Sweet Potato, Spinach and Onion Pies

A freshly made meat-free monday idea today. As spring descends (hopefully) on us, today I am featuring a delicious pie, which contains all kinds of hidden good things inside. Recently, the kids have become slightly obsessed with Popeye, which is kind of a good thing, because of his vegetarian diet, and the fact that he eats Spinach! 

Popeye is said to have saved the spinach industry in the 1930's, and is the only cartoon character to have been immortalised in statue in Crystal City, Texas, thanks to his services to Spinach and encouraging kids to eat it and increase their vitamin A consumption.

My kids like the idea of eating spinach, but perhaps not the reality of it. They wanted me to cook them something with spinach in, so I created these sweet potato, spinach and onion pies. The beauty of them is that the spinach is hidden within the pie, ensuring that the kids will eat them as they have spinach in, without picking through and identifying the strands of green.

We all loved these pies, especially with the added vegetarian hard cheese. They make a great meat-free monday snack or light meal. You could make them in individual portions, as I have, or you could make a portion in a larger form.

See below for the printable recipe. Enjoy, and happy eating!

Sweet Potato, Spinach and Onion Pies Print this Recipe Makes Six Ingredients 320g Puff Pastry Sheet 1kg Sweet Potatoes 1 Onion – White, chopped 1 Onion – Red, chopped 100g Baby Spinach  100g Vegetarian Hard Cheese 100g Sweet Chilli Sauce Mustard Seeds – for sprinkling Directions Prick the sweet potatoes, and cook in the microwave for around ten minutes, or until the potatoes start to soften.  Allow to cool a little, cut the potatoes in half, and scoop out the cooked sweet potato.  Place the sweet potato in a bowl, and add the red and white onion. Mix in the sweet chilli sauce.  Place the spinach in a pan, with 1tbsp water, cover, and cook for a couple of minutes until the spinach wilts.  Drain the spinach, and chop. Add to the sweet potato, along with the vegetarian hard cheese. Mix to combine. Layout the puff pastry sheet on an oil-brushed baking tin, and cut into six pieces. Spoon a good sized amount of the sweet potato mixture into the middle of the pastry piece. Fold the four corners of the pastry into the middle and join up, so that there are no gaps.  Repeat with all of the pastry pieces.  Brush the pastry with milk or egg, and sprinkle mustard seeds over the top of the pastry. Bake at 200 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until the pastry is cooked. Allow to cool a little before serving.