These cheat’s healthy cheese and onion pasties are absolutely delicious, basically a modern marvel, and so much healthier than the real thing you won’t feel guilty about eating five. Intrigued? Wait until you hear how we do it.
The main problem with a pasty, AKA one of the most delicious foods you can buy on an average high street which is fully contained within its own wrapper, is the pastry. It’s full of calories, most of them contained in the braided crust alone. So what can you do about that? Well, the answer is to take the pastry away – and replace it with the far healthier tortilla.
We made a classic cheese and onion pasty the cheat’s way. First of all, we cut out all that boring potato cutting and cooking and used mash instead. Then we used a pre-made tortilla instead of pastry. It’s a fraction of the calories and it still tastes great. This is one of those recipes we’re going to be using, and modifying, for months straight. Yes, you can change the filling for whatever kind of pasty you like best!
They are so incredibly easy to make that you are just going to fall in love with them. Give these pasties a go and let us know how you get on – the whole family will adore them!
- 10 mini tortillas
- 400 g frozen mash
- 200 g cheddar cheese grated
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 egg
- pinch salt and pepper to taste
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First, prepare the mash by defrosting it.
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Break the egg and beat it in a bowl.
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Lay out your 10 tortillas and brush the face-up side with your egg.
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Meanwhile, fry up your onions in a pan over a medium heat until they start to turn translucent.
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Mix your grated cheese into the mash, and add the onions. Mix thoroughly with salt and pepper, tasting as you go, until it reaches the right level for you.
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Spoon out enough of the mixture to fill each tortilla and place it roughly in the middle or towards the bottom half of each.
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Fold your tortillas over and gently push down - if any of the mixture squishes out, you can use a fork or spoon to skim it off the edge.
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Apply egg wash to the outside of the tortillas. You can either just do the top and let it bake, or do both sides and turn halfway through cooking. As this isn't real pastry, you don't have to worry as much about cooking it correctly!
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Use a fork to gently crimp the edges of each tortilla - this also helps it to stay closed. Add a little extra egg mixture to seal the edges if you feel it is needed.
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Put into the oven at 180C fan/200C for at least 15 minutes. From there, keep an eye on the pasties until they reach the level of browning that you prefer - just don't let them burn!
We used Old El Paso corn mini tortillas to make this recipe, but other mini tortillas would work just as well - whether they are round or oval.
