
This savory beef and onion Burek recipe is baked to golden perfection in 40 minutes for a crispy, family-friendly meal. Featuring seasoned ground beef wrapped in flaky, buttery layers of thin phyllo pastry, this traditional Balkan-style pie is incredibly satisfying. Serve it hot alongside a cold glass of kefir or a simple cucumber salad for the ultimate comfort food experience.
Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) and lightly grease a 12-inch round baking pan or pie dish with a little olive oil.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the ground beef and chopped onion, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes until the meat is browned and the onions are translucent. Stir in the minced garlic, salt, black pepper, and sweet paprika, cooking for another minute until fragrant, then remove from heat and let cool slightly.
In a small bowl, whisk together the melted unsalted butter and olive oil to create your brushing mixture.
Lay out the thawed phyllo sheets on a clean work surface and cover them with a damp kitchen towel to prevent them from drying out while you work.
Place one sheet of phyllo dough on your work surface, brush it lightly with the butter mixture, and stack a second sheet on top, brushing it as well.
Spread about 1/2 cup of the beef mixture in a thin line along the long edge of the phyllo sheets, leaving a small border at the ends.
Roll the phyllo sheets tightly around the filling to create a long rope, then gently wind the rope into a spiral shape starting from the center of your prepared baking pan.
Repeat the rolling process with the remaining sheets and filling, connecting each new rope to the end of the previous spiral to form one large coil in the pan.
Brush the top of the completed spiral generously with any remaining butter mixture, then evenly drizzle the sparkling water over the entire pie to help create a light, puffy texture.
Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the pastry is deeply golden brown and audibly crispy when tapped. Let it cool for 10 minutes before slicing into wedges and serving warm with Greek yogurt or kefir.





