Corned beef, potato & onion pasty, the ultimate store cupboard dinner, these pies are made from stuff I always have at home and I love them.
Using tinned spuds, beef, and store-bought pastry takes a lot of leg work out of making these pasties, meaning all you need to do is learn to crimp. Don’t worry I have detailed instructions!
Homemade Corned Beef Pasties
As far as I am concerned, there ain’t anything finer than a meat pie, my site is littered with them. I have everything from classic steak and ale pies to rabbit pies.
The pasty is one of those enduring pies that’s been knocking around since the 13th century.
The Cornish pasty even gets name-checked in literary works by Shakespeare and Chaucer, I’ve even got a vegetarian cheese and onion pasty recipe.
My latest offering is a glorious corned beef pasty loaded with onions and tinned, yes you read that right, potatoes!
It’s a fun and simple recipe that leans into storecupboard ingredients. As I’ve got older my food “snootiness” has subsided and I have a real fondness for produce that I once would have scoffed at.
So this recipe rocks tinned, bully beef, tinned potatoes and storebought pastry, and they are awesome for all of that convenience.
Corned beef has become a real retro treat for me in recent times, it features in everything from my take on Panacalty to corned beef hash and corned beef sandwiches to corned beef pies.
How To Crimp a Pasty
Crimping pasties may seem like a bit of a dark art, but with a bit of practice, it is easy. It does not matter what the filling is the process is the same!
1: Fill the centre of the shortcrust pastry with your filling leaving around 25mm (1″) at the edges. Brush the edge with water, your finger is the best tool for this job.
2: Fold over the pastry to form that classic pasty shape.
3: Press the edges to form a seal.
4: Pick up the pasty in your “dominant” hand with one end of the pasty pointed at you. Take the corner of the pastry between your thumb and forefinger with your thumb at the top and fold the pastry over at a 45° angle.
5: Move along the pasty and repeat the process. But this time squeeze to seal and pull back the finger at the bottom of the pasty to form a lobe, then fold over to create the crimp.
6: Repeat this process working around the pasty, turning as you go so that your hand stays in the same position. When you get to the final crimp fold it under the pasty.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use homemade shortcrust pastry?
Yes, absolutely! This recipe is all about convenience so I use storebought pastry, homemade pastry is glorious.
I have loads of examples of homemade pastry on my site, the one in my minced beef and onion pie would work perfectly and be about the right size.
What can I do with the leftover pastry?
First of all, you can bring it back together form it into a ball and then freeze it until you are ready to use it.
My favourite way to use any leftover pastry is to make sausage rolls. I usually use hot crust pastry for mine, but leftover shortcrust pastry works perfectly.
Do I have to use tinned potatoes?
No, you can boil up some waxy new potatoes and use them instead. It add a little time to the recipe and they do not have the unique texture of tinned potatoes, but they ill work just fine.
Do I have to cook the onions before adding them?
No, you could add the onions raw, if you do that cut them into a smaller dice. If you do not do this you will probably rip the pastry when you are forming the pasties.
Serving Suggestions
A pasty is the perfect lunchtime finger food and these corned beef pasties are no different!
However, I do have a real weakness for serving them with baked beans, what can I say, I’m still a child when it comes to retro food!
If you want to bulk it out even further a couple of fried eggs on the side is a genius addition.
My wife insists that she wants nothing to do with beans with corned beef and is all about ketchup, and if you do that add some mushy peas on the side. It works wonderfully.
Equipment Used
I only name-check brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But, if you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.
- Oven.
- Stovetop.
- 30cm or 12″ frying pan.
- Baking tray.
- Mixing bowl and a spoon for mixing.
- Chopping board.
- Kitchen knife.
- Rolling pin.
- Small plate or template to cut the pastry into a circle. I use the base of a 22cm springform cake tin.
- Pastry brush.
- Weighing scales and or measuring spoons.

Corned Beef and Potato Pasty Recipe
The great British pasty, I love 'em and these corned beef, potato and onion pasties are a retro throwback to the sort of ingredients that were prevalent when I was growing up, they taste awesome and are perfect served with baked beans, and they make me feel like a kid again!
Ingredients
- 150g (1 Medium) Onion
- 25g (2 Tbsp) Butter
- 200g (7oz) Tin Corned Beef
- 300g (10oz) Tin of Potatoes (185g Net Weight)
- ½ Tsp Coarse Black Pepper
- Salt if Required
- 500g (17oz) Block Shortcrust Pastry (You will not need all of this)
- 1 Beaten Egg
- Sprinkle of Coarse Sea Salt
Instructions
- Cut the onion in half, peel it and then cut it into 2-3mm (⅛") half-moon shapes.
- Heat a 30cm or 12" frying pan over a medium heat, add the butter and then the onions, cook for 10 minutes stirring occasionally. You want to sweat the onions down without adding colour, so if they start to brown, turn the heat down a little.
- Break up the corned beef into a mixing bowl.
- Drain the tin of potatoes, then lightly crush them to break them up a little, the bottom of a jar is ideal for this, then add them to the corned beef. You are looking for a mix of sizes, so don't be too particular.
- Add the pepper to the mix and have a taste, add salt if required.
- When the onions have softened add them to the corned beef mix and stir to combine.
- Cut the pastry in half and roll it out to around 3-4mm (between ⅛" & ¼"), then cut it into a 22cm (9") circle. Repeat with the second piece of pastry.
- Add half of the pasty filling to the pastry, brush the edge facing you with a little water, fold over the pastry, and push down to seal the edges. Then crimp by pinching between your thumb and forefinger, pull and twist, then move on to the next crimp. There is a visual guide for doing this further up the page.
- Beat the egg and then brush this over the pasties, add a sprinkle of coarse sea salt, and bake in the oven at 180°C or 350°F for 35-40 minutes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 974Total Fat: 100gSaturated Fat: 25gTrans Fat: 0gCarbohydrates: 78gFiber: 2gSugar: 4gProtein: 35g
Calorific details are provided by a third-party application and are to be used as indicative figures only.