Savoury Mini Halloween Pies
These Savoury Mini Halloween Pies with beef mince and hidden vegetable filling are guaranteed to go down a spooky treat with the whole family.
Equipment
- Food processor or blender
- Muffin tin
- Circular cookie cutters , 1 x 4-4 ½ inch in diameter + 1 x 2 ½ - 3 inch
- Jack-o-lantern cookie cutters or sharp knife
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 3 x 320g regular OR 2 large 475g ready rolled shortcrust pastry sheets (US 2 x 14.1oz pie crusts)
- 250 g beef mince (US ground)
- 1 small onion or ½ large roughly diced
- 1 medium-small carrot peeled and sliced
- ½ red pepper roughly diced
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- ½ tablespoon tomato puree (US dbl concentrate tomato paste)
- ½ beef stock cube
- 180 ml cups hot water
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon plain flour (US all-purpose)
- ½ tablespoon fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried
- Salt & pepper to taste
TO SERVE
- Beef gravy
- A potato side and a veg side, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 220ºc/200ºc fan/425ºf/gas mark 7. Grease a 12-hole muffin tray. Take the pastry out the fridge before making, see packet instructions.
- Heat a frying pan over a medium heat and add the oil. Add the beef and break up any chunks with your cooking spoon. Add the onion, carrot and pepper and fry for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic and cook for 1 further minute. Then transfer the beef mixture to your food processor or blender and whizz until finely chopped.
- Add the mixture back into the frying pan and over a low heat, stir in the flour well. Then crumble in the half a stock cube, pour in the water, add the tomato puree (or paste), Worcestershire sauce, thyme and salt & pepper. Stir in well and bring to a simmer briefly, then turn the heat off, cover and set aside.
- Roll out the pastry sheets. Use the 4 inch cookie cutter to cut out 10 circles if using 2 large pastry sheets and 11 if using 3 regular sheets. Note you can get 11 pies out of the large pastry sheets if you combine and roll out the scraps of pastry. One by one lay the circles into your greased muffin tin and using your fingers work your way round the edge of each pastry case bottom to press out any kinks of pastry and have it line the cups properly (see video near top of page). Transfer the tray to the fridge.
- Then using a 2 ½ - 3 inch cookie cutter, cut out smaller circles for the pastry case tops. Then, using Jack-o’-Lantern face cutters OR a sharp knife, cut out eyes and mouths in the middle each pastry top.
- Once those are done, take the muffin tray out the fridge and spoon in your beef filling. Fill each pastry case almost up to the top and level out. Then carefully add one pastry face to the top of each pie. Then work your way around each one, gently pressing the edges of each top against the edges of the bottom case use your fingertips to smooth out where the pastry where it’s gone bumpy.
- Transfer to the top of the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, until golden and pastry is cooked through. As soon as you take the pies out, use a turner to gently press the pie tops down as they probably won’t be securely attached to the bottom pastry case. Leave for 5 minutes then take each pie out carefully, use a knife to help you lever them out if needed.
Baby & Toddler
Omit the salt and switch to low-salt beef stock. 6 months + Serve their beef out of the pastry bottom and with the pastry top to palm. Best served with mash potato and broccoli trees. 1 year + cut pastry into small bite-size pieces. For spoon feeding see baby notes above recipe.
STORAGE
Store leftovers in an air-tight container or resealable food bag in the fridge for up to 3 days (cook day + 2). Leftovers can also be frozen, just defrost for 24 hours in the fridge. Reheat in preheated oven at 170ºc/150ºc fan/325ºf/gas 3 on baking tray with foil covering the pies for 18-20 mins. Can use food thermometer to check the meat is steaming hot through an eye or mouth, temp should be 75ºc/167ºf or over. Otherwise cut one in half to check.
Nutrition
Calories: 352kcalCarbohydrates: 50gProtein: 11gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 510mgPotassium: 193mgFiber: 2gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 1227IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 23mgIron: 4mg
Made this recipe?Leave a rating & comment at the bottom of this page! If you’ve printed this recipe, scan the QR code below to get back to it quickly online. You could also post a picture on Instagram and tag @kidfriendlyfamilymeals to share it with me.
