Homemade Pasty Recipe

If you’ve ever traveled through Michigan’s beautiful Upper Peninsula you have have heard of a pasty. If you’ve stopped to eat lunch or dinner, you may have even eaten one. What is a pasty you ask? It is a delicious Cornish meat and vegetable filled pocket. Think: old fashioned Hot Pocket but way bigger, homemade and tasty. In a word, they are delicious and super filling. It’s also not what I’d call diet food but it’s totally worth the indulgence.

First a little back story. My husband is what they call a Yooper. He was born and raised on pasties in Gladstone, Michigan. Gladstone is a small community on Lake Michigan that sits along US-2 halfway across Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. I’m what they call a Troll, born and raised ‘under’ the bridge, in Indian River. We met at Lake Superior State University up in Sault Ste. Marie and the rest is history. We travel home to the Upper Peninsula several times a year and when we head home we always try to bring pasties with us. A local Catholic church my mother and father-in-law attend do a homemade Cornish pasty fundraiser 2-3 times a year. They are the delicious homemade version made with lard and all the good stuff too, none of that store bought junk. Church members get together in the Church’s kitchen and make them all at once and take orders during the allotted time frame. Pasty fundraisers are huge up there and even the local high school students make them as a fundraiser to raise money for their senior trip.

Pasties also tend to come in a variety of flavors now a days: chicken, breakfast, even a pizza version to name just a few. The classic version is a combination of meats and vegetables. Today on the blog, I’m sharing with you a classic homemade pasty recipe. They are very filling and great any time of year but I prefer them during our colder winter months. We keep them frozen  and when I want to serve them for dinner,  I put them in the slow cooker on low early in the morning. They reheat all day and are ready to serve by dinner time. If you’ve ever had a pasty you may had brown gravy with it, which my husband prefers. I love mine with ketchup and so do the kids.

I’ve made pasties a few times and when I do, I follow this classic Cornish pasty recipe from All Recipes.

Homemade Pasty Ingredients –

4 1/2 C. flour
1 C. shortening
1 1/4 C. cold water
1 tsp. salt
5 1/2 C. potatoes, cubed into small bite size pieces
2 carrots, shredded
1 onion, diced
1/2 C. rutabaga, diced
1 1/2 C. ground beef
1/2 C. ground pork
1 tbs. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 cube beef bouillon
1/2 C. hot water

Directions –

#1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
#2. In a large bowl, combine the flour and teaspoon of salt. Cut in the shortening. Make a small well in the center of the mixture and quickly add in the 1 1/4 cup of cold water, mix well and form a dough ball and set aside.
#3. Place the beef bouillon cube into the hot water and allow it to dissolve. Add all the veggies and uncooked meat, salt and pepper, stirring to combine. Set aside.
#4. Take the dough you set aside earlier and roll into 6″x8″ rectangles. Place about 1 1/2 cup of the meat and veggie fillings into the center of each rectangle. Fold the sides together and seal. Use a knife to make a slit on the top of each pasty. Place on a baking sheet and repeat with the other pasties.
#5. Bake for 45-50 minutes.
#6. Because this recipe makes a lot, wrap the leftover pasties in tin foil and freeze. Reheat at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes.

*Makes approximately 10-12 pasties

Recipe adapted from All Recipes

Have you tried a pasty before? If yes, what was your favorite flavor?