Frozen puff pastry is always good to have on hand, but especially right now. Because just like the many pantry staples that are flying off the shelves, frozen puff pastry can be used in a number of different ways to help create satisfying meals.
Whether you picked it up in a flurry at the grocery store, or found it buried underneath the ice cream in the freezer, having frozen puff pastry in your arsenal means you can easily make savory tarts, dreamy galettes, and turnovers that are perfect for a quick meal. Here are a few of our favorite ways to use this kitchen workhorse.
1. Spring Vegetable Pot Pie
Pot pie is one of the coziest most comforting things to make, and we could all use a little more of that right now. This vegetarian pot pie is especially nice for Spring because it uses some great seasonal vegetables like fennel and peas.
2. Puff Pastry Apple Galette
If you’re looking for your next distractibaking project, we have just the recipe to try: this gorgeous apple galette! This Italian-ish dish uses puff pastry as a base. The dish is replete with a rich pistachio filling and topped with crisp apples. Once baked, top with vanilla ice cream and salted caramel sauce.
3. Leek, Pancetta and Gruyère Pastry Toast
Create your own special weekend brunch at home with these savory toasts. You only need five ingredients! To make them, simply cut a sheet of frozen puff pastry into six equal parts, then top each of the “toasts” with sautéed leeks, cooked pancetta, a sprinkling of gruyère cheese, and bake.
4. Chicken, Spinach and Gruyère Turnovers
Make a big batch of these chicken turnovers today, and you’ll be set for lunch for the rest of the week (or for longer if you decide to freeze a batch). These little frozen puff pastry pockets are stuffed with cooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, spinach, and shallots. Serve warm with a side salad for a heartier meal.
5. Millefeuille with Fresh Berries and Kiwi
While this dessert doesn’t have the “one thousand leaves” its name would lead you to believe (that’s the translation for the French phrase mille feuille), it does have four impossibly flakey layers of puff pastry. And it’s incredibly easy to make: You start with frozen puff pastry, whip up some heavy cream and then layer the pieces with fresh blackberries, blueberries, and kiwi slices. Make the recipe as is for a party of two or triple it if you have company coming.
6. Pear, Blue Cheese and Onion Tart with Spinach Salad
You might not be able to go out to eat right now, but you can bring the restaurant vibe inside. This pear, blue cheese, and onion tart is the perfect dose of savory-sweet, and is just the type of dish you might find in a French bistro. Pair it with a simple spinach salad topped with finely chopped hard-boiled eggs.
7. Puff Pastry Tart with Asparagus and Burrata
Few dishes could be simpler than this asparagus and burrata tart. Crisp spears of fresh springtime asparagus partner with small chunks of burrata in a puff pastry shell. Once baked, the burrata melts to form a sublimely creamy sauce. It looks fancy, but it’s so easy to make.
8. Air-Fried Samosas with Cilantro Sauce
Unlike traditional samosas, this updated recipe uses puff pastry, which means they’re a little easier to make at home. Another modern tip? Instead of frying or baking the samosas, this recipe utilizes the air fryer, which means they’re extra light and crispy (and a little bit healthier, too).
9. Balsamic–Red Onion, Chard and Gorgonzola Tart
This is a nice clean-your-fridge-out kind of recipe. The base is puff pastry (of course), Swiss chard, and red onions, but then you can add anything else that might be in your veggie drawer right now, such as fresh fennel, zucchini, and tomatoes.