These savory hand pies are the perfect portable snack, lunch, or dinner. Store bought pie dough make these Taco Hand Pies easy!
Y’all, I am ALL the time talking about quick and easy weeknight meals, because apparently I’m like the busiest person ever! Ha.
Not really.
It’s just most of the time after I’ve cleaned house, washed clothes, worked behind the scenes here, or spent the day in the pool, the last thing on my mind is standing in the kitchen over a stove, stirring a sauce, or watching water boil. Who’s with me?
I’m all about frying chicken and mashing potatoes, but most of the time I want to be in and out of the kitchen in less than 30 minutes. This is why I try my best to make one pan meals or quick ideas like these Taco Hand Pies.
These Taco Hand Pies came to me one day after scrolling through Instagram, seeing all the sweet hand pies around. Stuffing dough with fruits, sugar, chocolate, peanut butter, etc got me to thinking….these are freaking hot pockets!
You know, that iconic microwavable sleeved all in one meal.
Then I ask my husband if they were still around…and apparently they are! I remember in the mid 90’s with the commercial and their jingle “hot pockets.”
Do y’all remember that? Every time we went to the grocery store, I begged my momma to buy me a couple of boxes. Pepperoni and cheese only of course, because I was super picky!
They made for a great weekend lunch, or after school snack. Heck, I even ate those things for dinner when my mother made something like goulash.
Yea, I wasn’t about to eat anything that had macaroni noodles, meat, and canned tomatoes. No way.
I began thinking about ways to make my own hot pockets, with a hearty filling. Something that would be great for those busy weeknights…Yea, I’ll never stop saying that. Ha.
These are more of a prepare on a weekend thing, toss in the fridge, and pull them out during the week for busy weeknights (there I go again), where you would normally stop by a drive thru.
Or better yet, toss one in your kids lunch. Now, before you say, but you can’t use the microwave at school to heat them up….let me remind you of this…Kids eat those nasty pre-packaged lunch meals that are pizza, tacos, nachos, etc…and guess what. They are cold!
So this concept isn’t far from that. Plus you know what ingredients are actually in these. Win!
These are really easy to make using a store bought pre-made pie dough, taco meat, cheese, and possibly corn or beans, only if those are things you like!
What are hand pies?
Hand pies are little crimped half pie rounds, filled with a sweet or savory filling.
How do you make hand pies?
This recipe starts with a boxed pie crust, which is quick and easy. Yes, you can totally use homemade pie dough, if you have it.
Cook your ground beef, and season it with taco seasonings.
Roll the dough out on a floured surface and ut your dough into 5 inch round circles. You can re roll remaining dough, until you’ve used it all up.
Place your seasoned ground beef and cheese in the center. You only need about a tablespoon.
Fold the side over, and seal using a fork to press into the top and bottom sides of the dough, that you folded over.
Spray the tops of the dough with non stick cooking spray (I use olive oil spray.) Or you can beat one egg, and brush it over all the tops. This will help with them get a nice golden brown color on top.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until browned.
What else can I add to Taco Hand Pies?
You can add black beans or corn. Or you could remove the ground beef and use ground chicken or shredded pork.
Can I freeze hand pies?
Yes. I would allow the meat to cool completely before assembling.
Assemble them like you would to bake, and then flash freeze them, by placing them on a parchment lined sheet pan in the freezer for about an hour.
Remove the hand pies,and place them in into a freezer safe bag, until ready to bake.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and place the hand pies on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes, from from, until they are heated through, and golden brown.
You can freeze them alternatively, by baking them as the directions go, and then allow to cool completely. Once cooled, place into a freezer safe zip to bag, with parchment paper seperating each hand pie.
Allow to thaw overnight in the fridge, and warm in the microwave, or in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes, until heat through the center.
What can I serve with Taco Hand Pies?
- Skinny Broccoli Salad with a Poppy Seed Dressing
- Brussels Sprouts Salad with Apple, Bacon, Cranberries and a Citrus Dressing
Taco Hand Pies
These savory hand pies are the perfect portable snack, lunch, or dinner. Store bought pie dough make these Taco Hand Pies easy!
Ingredients
- 1 box Pilsbury refrigerated Pie Crust you will need both from the box
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- 1 cup shredded cheese
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Remove the pie dough from the fridge and follow the directions on the box before using. (It says something about allowing to sit at room temp)
- While you are waiting, cook your ground beef, drain the grease, and stir in the taco seasoning. Set aside, and allow to cool completely before using.
