Since the second school term started last week, I have felt an enormous dip in my energy levels. It might be that the cold set in then too but whatever it is, all I want to do all day is snuggle with a fluffy blanket, read and eat. A very dangerous mood to be in when you have lazy tendencies like I do. But this week I have promised myself that I will be a lot less sloth-like and I will actually be productive because I’ll be honest with you, last week was pretty much a write-off.
To force myself to not go into hibernation, I have planned this week to a t and as I love a good list, have listed every.single.little.thing I have to accomplish this week. One of the things on my list is to make these pies again. Now let me tell you something, we all know I am quite good at giving leftovers a second life but I have outdone myself this time around. When I make spaghetti Bolognese, I always make sure I have a little left-over as I simply love having it on toast with an egg for breakfast (I got that from my mom) but a few weeks ago I made wayyy too much Bolognese and was left with a lot more leftovers than I knew what to do with. I knew I could definitely make another main meal out of the leftover Bolognese and then it hit me. In my second book I dedicated a chapter to lazy eating and leftovers and one of the recipes was a Bolognese pie. I wanted to re-invent it a little and decided to make individual (almost) hand pies. I added a generous layer of grated cheese and encased the whole lot in buttery puff pastry. Baked, these bad boys are nothing short of mouth-watering because pastry just makes everything better, doesn’t it? The crisp, flaky pastry along with the rich Bolognese and melted cheese is perfect served with a salad for a main meal or just as is for a quick lunch.
Ingredients
- 2-3 cups cooked Bolognese sauce
- 1 roll ready-made puff pastry
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
- 1 egg beaten
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 180°c and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Roll the pastry out on a floured surface then cut into 6 squares.
- Place a few spoonfuls of the cooled left-over Bolognese onto the center of the pastries then top with a little cheese. Brush the edges of the pastry with egg then fold the pastry over and crimp the edges. Cut a slit into the top of the pastry to allow steam to escape then brush with egg.
- Place onto the prepared baking tray and continue until you have 6 pies. Sprinkle over any remaining cheese.
- Place the tray into the oven and allow to bake for 15-20 minutes until the pies are golden brown and cooked through.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes then serve.
Can these be made a day ahead of time?
I would assemble them, then cover and refrigerate and only bake on the day of serving.
Do you think you could eat these pies cold??
Definitely. I’m not a huge fan of cold puff pastry but I’m sure they will still be delicious.