St. Patrick’s Day Hand Pies

These fun and festive plant-based hand pies offer a delicious spin on the classic St. Patrick’s Day fare of shepherd’s pie. Nothing wrong with the good old Irish classic of course, but if you can make it 1) portable and 2) wrapped in a gloriously crispy puff pastry crust, why wouldn’t you?!

These veggie hand pies are hearty, filling, and quick to make with far fewer steps than their traditional counterpart.

Not only that, but they’re easy on the wallet. They’re filled with mushrooms, walnuts, onions, garlic, potatoes, and frozen mixed vegetables. With the cost of food (and well, everything) skyrocketing these days, I welcome an affordable and veggie-packed meal. Plus, they freeze well. What’s not to love!

First, thaw your puff pastry according to the package’s instructions. I used Pepperidge Farm brand and thawed both sheets for about an hour at room temperature. While you are waiting for the pastry to thaw, make your filling.

A traditional shepherd’s pie contains beef or lamb, but in this version the “meat” is a mixture of mushrooms and walnuts. A food processor makes combining them a breeze.

Once your “meat” is ready, the rest of the filling comes together in just one pan. The walnut-mushroom mixture and onions cook together for a few minutes before the garlic, potatoes, and mixed vegetables join the fun. Then everything cooks in vegetable broth (I use the Better than Bouillon vegetable base reduced sodium) for about 15 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed. Once the filling is ready, set it aside to cool.

Time to roll out the puff pastry! Lightly flour a clean kitchen counter and roll out one sheet of the pastry into a large square, about 15″. Next, cut 16 squares. Repeat with the second sheet.

Important side note! If you have cats, don’t turn your back on your puff pastry!

Next, add 2 tablespoons of the cooled filling to the center of one puff pastry square. Top with another puff pastry square and use a fork to crimp and seal the edges. You want to seal the pastries well or else the layers will separate in the oven as the pastry cooks. Repeat until you have about 16 hand pies total. You may have some filling leftover, as I did, but I just quickly ate the evidence.

Place your hand pies on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake at 400°F for 15 minutes. The pastry should puff up and turn a nice, tempting golden brown.

Let cool on a cooling rack for about 10 minutes. The filling will still be hot so be cautious when you take a bite!

Sláinte!

Let me know how you celebrate your St. Patrick’s Day in the comments below!

St. Patrick’s Day Hand Pies

Trish

A fun and festive plant-based spin on the classic Irish shepherd's pie.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine American, Irish

Servings 8 people

Ingredients

  

• 2 rolls Pepperidge Farm puff pastry thawed
• 1 cup baby bella mushrooms, quartered about 4 baby bellas
• 1 cup walnuts
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped about 2 cups
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 medium yukon gold potatoes, diced about 2 cups
• 2 cups mixed frozen vegetables
• 1 cup vegetable broth Better than Bouillon brand
• ½ tsp dried thyme leaves
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• 10 cranks freshly cracked black pepper

Instructions

 

• Thaw puff pastry.
• In a food processor, add the walnuts and quartered mushrooms. Pulse to combine.
• Heat olive oil in a pan on medium heat. Add the walnut-mushroom mixture and the salt and pepper. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring, until you can smell the mushrooms.
• Add the chopped onions to the walnut-mushroom mixture in the pan and stir. Cook another 3 minutes until the onions become fragrant and begin to turn translucent. Stir to prevent sticking.
• Add the garlic, potatoes, and mixed vegetables. Stir to combine.
• Next add the thyme leaves and vegetable broth. Stir. Place lid on pan and cook mixture for 10-15 minutes, until the broth is absorbed and a knife can easily pierce the potatoes. Stir frequently to prevent sticking. Taste and add more salt if desired. I find the bouillon base and 1/2 tsp of sea salt to be enough.
• Set filling aside to cool. Preheat oven to 400°F. While the filling is cooling, roll out both sheets of puff pastry on a lightly floured surface. I rolled each into a 15" square. It does not have to be exact, but the more exact it is, the neater your finished hand pies will be.
• Cut puff pastry into 16 squares.
• Make your hand pies. Add 2 tablespoons of filling to one square of puff pastry and top with a second square. You may have to stretch it slightly to ensure it covers the filling and meets the edges of the other piece of pastry. Crimp the edges with a fork. Seal well to prevent them from coming apart in the oven.
• Place hand pies on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. The pastries will be golden brown and crispy.
• Remove from oven and cool on a baking sheet. Enjoy!

Notes

To create vegetable broth using the Better than Bouillon vegetable base, dissolve 1 tsp of the vegetable base in 1 cup of warm water. 

These hand pies freeze well. Place cooled pies in a freezer bag to store. To reheat, thaw hand pies and preheat oven to 350°F. Bake for about 10 minutes. Cover with foil to prevent them from getting dark.

 

Keyword plant-based, Shepherd’s pie, snack, vegan