When our daughter was in a musical theater program for several months there were several nights a week she would be away for dinner. This recipe for Italian meatball marinara hand pie was an easy grab and go homemade meal for her and one that years later we come back to time and time again. Be sure to scroll to the bottom to check out the cherry balsamic salad dressing recipe, this salad is really delicious on the side. This recipe makes 6 Italian meatball marinara hand pies.
Ingredients:
- 2 puff pastry sheets – thawed if frozen or use a refrigerated option
- 1 cup of marinara sauce
- 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
- 3 large sweet Italian sausage links
- 1 egg
- Italian seasoning
Step One: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Step Two: Place your thawed puff pastry sheet (I like to use Pepperidge Farms or this Jus-Rol refrigerated option) on a large sheet of parchment paper. Using a rolling pin thin out the puff pastry and then cut it down the middle length wise with a pizza cutter. Then width wise cut it into thirds – you’ll end up with 6 even sections of puff pastry. Do the same with your second puff pastry sheet. You’ll have 12 sections of puff pastry in total which will make 6 hand pies (you need a top and bottom for each).
Step Three: Spread ~ 3 tablespoons of marinara sauce in the middle of six of the puff pastry sections and then sprinkle the marinara with ~ 3 tablespoons of shredded mozzarella cheese.
Step Four: Remove the 3 large sweet Italian sausage links from their casing and separate them in half – this will give you 6 sections of sausage to work with. Take 1 section of sausage and break it into small pieces placing the sausage on top of the marinara and mozzarella cheese. Do the same for the remaining hand pies.
Step Five: You’ll have six puff pastry sections that are plain – these are the tops of the hand pies. Take one plain puff pastry section and place it on top of the bottom section with the marinara, mozzarella, and sausage. Feel free to stretch the puff pastry if you need a little bit more coverage. Using a fork work your way around the edges to seal the top and the bottom together. Do this for each hand pie.
Step Six: In a small bowl whisk an egg to create an egg wash (I don’t add water) – brush the tops of each hand pie with the egg wash and sprinkle Italian seasoning.
Step Seven: Bake for ~20 until golden brown – let cool for 5-10 minutes.
Enjoy!
On the Go Note: If you are packing these Italian meatball marinara meatball pies to enjoy on a picnic or on the go wrap each hand pie individually in parchment paper or aluminum foil.
At Home Note: If you are making this to enjoy at home I love to serve it with a mixed greens salad. I serve it with shaved parmesan, diced roma tomato, and a cherry balsamic dressing.
Cherry Balsamic Salad Dressing
- 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons cherry balsamic
- 2 teaspoons of dijon mustard
- 1 large garlic clove minced
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Fresh ground pepper and dash of salt
- Hint: Double this recipe if you are serving a large salad for 4+ people.
Step #1: Mix all of the above ingredients in a mason jar, shake, and add to your salad.
Looking for more recipe inspiration? Check out our Fantail Farm recipes page!