In the spring of last year, I attempted to make a pecan pie, despite the fact that I hate pie and pecans. I’ve never been the biggest fan of sweets because they are always overwhelmingly sweet which makes sense but I still don’t approve (even though I love making them). I should’ve learned I am not the best at making pie, especially the dough from scratch, when last Thanksgiving my attempt to make mini personal pies also failed because the dough was undercooked and I didn’t realize till after I took them out of the oven for a while.

Pie can be overwhelmingly hard to make, from ensuring the dough is flaky enough for guests to be oozing with amazement, and that the filling cooks through to avoid giving your family salmonella. So why not try savory handpies, that are more fun and a bit easier to make compared to a traditional sweet filling.

This is perfect if you have a bunch of leftovers that get boring after microwaving them for the third time, and want to try something new with them while also getting rid of them a bit faster.

I like the pie crust recipe from Jeremy Sheck if you have the time and want to try something new and a bit challenging, however there is no shame in pre-bought pie dough too and I used the Pillsbury brand for these and they were still beautifully flaky so do what you feel comfortable with.

Any thanksgiving side could technically go in these hand pies, but you want to pick sides you know will mesh well together, so I chose cheesy mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy and chicken (because chicken is just better than turkey).

After that, comes time to assemble. You want to ensure that when you are cutting the dough with a cookie cutter or something, that you make these a bit bigger just so you have space to fit everything inside. I layered mashed potatoes then chicken, then gravy and a bit of stuffing to top it all off, and I was done! Then came time to seal it all in with another layer of pie crust and crimp the edges with a fork to keep everything inside the mini pie. 

Simply brush them with a little egg wash (1 egg and 1 tablespoon of water combined) and pop them in the oven at 350 for around 14 minutes or until golden on top, depending on how big you made your own pies.Now you are done! Your results are beautiful little pies that not only help you prevent food waste with those leftovers that get tiresome fast, but something you can eat for a snack, meal or share with friends. Enjoy!