Sausage and Cheese Hand Pies

December 10, 2024

These Sausage and Cheese Hand Pies are the best savory breakfast, brunch, or party appetizer for busy families! Simple to make and prep ahead.

The post Sausage and Cheese Hand Pies appeared first on Budget Bytes.

My family loves a savory breakfast, and these Sausage and Cheese Hand Pies are the easiest grab-and-go option for busy mornings! They combine two classic breakfast flavors—sausage and cheese—but instead of sticking them between two slices of bread, they’re wrapped in a buttery, flaky, puff pastry crust. I often prep them the night before, so all I have to do is pop them in the oven in the morning (the perfect holiday breakfast or brunch item!). They’re also a super easy party appetizer or snack…I mean, who doesn’t love a handheld savory pie?!

Side view of sausage and cheese hand pies on parchment paper.

There’s something about ground sausage that screams holiday, in my opinion. Maybe it’s because every get-together features someone’s go-to sausage balls recipe? Or perhaps it’s the fact that cooking sausage makes the entire house feel warm and smell amazing!? This recipe also works great with plant-based sausage substitutes.

Whatever it is, I know one thing’s for sure: you need to add these easy sausage and cheese hand pies to your menu this holiday season (and every other season, too!!).

What Are Hand Pies?

Hand pies are individual-sized, portable pastries filled with any filling you like. They’re essentially a mini version of a regular pie, but instead of being baked in a full-size pie pan, they’re made by folding puff pastry around the filling to create a handheld treat. I fill my hand pies with ground sausage, diced onion, shredded cheddar, fresh parsley, and simple seasonings. But you can fill them with any ingredients you like (handheld turkey pot pies or tomato pies, anyone!?)

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe for sausage and cheese hand pies:

Puff Pastry Sheet: A ready-made puff pastry sheet makes this recipe a breeze. It’s flaky, buttery, and perfectly thin to wrap around the filling. I tested and photographed this recipe using the Jus-Roll Puff Pastry dough (I bought it at Walmart), but any puff pastry sheet will work!
Ground Sausage: You’ll need 1lb of ground sausage for this recipe. It’s entirely up to you what type of sausage you want. I went for a mild breakfast sausage, but hot Italian sausage, sweet maple breakfast sausage, and anything in between gets my stamp of approval. In fact, this recipe works just as great with plant-based ground meat substitutes!
Cheddar Cheese: Adds a delicious salty, gooey, cheesy flavor. I recommend shredding your own cheese for the best flavor and melt.
Yellow Onion: I only use half a yellow onion in this recipe, but I dice it small to make it go further. It adds a sweet onion flavor to these breakfast hand pies.
Olive Oil: For sautéing the onion and browning the sausage.
Seasonings: I sprinkle in garlic powder, crushed red pepper, and sea salt to season the filling. I also add fresh parsley for extra color and freshness.
Milk: Brush a little milk over your cheese and sausage hand pies to help them brown nicely in the oven!

Recipe Tricks for First Timers!

These homemade sausage and cheese hand pies are super easy to make in less than an hour. But if you’ve never made hand pies before, here are a few tips to help you out:

Be careful not to overfill your hand pies. You need to leave enough pastry to fold over and seal the filling inside. Don’t forget to pinch the edges closed with your fingers! However, it’s okay if they do split open in the oven—some of mine did, as shown in the pictures below. They’re still delicious!
If you have any leftover filling (maybe your onion was a bit bigger than mine, or you cut your pastry squares smaller), it makes an awesome omelet filling. It would also work well in a breakfast casserole or your holiday sausage stuffing.
I drain my browned sausage and onion on a paper towel-lined plate. This removes excess fat and moisture to keep your hand pies nice and crisp. It also allows the meat to cool slightly before adding it to the puff pastry.
Don’t panic if your pastry sheet tears while rolling it out or filling it! You can gently rub a little water on the tear and press it back together.
If you love crispy, browned, melted cheese, sprinkle a little extra on the top of your hand pies before you bake them. You could also add chopped oven cooked bacon, caramelized onions, sliced jalapenos, or scrambled eggs to the filling, but I’d recommend reducing the amount of sausage and diced onion to make room for those add-ins!

I’m always looking for ways to save you money whenever I create a new recipe. So, for this one, I used one puff pastry sheet instead of buying a second and going for a ”pop tart” look. I think the sausage-to-pastry ratio is best this way, too. You could also fold these into triangles with slightly less filling if that’s easier for you to manage.

Either way, you still get the hand pie effect, but without any extra work or cost!