- Unroll your pie crusts, and cut into 5 inch round circles. I found that a ramekin was the exact size I needed, and used that as my guide. You should be able to get 6 circles from one crust. You will cut three, and then lightly flour your surface, and roll out, with a rolling pin, and you'll be able to get 3 more.
- Place the dough on the parchment lined baking pans. Top with 2 to 3 tablespoons of the taco meat. Top with about 2 teaspoons of cheese. Fold the sides together, to create a half-circle, and using a fork, firmly seal the edges. Repeat until you have 12 Taco Hand Pies ready to bake.
- You can spray the dough with non-stick cooking spray or you can use one beaten egg to brush on the tops to create a nice golden brown color. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the crust is browned.
Notes
It's extremely important that you allow the meat to cool completely before placing it on the dough! You will regret it if you don't. Because the heat from the meat will begin to break down the dough.
You can add in beans or corn to your meat mix, before spooning onto the crusts.
Serve with sour cream or salsa.
You can reheat in the microwave for about a minute thirty seconds. Or you can place on a baking sheet with the oven on 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 214Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 43mgSodium: 324mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 13g
Stacie @ Divine Lifestyle
Boom! I’ve seen tons of sweet hand pie recipes, but I haven’t seen many savory varieties. And you just sealed the deal by making them TACO filled. I love you so much right now.
Joanna
Stacie, totally make these – come back and tell us what you think!
Jeni
These look fabulous! Sort of like a Hot Pocket or Calzone in terms of convenience, but they look super simple to make as well. I can definitely see these being a huge hit in my household!
Joanna
Totally like a Hot Pocket or Calzone! They are super simple and totally convenient!
Courtney Blacher
I believe it tastes as good as it looks.
Joanna
Totally!
Amber Myers
Yum, we love tacos, and these look fantastic. I’ve never tried a taco hand pie, but I imagine I’d love it.
Joanna
You’ll totally love it, if you love tacos!
Natalie
Oooh I love the idea of less messy tacos haha. I need to try a vegan version of this!
Joanna
Totally less messy! 🙂 Yes, do try a vegan version! I’d love to know how that goes for you – please come back and let us know.
Heather Brummett
I can almost taste them. These sound amazing! Thanks for the tip on letting the meat cool first! I will print this and try it!
Joanna
No problem! I learned the hard way with hot meat! Hahaha. A disaster is an understatement!
Jasmine Eclipse
This looks SO good!! They remind me of empanadas… I wonder if there’s any difference between the two?
Eileen | yesmissy.com
Yum! I like the sounds of these! Combining taco and pies sounds so tasty! These look so tasty!
Amanda Dorich
My family would love these! We absolutely love taco night but this would put a fun spin on our traditional tacos!
Leslie
Oh, you had me at taco!
Dogvills
Oh my, that looks amazing. Never thought of making taco pie. I can’t wait to try this.
Melissa Dixon
What a fantastic idea! I love doing things like this to switch it up a bit.
Rose Cottrill
These taco hand pies reminds me of one of my favorite snacks growing up, the enfanada. The only difference is, your is baked but the one I used to eat is fried.
Danielle
I love tacos and usually make them at least once a week. Last week my husband pulled out the old “Tacos, again?” and I about smacked him. Maybe if I offer up these Taco Hand Pies I won’t get the same response, but will still get my tacos!
Carol Cassara
OH my, it looks so amazing and I’d love to make this for the husband! I’m sure it’s also perfect when we have guests over, especially when the kids decide to visit! It’s an awesome idea and a well loved recipe! Thanks for this!
ricci
These Taco Hand Pies sound amazing!! I need to try them!!
Zwitsal
Wow thanks for this! It’s very easy to make! And the ingredients used can be seen in the local market. Will give this a try!
Katrina Ellen
These look like they will be so good. My kids always make a mess with tacos so these would be perfect.
Misty Nelson Dawn
Omg. this s absolutely looks good and I really want to try this at home this makes me hungry. Glad you share the recipe
aly mashrah
That is such a great idea! My brothers would love this. We have taco night each week and Im going to try this next time.
Lynndee
What a brilliant idea! We love tacos over here, but we’ve never thought of creating one like this. Thanks for the idea and the recipe. Yum!
Adaleta
Okay now those look crazy yummy, I would love those!
natalie z
Those look fantastic and easy to make! I bet these would be a great make-ahead option too!