Potato, Cheese and Onion Pasty made with puff pastry, beautifully golden and flaky, with a delicious vegetarian filling. Great as a snack, or even as a light meal with a nice salad on the side. The pasties are a great British snack, so popular that is hard not to have one too many. Ready from scratch in about 30 minutes or so.
Pasties are so popular in the UK with the Cornish pasty being the nation's favourite. My vegetarian version of the cheese and onion pasty recipe has got its fans too, and many bakery shops sell them. They are super quick to make and so yummy.
Quick if, like me, you choose the short cut and buy the puff pastry already rolled up. By all means, the puff pastry can be made at home too, but if you haven't got time to spare and just need a quick fix for the tummy rumbling, then this is the way.
Pasties can be filled with pretty much anything you like, be it meat, fish, veggies and any combination from here. The only thing we need to think about, no matter what filling you go for, is that the filling has to be cooked before adding it to the pastry.
So, veggies cooked, meat nice and tender, otherwise there will be no time to have them cooked in the oven.
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Pastry vs. Pasty
Now, pasty, pastry, one can easily get confused here. Well, PASTRY is the actual dough, and PASTY is the baked goodie. And what a goodie! Calories aside, these pasties are a great meal on the go, and a fabulous picnic food idea.
What pastry is the best for making pasties?
There are different kind of pastries, puff pastry, which is the flaky one, and great in any tarts, pasties, pinwheels and so on. And the one I used for this recipe too.
I also used it for a few delicious treats, be it savoury or sweet. like Portuguese Pastéis de Nata Recipe (Portuguese Custard Tarts), Ham & cheese pinwheels, or Spinach Pinwheels with Ricotta.
Easy to use, it bakes really quickly, and kids usually love anything flaky. Mine certainly do, pasties can never be beaten by anything in the world. And I'm dealing with some serious fussy eaters here. Another pastry is the shortcrust pastry, which I normally use for pies, rather then desserts.
Ingredients used to make potato, cheese and onion pasty
- puff pastry - I used ready-rolled pastry, but block pastry can be used too
- potatoes - I used 2 medium ones
- cheddar cheese - or any other hard cheese of your choice
- onion - I used a regular onion, but red one is also ok
- butter and olive oil - for frying the onion
- salt and pepper
- egg - for brushing the pasties
Step-by-step photos and instructions
- peel and chop the potatoes, and boil them in salted water for 10-15 minutes or until tender
- drain the water, leave them to cool, then mash
- peel and chop the onion roughly
- in a pan, heat up the olive oil and butter, add the onion with a pinch of salt, and fry gently on a low to medium heat until golden
- add the cooked onions to the cooled mash, add the cheese and seasoning and mix well
- cut the puff pastry in 4, divide the mixture evenly between each pastry rectangle, then seal well
- beat the egg, and brush it over the pasties
- bake in the preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius (390 Fahrenheit) for 15 minutes or until golden
Expert tips
These pasties are super easy to make with just a few simple ingredients. Apart from puff pastry, there are only 3 main ingredients going into the filling, so the job is way easy. If you have leftover mashed potatoes, even better.
Make sure the potato mash is cool before adding the cheese and onions to it. If the filling is warm, the puff pastry will melt and make a proper mess.
I highly recommend brushing the pasties with egg before baking, as that gives them a nice shine. Do not forget to poke the pasties in a few places before baking to allow the steam to escape.
And that's it, amazingly cheese, and deliciously golden pasties that are even better than the take-away ones.
Other pasty recipes
If you’ve tried my POTATO, CHEESE AND ONION PASTY or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.
Potato, Cheese and Onion Pasty
Ingredients
- 2 medium potatoes
- 1 large onion
- 1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 egg
- 2 sheet of puff pastry (ready rolled)
- 1 teaspoon chopped parsley
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Peel and chop the potatoes and boil in salted water for 15 minutes or until tender.
- Drain the water and allow them to cool.
- Lightly mash the potatoes, it does not have to be a smooth mash, a lumpy one would do.
- Leave the mash to cool completely.
- Peel and cut the onion roughly.
- In a pan, heat up the oil and butter, then fry the onions on a low to medium heat until golden.
- Mix the fried onions with the potatoes and cheese, and season to taste.
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (390 Fahrenheit).
- Cut each puff pastry into 6 rectangles, place a tablespoon of the potato mixture on one half, brush the edges with a bit of water, then fold the other half over and seal.
- Use a fork to press the edges well, then poke each pasty in a few places using a fork to allow the steam to escape during baking.
- Beat the egg well, then brush each pasty.
- Arrange them onto 2 baking trays, and bake for 20 minutes until golden.
- Remove from the oven and allow them to cool slightly.
- Serve them either warm or cold.
Video
Notes
- Make sure the potato mash is cool before adding the cheese and onions to it. If the filling is warm, the puff pastry will melt and make a proper mess.
- I highly recommend brushing the pasties with egg before baking, as that gives them a nice shine. Do not forget to poke the pasties in a few places before baking to allow the steam to escape.
Nutrition
Julie | Bunsen Burner Bakery
Yum! Anything in puff pastry is always good. This looks like a perfect side dish to pair with roasted chicken or lamb this fall.
