8-37: Roast Beef in Puff Pastry

I’ve already covered various types of turnovers (beef/spinach/crab), and 8-37: Roast Beef in Puff Pastry can now be added to that list, even if it’s not officially referred to by Simply Delicious as a turnover.

I wasn’t able to pinpoint when ready-to-bake puff pastry was first available in stores–my guess would be somewhere around the 1960s-70s, but I could be totally wrong.

Think of this recipe as a fancy Hot Pocket, because that’s essentially what it is. Look at you, all sophisticated with your fancy Hot Pocket.


Store-bought puff pastry brands in the U.S. have one main variation–the fat with which they used to make it. There’s types made with all butter (Trader Joe’s and Dufour), and types made with shortening (Pepperidge Farm), which can make a difference depending on your dietary preferences. If you want to try making your own instead, here’s a link.


Ingredients. We tend to eat plant-based these days, so I’ve swapped in non-dairy cheese and homemade seitan roast “beaf” slices. I’m using a combo of coconut oil and non-dairy butter (essentially margarine) to replace the “real” butter, and I’m just skipping the egg entirely (it’ll be less shiny, but that’s okay). Luckily, Pepperidge Farm puff pastry sheets are vegan, so I won’t have to make my own with shortening.


Prepping the mushrooms and green onions.


Sautéing all the filling ingredients together.


Filling the puff pastry squares first with the cheese, then the rest of the ingredients.


Ready to be sealed up.


I usually don’t have much luck with the fork-sealing method (they always open back up on me), but we’ll see how it goes.


Not too bad–the lack of egg left them looking a bit flat and flaky (instead of golden and glossy), but overall they stayed together.


Final plate, sliced so you can see inside. Like I said, fancy (or in this case, sophisticated) Hot Pockets.

Grade: A-