Prep Them Ahead of Time!

This recipe is the perfect brunch item to prep ahead of time (even the day before!) and serve hot and toasty on a cold winter morning. Follow the recipe up to step 9, and instead of brushing with milk and baking, cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge until morning. When ready, I preheat my oven to 400F, remove the plastic wrap, brush with the milk wash, and pop them right in! The pies are done when they’re golden brown and hot throughout.

Storage & Reheating

You can keep these sausage and cheese hand pies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. They also freeze well for up to 3 months, but I’d left them thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating. To reheat, place them on a baking sheet and bake at 350F until heated through to help maintain their crispy texture.

Side view of a sausage and cheese hand pie sliced in half on a plate.

Sausage and Cheese Hand Pies Recipe

These Sausage and Cheese Hand Pies are the best savory breakfast, brunch, or party appetizer for busy families! Simple to make and prep ahead.

Course Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine American

Total Cost ($9.25 recipe / $1.54 serving)

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 23

Total Time 48

Servings servings (1 pie per person)

Calories 546kcal

Author Jess – Budget Bytes

Equipment

Baking Sheet

Ingredients

½ yellow onion, diced small $0.45
1 tsp olive oil $0.07
½ tsp garlic powder $0.02
¼ tsp crushed red pepper $0.03
⅛ tsp sea salt $0.01
1 lb ground sausage* $3.57
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, minced $0.07
1 puff pastry sheet $3.87
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded $1.14
2 Tbsp milk $0.02

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400F. Dice onion and add to sauté pan with olive oil, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and salt over medium heat. Cook until glossy and soft.
Add sausage to the pan with cooked onions.
Cook sausage until browned.
Transfer onions and sausage to a plate lined with paper towels to drain the excess fat.
Combine cooked sausage with minced parsley and toss together.
Roll out the puff pastry sheet and cut into 6 squares. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheet.
Divide the sausage mix among the 6 squares.
Divide the shredded cheddar cheese among the 6 sections of puff pastry.
Pinch them closed by joining corners until they are fully closed.
Brush each with milk and bake for 20-23 minutes. You can place a square of tinfoil on top of each pie, if needed, to keep them from burning.

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Notes

*This recipe works with everything from ground hot Italian sausage to ground sweet maple breakfast sausage. Just choose your sausage based on what’s least expensive at the grocery store or when you’re planning to serve them. If you choose a spicy ground sausage, you can omit the crushed red pepper flakes. I used a breakfast sausage, so I added the kick of pepper!

This was done in 23 minutes in our convection oven at 400F. If yours takes more or less time, that’s okay, when the puff pastry looks golden brown, it’s done!

Nutrition

Overhead view of sausage and cheese hand pies on parchment paper.

how to make Sausage and Cheese Hand Pies – step by step photos

Diced onions with seasoning in a skillet.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Dice ½ a yellow onion and add to a sauté pan with 1 tsp olive oil, ½ tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp red pepper flakes, and ⅛ tsp sea salt over medium heat. Cook until glossy and soft.

Ground sausage added to a skillet with diced onions.

Add 1 lb ground sausage to the pan with cooked onions.

Ground sausage and onion cooking in a skillet.

Cook sausage until browned.

Ground sausage and onions draining on a paper towel.

Transfer onions and sausage to a plate lined with paper towels to drain the excess fat.

The sausage mixture for sausage and cheese hand pies in a mixing bowl.

Combine cooked sausage with 2 Tbsp minced parsley and toss together.

A knife cutting a sheet of puff pastry into square.

Roll out 1 puff pastry sheet and cut into 6 squares. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheet.

A roll of puff pastry cut into squares topped with sausage and fresh parsley on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Divide the sausage mix among the 6 squares.

A roll of puff pastry cut into squares topped with sausage and shredded cheddar on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Divide 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese among the 6 sections of puff pastry.

A hand pinching the edges of sausage and cheese hand pies closed.

Pinch them closed by joining corners until they are fully closed.

A brush adding a milk wash to the tops of unbaked sausage and cheese hand pies.

Brush each with milk (about 2 Tbsp of milk total) and bake for 20-23 minutes.

Overhead view of baked sausage and cheese hand pies.

You can place a square of tinfoil on top of each pie, if needed, to keep them from burning.

Overhead view of a sausage and cheese hand pie on a plate.

There aren’t many recipes that work for every meal of the day (plus snacks and appetizers!), so these simple hand pies are definitely worth a try. They’re easy to make, easy to store, and even easier to enjoy!!

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