Meatless Monday: Chickpea and sweet potato hand pies with spicy mint sauce

Pies are perfect for fall festivities, but we’re not talking dessert. We’re talking savory hand pies. These Meatless Monday chickpea and sweet potato hand pies are filled to the brim with creamy, savory goodness. Indian-inspired ingredients give these treats their appeal, all the way down to the mint sauce served on the side.

You could serve these hand pies as an appetizer at your next party, but they’re also good to serve with soup or a hearty salad as a meal. You’ll save yourself prep time by using prepackaged pie dough (I used three rounds — they usually come packaged in twos, so save the extra for another treat).

I love these handheld goodies. I mixed a creamy curry sauce with the sweet potato and chickpeas, and added a spicy mint sauce to serve on the side. All these flavors combine for an Indian-inspired vibe.

Savory chickpea and sweet potato hand pies with spicy mint sauce recipe

These hand pies are fun to serve for a gathering. Set them out with small plates, and serve them with a zesty, mint-based sauce. These savory treats are perfect for fall festivities.

Yields 18

Prep time: 20 minutes | Cook time: 15 minutes | Total time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

For the hand pies

• 3 prepackaged pie dough rounds (they usually come 2 per pack)
• 2 cups cubed sweet potato (about 1 very large sweet potato)
• 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup diced tomatoes in juice
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 egg yolk, beaten
• Parchment paper

For the spicy mint sauce

• 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 jalapeño, seeds and membrane removed, chopped
• Juice from 1 whole lemon
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

Directions:

For the hand pies

1. Pierce 1 large sweet potato all over, and microwave it on high for 8 to 10 minutes or until fork tender. Carefully remove, and when cool to the touch, peel it.
2. Cut the potato into chunks, and mash them. Set them aside.
3. In a separate bowl, lightly mash the chickpeas, but leave it mostly chunky. Add it to the mashed sweet potato.
4. To a saucepan over medium heat, add the butter. When the butter melts and is hot, add the garlic to the pan. Cook for about 1 minute, and then add the diced tomatoes and juice.
5. Add the curry powder, salt and black pepper, and mix. Add the heavy cream, and bring the mixture to a boil while stirring. Cook for a few minutes, and then remove from the heat.
6. A little at a time, add the cream mixture to the sweet potato and chickpea mixture. Mix to combine, and set aside.
7. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper, and set them aside.
8. Work with 1 roll of dough at a time, and keep the others refrigerated until ready to use. Unroll the dough on a flat work surface. Use a 4-inch cutter (or the mouth of a wide glass) to cut out as many rounds as possible (2 rounds will be used to form 1 pie).
9. Gather the scraps of dough, and then roll it out thin with a rolling pin. Continue until all the dough is used.
10. Divide the rounds, and place half on 1 parchment-lined baking sheet. Add about 1 tablespoon of the sweet potato mixture to the center of the dough. Flatten it out just slightly.
11. Work to create 1 hand pie at a time. Dip your finger into a small bowl of water, and lightly wet the outside edge of the bottom of 1 round. Cover with a dough round, and press the edges together tightly to seal the pies. Use a sharp knife to cut a small slit (or small “X”) in the center of the pie.
12. Bake for about 10 minutes. Remove, and lightly brush each pie with the beaten egg yolk. Continue to bake for another 3 to 5 minutes or until the pies are golden.
13. Cool slightly, and serve.

For the spicy mint sauce

1. While the hand pies are baking, combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a food processor. Blend until smooth.
2. Refrigerate until ready to use. Serve along with the hand pies.

Hand over the hand pies!

More Meatless Monday recipes

Warm ratatouille wraps with gooey Brie cheese
Grilled Peppadew peppers and halloumi skewers with olive tapenade
Chunky vegetable soup with roasted carrots, Swiss chard, mushrooms and lentils