You guys have got to make these beauties for Game Day (or any party or gathering)! Think of all the homey, comforting, robust flavor of French onion soup concentrated into flaky little pockets of buttery puff pastry… that’s what these Mini Cheesy French Onion Pies are and it’s going to be a staple at any party spread! These snacks are very easy to make and they are freezer friendly too, so you can make them ahead of time too. French onion soup is a classic for a lot of obvious reasons. It’s comfort food with an incredible amount of flavor and it only needs a few ingredients to create all that magic. It was while I was plunging my spoon into a bowl of this silky smooth deliciousness and stretching out that melted cheese on top the other day that I started wondering if I could stuff this flavor into a bite-sized snack instead. I first tried it with bread dough and only had moderate success (I’ll still keep experimenting though), but then found out that it was easier and more effective to use flaky puff pastry to wrap that French onion soup filling. It works even better because the puff pastry is light, flaky and buttery while sealing in the juicy, cheesy flavor of sweet onion filling for the perfect mini French onion pie. You can use frozen puff pastry sheets, OR make your own quick and easy puff pastry using my rough puff pastry recipe. Either way, the filling is going to be the undeniable star in these mini cheesy French onion pies. The filling is easy to make but it does require some patience – especially with that slow caramelization of onions which is essential for developing the flavor. You can use standard yellow onions or vidalia onions, but the vidalia onions are a tad sweeter than regular yellow onions. The filling has all the classic flavor of French onion soup, with fresh thyme, garlic, red wine and beef stock, and loaded with provolone and Monterrey Jack cheese. The result is these easy, cheesy, sweet onion and umami flavor packed, mini cheesy french onion pies that are great as a party appetizer or snack or for game day chowing! In fact, I recently served these for a game day meet up with friends, and paired these with these fried cheese balls and pork stuffed hatch chile (you can check out this post to learn how to roast hatch chile in the oven), and they were an absolute hit!
