Sunday Brunch: Sausage and Feta Hand Pies

Name: Sunday Brunch: Sausage and Feta Hand Pies
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 12
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons Olive oil; 2¾ pieces (about 3/4 pound total) Sweet Italian sausages, casings removed; 1 Large onion, thinly sliced; 1 Fennel head, trimmed, cored, and thinly sliced; ½ teaspoon Crushed red pepper flakes, optional; Salt to taste; Black pepper to taste; 1 pound Plum tomatoes, quartered, seeded, and diced into 1/2-inch pieces; 8 ounces Feta cheese, crumbled; ½ cup Fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped; 2 tablespoons Fennel seeds; Flour for dusting; 1 Large egg, lightly beaten; Phyllo dough or puff pastry sheets

Recipe GLPR129de1a14dbd6a

Mediterranean

Appetizer

75 min

1442 cal

Servings: 12

Oven

Stovetop

SNAP eligible

Savory hand pies filled with seasoned Italian sausage, caramelized onions, tender fennel, diced tomatoes, crumbled feta cheese, and fresh parsley. These golden pastry pockets are perfect for a Greek-inspired brunch and can be made ahead and reheated.

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Ingredients

3 tablespoons Olive oil

2¾ pieces (about 3/4 pound total) Sweet Italian sausages, casings removed

1 Large onion, thinly sliced

1 Fennel head, trimmed, cored, and thinly sliced

½ teaspoon Crushed red pepper flakes, optional

Salt to taste

Black pepper to taste

1 pound Plum tomatoes, quartered, seeded, and diced into 1/2-inch pieces

8 ounces Feta cheese, crumbled

½ cup Fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

2 tablespoons Fennel seeds

Flour for dusting

1 Large egg, lightly beaten

Phyllo dough or puff pastry sheets

Directions

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage meat (removed from casings) and cook, breaking it into small pieces, until browned and cooked through, about 5-7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
In the same skillet, add the sliced onion and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden, about 8 minutes. Add the sliced fennel and cook for another 5 minutes until tender.
Stir in the red pepper flakes (if using), and season with salt and black pepper to taste. Add the diced tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes until just warmed through. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
Fold the cooked sausage, crumbled feta cheese, chopped parsley, and fennel seeds into the cooled vegetable mixture. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Lightly dust a work surface with flour and lay out phyllo or puff pastry sheets according to package directions. Working with one sheet at a time, place about 2-3 tablespoons of filling in the center of each sheet.
Fold the pastry sheet to enclose the filling in a triangle or hand-pie shape, sealing the edges firmly. Place each hand pie seam-side down on a lined baking sheet.
Brush the top of each hand pie with the beaten egg to create a golden finish. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and crispy.
Remove from the oven and let cool for 2-3 minutes before serving warm.

Comments

Grocery List Plus Editorial Staff4.25

Phyllo dough is available at every major Charlotte chain, and all other ingredients are standard—feta, fresh fennel, and parsley pose no supply problem. At roughly $1.50 per pie, this scales nicely for 12 servings and costs about $18 total, making the price per serving honest and low. Budget 90 minutes, not 75; phyllo work is quick but the mixture needs time to cool, and shaping twelve hand pies takes real time even for experienced cooks. This is a confident make-ahead choice—the pies freeze unbaked and reheat beautifully—and it feeds a crowd or a week of easy lunches, though the technique demands focus during assembly and is not a fuss-free weeknight.