🧀 Cheesy Baked Meat-Stuffed Pockets
🥩 Ingredients
Dough (or use store-bought pizza dough):
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp instant yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- ¾ cup warm water
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Filling:
- 250–300g ground beef or chicken
- 1 small onion (finely chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp paprika or chili flakes (optional)
- ½ tsp cumin (optional but tasty)
- 1–1½ cups shredded mozzarella (or any melting cheese)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste or pizza sauce (optional but recommended)
For brushing:
- 1 egg (beaten)
- Butter or olive oil (optional for extra flavor)
🔥 Instructions
1. Make the filling
- Heat a pan with a little oil.
- Sauté onion and garlic until soft.
- Add ground meat and cook until browned.
- Season with salt, pepper, and spices.
- Stir in tomato paste (if using).
- Cook until moisture reduces slightly (important so pockets don’t get soggy).
- Let it cool, then mix in shredded cheese.
2. Prepare the dough
- Mix flour, yeast, sugar, salt, water, and oil.
- Knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth.
- Cover and let rise for ~1 hour (or until doubled).
3. Assemble pockets
- Divide dough into small balls.
- Roll each into a circle.
- Add a spoonful of filling in the center.
- Fold into half-moon shapes and seal edges tightly (press with a fork).
4. Bake
- Preheat oven to 200°C (392°F).
- Place pockets on a lined tray.
- Brush with beaten egg.
- Bake for 15–20 minutes until golden brown.
😋 Tips for better results
- Don’t overfill or they may burst.
- Let filling cool before stuffing (prevents soggy dough).
- Add extra cheese inside + on top for a gooey center.
- For crispier edges, brush lightly with butter after baking.
🌶️ Variations you can try
- Spicy chicken + jalapeño + cheddar
- Beef + mushrooms + mozzarella
- Pizza-style (pepperoni + sauce + cheese)
- Pakistani-style keema with green chilies + coriander
If you want, I can also give you a pan-fried version (no oven needed) or a flaky puff pastry version like bakery samosas but cheesier.
