Savory Spinach and Mushroom Pies

Published on December 29, 2020 | By
savory spinach and mushroom pies

I served these savory spinach and mushroom hand pies with steaming bowls of my white bean minestrone soup one chilly fall afternoon while dining al fresco with friends in my courtyard. I discovered this recipe on the Two Cups Flour food blog. Jenn Davis is a baker and an incredible photographer and food stylist. Her recipes taste as good as they look or even better. She uses spinach, mushrooms and onions and then tops this savory mixture with cheese. The cheese melts and blends with the buttery flaky crust resulting in a delicate spinach and mushroom mini pie.

The dough is a classic pie crust suitable for sweet or savory fillings. If you have a favorite crust that is stable enough to maintain its shape when filled with this vegetable mixture, use whatever dough you may be comfortable with.  The Two Cups Flour recipe makes about one dozen small pies. In my interpretation, I made the pies about 6″ in diameter which yielded 8 medium-sized pies. These were perfect as a side for lunch.  I like to chop the mushrooms very small or even chop them by pulsing in the food processor to create a mixture that in french cuisine would be called duxelles.

Make sure that the spinach is chopped and that the vegetable mixture is drained well so that the pastry does not become soggy. I preferred to use a mixture of two kinds of cheese in my mushroom and spinach pies. I finely grated some regular creamy gouda and some smoky gouda. I love the combination of the two kinds of cheese and the hint of smoke suggested by this gouda.

Seal the pies tightly by brushing the edges of the dough with egg wash. Pinch the edges and then crimp them with a fork as you would do with the edges of a pie crust. Bake these savory spinach and mushroom mini pies on a parchment-lined sheet pan for about 2o minutes, then serve immediately.

    • Cook Time
    • Minutes

Ingredients

  • for the pie crust:
  • 2 1/2 cups of flour
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 16 TBSP unsalted butter
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 4-5 TBSP of ice water
  • for the mushroom spinach filling:
  • 2 TBSP butter or ghee
  • 1 cup of onion, minced
  • 2 1/2 cups of mushrooms, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp ground pepper
  • 2 1/2 cups fresh spinach, stems removed, chopped
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 2 TBSP fresh thyme, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1 1/2 cups of gouda cheese, grated
  • 1 egg yolk

Instructions

  1. For the dough: Whisk together the flour sugar and salt. Add cold butter in cubes and work into flour with a pastry cutter or your hands until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.
  2. Add the beaten egg and stir into mixture with a fork.
  3. Next add a tablespoon of water at a time, until mixture begins to come together and forms a ball. Pat the dough into a flat thick disc, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least one hour. You can make the filling while the dough rests.
  4. Place chilled dough onto lightly floured surface. Roll out the dough to 1/8" thickness. I cut the dough into 6" circles which made 8 pies. You can make about a dozen pies if you cut the dough into 5" circles.
  5. For the filling: Chop the mushrooms roughly but fairly fine. You may choose to pulse the mushrooms in a food processor. Be careful not to over process. You want the mushrooms to retain their texture.
  6. Melt the butter of ghee in a large skillet. Add chopped onions and sauté over medium heat until soft.
  7. Next, add the chopped mushrooms and garlic and continue to cook and stir until tender. Add salt, pepper and chopped thyme.
  8. Fold in the fresh chopped spinach. Cook for one more minute and remove from heat. Allow to cool and drain any excess liquid from the mushrooms.
  9. To fill the pies: Make an egg wash by lightly beating one egg yolk with a tablespoon of water. Use a pastry brush to paint a little egg wash around the perimeter or edge of the dough. Spoon the filling onto one half of the circle. Be generous!
  10. Fold over the other half of the dough. Press the dough down along the edges. I like to crimp the edges with a fork to make sure that the pie is tightly sealed.
  11. Place the pies flat on a parchment covered sheet pan. Brush the pies with the remainder of the egg wash.
  12. Bake the pies at 425 for about 20 minutes until golden brown. Let them cool for about 10 minutes and serve. I garnished my pies with snipped chives.
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