Looking for a delicious and easy after school snack? Look no further than these Puff Pastry Cheese and Bacon Turnovers!
For my UK readers out there, these are just like the ones from Greggs, but with a secret ingredient they’re 10x more delicious. Yeah, I went there 🤣
Cheese and Bacon Turnovers
For those of you not in UK, these are essentially very similar to a popular pastry served at the largest bakery chain in the UK. Simply cheese and bacon wrapped in a blanket of puff pastry. Simple, yet outrageously delicious. Because really, who can turn down cheesy bacon pastry?! Certainly not me, clearly.
Any who, these are awesome for so many different reasons. But here’s just a few:
- Easy – Literally no cooking ability required.
- Quick – The only thing better than food is fast food.
- Delicious – A game changing ingredient that’ll take these to the next level 😏
The Magic Ingredient!
Look, don’t get me wrong, cheese, bacon and puff pastry is a combo to die for. BUT, there’s definitely room for more.
Caramelized Onions
All up in my face. Oh yes. Bacon and onion? Yep. Cheese and Onion? Yep. It all just makes sense. Also, the sweetness from the onions balances out the saltiness of the bacon nicely.
To keep in theme of ‘quick and easy’ I recommend making a big batch of caramelized onions, just so you can scoop them out as you need. So do check out my full post on How to make Caramelized Onions. But for now –
How to Caramelize Onions (quick summary)
- Add onions to a pan of olive oil and fry low and slow.
- Add balsamic vinegar, sugar and seasoning.
- Continue to fry on low heat until sweet, soft and sticky.
Cheese and Bacon Puff Pastry
One of your main ingredients is of course puff pastry. Definitely keeping in with the theme here, we will NOT be making our own puff pastry. That wouldn’t make for a very convenient after school snack 🤣 As such, pre-made from the store works just fine.
I recommend getting a pre-rolled puff pastry, just so you know you’re going to get even slices. If you’ve got a slab of pastry, just make sure you roll it out to 14″x9″ (35.5cmx22cm).
Alongside the ingredients we’ve discussed, all you’ll need is an egg for egg wash.
How to make Cheese and Bacon Turnovers (quick summary)
- Roll out pastry.
- Divide into 8.
- Add onions.
- Top with cheese and bacon.
- Fold in and pinch sides together.
- Brush with egg wash and bake.
And there we have it! Easy right? Just quickly, if you like the look of these I know you’ll love these other recipes!
For another Greggs inspired recipe check out my Sausage, Bean & Cheese Melts!
Savoury Puff Pastry Recipes
- Classic Sausage Rolls
- Puff Pastry Pinwheels
- Potato, Cheese and Onion Pasties
- Chorizo Sausage Rolls
- Cheese and Prosciutto Twists
- Steak Bakes
Okay, let’s tuck into this cheese and bacon puffs recipe, I’m getting hungry all over again 😋
How to make Cheese and Bacon Turnovers (Full Recipe & Video)
Cheese and Bacon Turnovers
Equipment
- Large Frying Pan & Wooden Spoon
- Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
- Greased Baking Tray
- Small Pot and Brush (for egg wash)
Ingredients
Turnovers
- 1 sheet of Puff Pastry (see notes)
- 8 rashers of Streaky Bacon (see notes)
- 4 square slices of Sharp Cheddar Cheese, halved
- 1 Egg, beaten (for egg wash)
Caramelized Onions
- 1lb / 500g Red or White Onion, finely sliced
- 1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 tbsp Brown Sugar
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- Salt & Black Pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Add 1 tbsp olive oil to a large frying pan over medium heat and add 1lb/500g sliced onions. Fry until they start to soften and caramelize (10-15mins), then add 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1 tbsp sugar and salt & pepper to taste. Turn heat to low and continue caramelizing for another 20mins, or until super soft and sticky. The aim of the game is to fry low and slow, don't let them catch and start to char at any point.
- Roll out your sheet of pastry on a floured surface and divide into 8. Take one section and slant it so a corner is at the top and bottom. Place a spoonful of onions in the centre, top with a slice of cheese, then a slice of bacon. Make sure the onions are hidden otherwise they'll burn.
- Fold in one corner, gently wet with your finger, then fold in over the second corner. Very tightly pinch together so they don't unfold in the oven, then brush with egg wash. See video for guidance on this section.
- Pop in the oven at 390F/200C for 15-20mins or until deep golden and crispy. Allow to rest and cool for 5mins, this will allow the final bit of steam to escape and help them crisp up (they might be slightly soft when they first come out).
Video
Notes
Your Private Notes:
Nutrition
Looking for more?
You’ll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook ‘Comfy’
If you loved these Cheese and Bacon Turnover Recipe then be sure to pin it for later! Already made them or got a question? Give me a shout in the comments below and pick up your free ecookbook along the way!
What would you recommend for a dipping sauce?
Hi Lisa! Sour Cream and Chive would be great, but check out all my Dips for more inspo! C.
These are usually Back Bacon here, so way more fat to meat ratio than streaky, but I’ve not seen that outside of the UK.
The Caramelized onion is a good shout though.
Making these for the second time tonight, they are absolutely delicious 🙂 I cook the bacon slightly beforehand and it’s perfect 🙂
Hey there when you say “streaky bacon” is there a certain brand you use?
Thanks
Any brand of streaky bacon will do the trick 🙂
The “streaky bacon” ingredient made me smile. My mom was from Scotland and when she came to the US, she ordered bacon on the train from NYC and said “What in the bloody hell is this?” when they brought her bacon. She has been gone 5 years now and that got me a little choke up. 🙂
Sharon, this is beautiful to hear. I’m actually from Scotland myself and usually say the same when in the US . Sending love and take care. C x
I used the streaky bacon from uk and the pastry is pampas brand but it turn out so salty .
Sorry to hear that! I’m not sure how they turned out so salty, it’s only really the bacon that adds the salt aspect, unless the pastry for salty for some reason.
Made these for the husbandman and he loves them. As I am a vegetarian I have cheese and sliced cherry tomatoes- lovely
That’s awesome to hear, Sharon! Might have to try the cheese and tomato version myself – sounds delish!
Made these this morning for brunch, they are awesome and so easy to make.
That’s great to hear, Graham! Thanks for popping back and leaving a review 🙂
Hi Chris. I am going to do this for after school snack for the kiddos. Do you think I could use pre-cooked bacon?
I haven’t used pre cooked bacon before, my fear is that it might become too crunchy/burn. If your bacon is quite thick, or you only part/lightly cook it you should be fine 🙂
Which way would be best to freeze them? It’s says in the recipe how to cook them from frozen but is that frozen raw or frozen cooked and reheated?
You could do either! Method in the recipe notes is if they’re frozen once fully cooked. If you want to freeze them raw, I recommend leaving off the final egg wash and stacking them with parchment paper in between, just so they don’t stick together. From there you could thaw in the fridge and bake as instructed. Or cook from frozen at 180C/350F for an extra 5-10mins than the recipe states (or until piping hot/golden & crispy). I find cooking from frozen doesn’t crisp up quite as well, but will still work just fine. Hope this helps! Chris.