Fast & Simple Italian Meatball Marinara Hand Pies
My daughter has been in a musical theater program for the past several months and is on the go with her busy schedule in the evenings. This recipe has been a steady friend as an easy grab and go homemade meal for her – it’s so good I wanted to share it with all of you! Serves 6.
Ingredients:
- 2 frozen puff pastry sheet – thawed
- 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) on a large sheet of parchment paper. Using a rolling pin thin out the crust 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 on top of each.
Step Seven: Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown – let cool for 5-10 minutes and enjoy!
On the Go Note: If you are packing these 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 my Tricolore salad on the side.
Kristin
I was born and raised as a farm girl in the Midwest and have spent the past 20 years living in Australia, Hawaii, and the Pacific Northwest working as a marine mammal biologist. I love spending time with family, gardening, being outside, and I enjoy making delicious meals for my friends and family. My beloved mama, Kelly passed away in late 2020 and this website is dedicated to her - she taught me to be a grateful heart and see the beauty that surrounds me in all that I do.