Daniela Apostol
Thank you, Julie!
Sally - My Custard Pie
Slightly different shape than the pasties I'm used to but the filling sounds super tasty.
Daniela Apostol
Thanks, Sally!
Archie baker
Cornish is very famous as a pasty (not pastry as you kindly pointed out). However there are so many pasties made in the UK it's a regional thing which is the best. Cheese onion and potatoes across the country is probably most famous since everyone eats it. Not expensive and filling and tastey
Cornish is too expensive for the poor (from it's origin) since beef is a tad too much for most folks ( tin miners an exception).
So cheaper fillings are used. Basic premise, if it's left overs it can get mixed with tetties or champits and put in a pasty. Puff pastry was a luxury since it used butter which again is expensive so other regions used pig fat (lard) to make a short crust version instead. Like the original Cornish.
Love the recipe brings back memories.
Sheila
Not correct comments. If you use the correct cut of meat. They are inexpensive. I am Cornish
Bobby-lee
Can you freeze these pasties? Cooked
Daniela Apostol
I have not tried to freeze them, but l'm sure they would freeze well. To defrost, l would pop them in the oven though, and not microwave, otherwise the pastry won't be flaky and nice anymore.
Tina
I haven’t made these yet but they sound delicious. I worked in a tea room in my 20’s and one of the chefs was from England. She made Cheese and Onion Pie. It had potatoes also but I believe they were sliced thin. It was a VERY popular dish! Super Yummy
Daniela Apostol
They really are delicious! I hope you give them a try!
Archie baker
Yes wrap in cling film and keep for 3-6 months. Do not microwave. Let thaw and heat again in oven. Use microwave and expect a guey chewey thing, unless you like that sort of thing.
Tiffany
Curious to know what dimensions the pastry you use is. The one I found in store in Canada is 25x25 cm. Seems it would make an awfully small pasty if using only one quarter per. Thanks!
Daniela Anderson
Hi! Thank you for your comment! I am sorry, I did not realise the dimensions would be different in otehr countries. In the UK the dimentions are usually 35x22.5 cm, which means that quartered would be a really good size. I would then cut in in half, would that be too big?
Tiffany
I am going to try cutting in half and see how it goes. I don't think anyone ever was disappointed about a pastry that was "too big." 🙂
Daniela Anderson
I know, I would eat pastry by itself, it's too yummy 🙂 I hope everybody will like the recipe!
Mel
Just made this. So tasty! I doubled the recipe, and used homemade short crust pastry, enough to make two pie crusts. Thanks for sharing😘
Tiffany
It was well enjoyed. Thanks for the suggestion! 🙂
Daniela Anderson
I am very glad that you enjoyed the recipe, thank you for letting me know!
Kerry-Rose Moan
These look fantastic! Planning on veganizing these, and serving them with a salad for dinner tonight 🙂
Daniela Anderson
Thank you, that sounds like a great idea.
edevji
Any idea how to make it with emmental cheese? A fluffy filling. A company used to make them.. I ate them for 20 years. They stopped making them. I need to figure it out and re create. Please help.
Daniela Anderson
Hi! Thank you for your comment! Emmental cheese can be a great choice too, I would just grate it and follow the same steps in the recipe, it should work the same way as the Cheddar cheese.
Stephanie Zawaduk
Sorry if I am just totally out of it or clueless but where do the carrots come in? They weren't cooked with the onions or potatoes.
Daniela Anderson
Hello! Thank you for contacting me! I do not use carrots for this recipe, not quite sure if this is the recipe you are asking for?
Sandra
Have a question here. What would be a good side dish to go with the pasties? Many say to just make a lettuce salad. Isn't there something else I could make to go with this?
Looking for ideas & suggestions.
Sandra (from the USA)
Daniela Anderson
Hi Sandra, thank you for your message! These pasties are great with any kind of salad, not only lettuce. I have a few salads on the blog, one is with feta, cucumber and tomatoes, another one with chickpeas, feta and veggies, or even the waldorf salad would work. If you'd rather not have a salad though, you can serve it with greens on the side, like sauteed green beans, or some veggie stir fry.I hope this helps.
Marlene
A cream of mushroom or cream of zucchini soup accompanies these wonderfully.
At how maker
Heaton's triples cooked Chips cooked in lard. Ad taco seasoning if you like em spicey.
Biswa Bhromon
I like it very much
Shanice
Hi I’m attempting these tomorrow and at Tesco there was two types of parsley curled and flat leaf..I bought flat leaf is that the right one? Also do I get rid of the stalks before I chop it all up?x
Daniela Anderson
Hi! Thank you for your comment! Yes, that parsley is fine. Yes, we only use the leaves. I hope you like the pasties.
Deron B Kosloski
Potato, Cheese and onion is a traditional filling for Pierogi, which is a traditional Polish comfort food. Just happens to be Vegetarian, I think that was an accident however. Anyway these will go great with a good Polish Sausage or you can add polish sausage to the mixture. It will almost be like a Pierogi, I will try the pasty anyway 🙂
Danielle
Would the filling work for a cheese & onion roll?
Daniela Apostol
Yes, definitely!