These Italian sub puff pastries were DELICIOUS. These basically taste like a homemade gourmet hot pocket and were a huge hit for my family when I made them. These were better than any hot pocket I’ve ever had from the store. Here’s how to make them:
Supplies and Specialty Ingredients Needed:
These are the supplies that I recommend having on hand to make these delicious Italian sub pockets:
- Cookie Sheets – I find I always need new cookie sheets. This 2 pk from Goodcook is a great deal.
- Parchment Paper – Parchment paper is so important for this recipe. Without it, they WILL stick. These pop up, pre-cut parchment paper sheets are great, or just plain jane parchment paper from the grocery store will work too.
- Basting Brush – I like to use a basting brush to brush on my egg wash more easily. I love this silicone one from Norpro.
- Rolling Pin – This is important to have for rolling out the puff pastry to get rid of seams and to help stretch it out a bit. If you don’t already have one, this classic Farberware one is great!
These are the specialty ingredients I’ve used that you’ll want to have:
- Puff Pastry Dough – For the dough, I buy the frozen Pepperidge Farms sheets. They work really nicely!
- Capicola/ capocollo – This meat is usually in the specialty deli section of the grocery store. It’s also sometimes called Coppa. It’s a cured, thinly sliced cut of pork with a lot of marbling. I love the flavor it provides in this recipe, though you’re welcome to substitute something like prosciutto or pancetta.
- Pickled Sliced Peppers – These pickled peppers from Mama Lil’s add SO much flavor to these puff pastry pockets. I use the mild version of the peppers, though they also sell a spicy hot version as well.
Assembling the Italian Sub Pockets:
First, you’ll want to thaw the puff pastry sheet that you’re using if it’s frozen. After it’s thawed, you’ll want to use the rolling pin to roll it into a larger rectangle. Then cut it into four smaller, equal sized sections. From there, you’ll start adding your toppings on one side of each of the four sections. After that, you’ll add the Italian dressing, egg wash, seal the pockets, and brush with an egg wash and seasonings on top.
Recipe:
Italian Sub Puff Pastry Pockets
Ingredients
- 1 puff pastry sheet, thawed
- 4 slices provolone cheese, cut in half
- 8 slices Italian dry salami
- 24 slices pepperoni
- 4 slices capicola
- 4 tbsp pickled sliced bell peppers, drained well.
- 1 tbsp Italian dressing
- 1 egg
- pinch of Italian seasoning
- pinch of garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- On the parchment paper, using a rolling pin, roll out your puff pastry, seams facing you, until a large rectangle is formed and the seams are smooth. Cut this rectangle into 4 equal sections.
- Place one half of provolone on one side of each of the four sections of the pastry. Then place equal portions of each meat, 1 tbsp of peppers, and then the remaining cheese on top. Leave a 1/2 inch border of pastry showing for sealing each pocket.
- On the opposite side of the pastry from the fillings, evenly spread a thin layer of Italian dressing leaving a 1/2 inch border around the edges.
- Whisk the egg with 1 tsp water using a fork. Using a basting brush, lightly brush this egg wash all the way around the 1/2 inch pastry border on the side of the pastry containing the meat and cheese.
- Fold the side of the pastry with the Italian dressing over the top of the meat until it lines up with the border containing the egg wash. You may need to very gently stretch the dough, being careful not to tear it, to make it fit over the meat and cheese. Press it down lightly along the edges so that it stays in place until you crimp it in the next step.
- Once the dough is fully folded over, using a fork, lightly score around the top, side, and bottom edges to crimp the pocket completely shut.
- Lightly brush the remaining egg wash over the tops of each pocket. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and garlic powder. Cover loosely with tin foil, essentially creating a tent, so that the pockets have room to rise.
- Bake for 15 minutes covered with foil. Remove from the oven, remove foil, and then bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until the pockets are golden brown, the cheese is melted, and the dough is fully cooked through.
These Italian sub pockets are a bit of work, but they are SO worth it! They make for an amazing lunch paired with salad. I hope you try these out and let me know what you think in the comments! If you want more recipes like this one, feel free to subscribe for weekly updates or check out my recipes page here. I’ve also posted some recipes farther down for you to check out! Thanks for reading!
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I love anything in a puff form. This looks really good! I know my husband will enjoy it.
Thanks so much! I hope he does 😊 let me know what you think when you try it!