies?
Mellissa Sevigny says
Yes Deb, it’s a two crust pie!
Julie says
I made this last night and it was fabulous. I had a bit of a problem with rolling out the crust and it sticking to the rolling pin, even with lots of almond flour on my rolling surface – any tips? It tasted great! My husband especially liked it. Definitely a keeper!
Mellissa Sevigny says
I roll it between two sheets of parchment paper Julie and it avoids the sticking problem – then you just peel the parchment off the top – flip it onto the pie plate and peel the parchment off the other side slowly and you’re done!
debbie florio says
I really enjoyed this dish, and as suggested the olives were perfect
with it, The meat filling had a creamy, decadent quality that I miss in low carb eating I didn’t have a deep dish pie pan on hand so I decided to make individual ramekins topped with the crust. The crust was by far the best low carb crust I have ever eaten. It came out of the oven beautifully brown and lightly crunchy. When I nuked a leftover ramekin the next day the crust wasn’t crunchy as it was right out of the oven, but it had a little flakiness to it.
Beth F says
I have never been very good at pie crust. In fact, I think it is honest to say I am the worst at pie crust. I mean, they taste OK, but nothing to write home about, and they look atrocious. My pie crust end up looking like patchwork quilts. So, your pretty pie crusts always intimidate me. But, I may be willing to sacrifice 2 cups of almond flour and give it a whirl for this pie. It looks delicious.
Corey says
Amazing. My entire family loved this. This is a very simple recipe that tastes really special. My crust looked nothing like your lovely photogenic crust but tasted just wonderful and I am hopeful I can perfect it with time. I am going to make this again for Christmas Eve. Thanks so very much for sharing.
Dita MacDonald says
Thanks for making this wonderful dish low carb. I think the cheese sprinkles in the crust look “tasty”.
Nancy kohout says
I’m so interested in the pie crust recipe. ..sounds like it could be used in many recipes. How many net carbs are in this pie crust.
Thanks for all you do.
Nancy