Savory Strudel

Jeff the Chef
AKA What do you do with an extra pie crust?

Although “more pie” is a great way to use an extra pie crust, sometimes you want something savory. For your consideration: savory strudel … in other words, a hot sandwich in a crust.

Savory Strudel
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Savory Strudel

Recipe by Jeff the Chef
Servings

4

servings

Putting the strudel together is easy.

Ingredients

  • 1 large onion

  • 1 Tbs olive oil

  • Salt and pepper

  • 1 pie crust

  • 1 cup shredded or sliced mozzarella

  • ⅓-½ cup shredded Parmesan

  • 2 raw, brat-sized Italian sausages

  • 1 cup marinara

  • 1 egg, thoroughly beaten

Directions

  • Quarter the onion and slice the quarters into 1/8-to-1/4-inch-width pieces. Heat up a large skillet, add oil, wait until it shimmers, and then add the onion. Season to taste. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion browns. Off heat; set aside.
  • Preheat the oven to 400°F. Roll the crust to about 1/8-inch.
  • Cut the sausages in half lengthwise, and lay them on an east-west line across the center of the crust, cut side down, in two rows, leaving enough room at the ends of the rows to crimp and fold. Top with onions. Top the onions with the mozzarella. Top the mozzarella with the Parmesan. Spoon the marinara over the Parmesan. Fold the southern half of the dough up over the filling. Fold the northern half down over the south half and crimp. Roll the strudel so that the seam is down. Crimp the east and west ends and fold them under.
  • Paint the strudel with the beaten egg; don’t neglect the sides. Slice a few vents into the top of the crust. Transfer the Silpat and the strudel to a rimmed baking sheet. Bake it until the crust is beautifully and thoroughly browned, about 40 minutes. Let it rest a few minutes before transferring the strudel to a cutting board. Cut and serve. Great hot, good at room temperature. Microwaves perfectly.

Notes

  • Rolling the strudel can be tricky. If you roll out your dough on a Silpat, you can use it to assist in the roll, and you can toss it – Silpat and all – into the oven.

The Backstory

I’m constantly trying to find ways to use up leftover ingredients in a way that doesn’t produce more leftover ingredients. I also hate throwing out food and I’m frugal, so using up leftover ingredients is more obsession than interest for me. Staring into the pantry or fridge, trying to select at least one item that I can use up in one fell swoop, is one of my regular scenes. Not only did this recipe start out with a leftover pie crust, but I had the mozzarella, Parmesan, and marinara already on-hand, so I checked those off my “needs to get used up” list, too. Yes, that was a red-letter day.

Social Learning

It takes about as long to bake a raw sausage as it does to bake a crust; that turns out to be a perfect coincidence. Maybe next time: more of a German sausage, with Muenster cheese, onion jam, and mustard sauce. But why limit yourself to sausage? If you’d like it in a panini or grilled sub, I’m willing to bet that you’d like it wrapped in a pie crust: maybe a chicken cordon bleu filling. Or one reminiscent of boeuf bourguignon.

If you use a store-bought crust this is simple and easy. If you cut this into 1½-inch slices, it’d make great party food.

The sausage I used was pretty fatty. The fat seeped from the crust pretty significantly, so it was good that I used a rimmed sheet. All that fat didn’t adversely affect the crust, though. In fact, it seriously caramelized the bottom, which was nice.

 Savory Strudel

Credit for images on this page: Make It Like a Man!, unless otherwise indicated. Thank you, Kesor and Proper Circle. This content was not solicited by anyone, nor was it written in exchange for anything. References: Chef’s Table, Pillsbury, Ruhland’s Strudel Haus, The Spruce Eats.

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52 thoughts on “Savory Strudel”

  1. That sounds delicious!!
    I use left over pie dough to make empanadas or hand held savory pies.
    I love all the different combos you can come up with.

    Reply

  2. What a fabulous idea for that extra pie crust. Love Italian sausage and everything else you’ve stuffed inside this crust. Saving this for the extra pie crust I’ll have in a couple of weeks. 🙂

    Reply

  4. In the 1950s a lady named Dione Lucas had a cooking show on tv. I still remember her rolling out strudel dough on one of the episodes. I was very young at that time, and liked watching her program.

    Reply

  9. This looks quite delicious. Sausage makes a wonderful ingredient for so many dishes but I’ve never tried to bake raw sausage in pastry. Food for thought. Thanks for a great idea and nifty recipe.

    Reply

  10. Mmmmmmm. I understand the using leftovers obsession. It’s horrible to throw away food, and unnecessary! Love your hot pocket.Great for after you’re done with the Thanksgiving leftovers!

    Reply

  11. Sounds really good, Jeff! When I read the title, I was very curious as to what you would use to fill the strudel. Like you, I hate wasting food, and do the same thing to avoid throwing anything away. Your pie crust looks great, as well. Nice and flaky!

    Reply

    • Probably fantastic! It would have to be in there long enough to cook the sausage … but you could always use something that needs less cooking.

      Reply

  13. That looks amazing Jeff; I try to utilize leftover ingredients in the same way, although I’ve not categorized myself as obsessed, but having read your description, I’d say I’m about the same! I wonder if this would work with puff pastry? I love the idea of the pastry bottom caramelizing in the sausage fat, it sounds so tasty and moreish. A perfect lunch or dinner for these chilly days.
    Eva Taylor recently posted…French Baguette

    Reply

    • I don’t think there’s anything you couldn’t wrap in puff pastry! Thanks, Eva!

      Reply

  16. I’m a huge fan of savory strudels. And this one sounds really tasty. Hard to go wrong with sausage or mozzarella, if you ask me. And as you say, if you use store-bought crust, it’s super-easy.
    Frank recently posted…Soffritto napoletano

    Reply

  19. What a delicious pastry. Combination looks great. This sounds really fantastic, I think we can serve this dish as a main dish of dinner?

    Reply

    • This could absolutely be a main dish for dinner! It’s also make a great lunch. I also think it’d make great party food.

      Reply

  22. For half a second there, I was thinking you had lost your mind, Jeff. Extra pie crust? What in the heck is that? Haha – I’m kidding, of course. We do the same thing around here with leftovers, and I’d venture to guess that some of our favorite recipes over the years are ones that we discovered by happenstance thanks to the leftover game. This sounds like a delicious recipe, and I’m pretty sure I’d be happy curling up with this and a cold beer!
    David @ Spiced recently posted…Mushroom Gravy

    Reply

    • I know what you mean. Where do you keep the extra pie crust? Next to the leftover wine? 😉 But … just between you and me … a while back, I baked a Dutch apple pie with a Trader Joe’s store-bought crust, and they come two-to-the-pack. And there that second crust was, using up freezer space. Anyway, please don’t mention that to anyone, because I like people to think of me as someone who always makes his own pie crusts.

      Reply

  24. Popular dish! The most recent episode of the Great British Baking Show featured a vegan version of this dish. Their vegan sausage recipe sounded very intriguing, though making “rough puff” pastry with vegan shortening sounded unrealistic for most of us. The filling they used was cooked before the assembly of the pastry.

    It’s a tempting dish, like yours with meat, or without.

    best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
    mae recently posted…Dorah Sitole

    Reply

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