Vegan Runzas (Bierocks)

I had never heard of a Runza or Bierock before, but now that I've tried them I can't get enough! They're like a vegan hot pocket!

Meat Pies.

That's basically what Bierocks are and were introduced to America in the 1870s by German/Russian Mennonite immigrants.

In Russia, they were known as pirozhkis and not surprisingly - are very similar to Spanish Empanadas too. It seems every culture has its own version.

They were suggested to me in one of my morning live streams and since I had never heard of them before, decided to do a little research.

"Oh look! Vegan Hot Pockets!"

Hot Pockets (specifically the pizza and beef & cheddar) were definitely a comfort-food favorite of mine back in the day, so I knew I had to try and make them vegan.

The recipe is simple. You will need 5 main ingredients with a few spices and flavorings.

Ingredients for Vegan Runzas

Bread dough
Onions
Garlic
Cabbage
Vegan hamburger

The bread dough is easy, as I already have a Herb Crusted Pizza Dough recipe and it works perfectly. It will take about an hour to rise, giving you time to make the burger crumbles and dice your veggies.

I used about 1 ½ cups each of diced, white onions and shredded green cabbage. Any cabbage will do, savoy, napa, green, etc.

And for the vegan hamburger, you have several choices.

Soy curls (what I used in this recipe)
My Amazing Cauliflower Taco Meat recipe
My Incredible Tofu Taco Crumbles recipe
Any store-bought vegan meat crumbles (they will have oil)
Or TVP (which I personally do not use)

The amount of soy curls I used mixed with the onions and cabbage was perfect for making 4 vegan runzas out of my pizza dough recipe.

For those of you not familiar with soy curls - they are non-gmo soybeans that have been steamed and shaped, then dried. Butler Foods in Oregon makes them and they are available at Whole Foods and of course Amazon (affiliate links follow)

How To Make Vegan Runzas (or vegan bierocks)

Prepare the pizza dough according to this recipe. As you let it rise for the next hour, continue with the following.
Dice a medium white onion until you have about 1 ½ cups of diced onion.
Shred your cabbage until you have about 1 ½ cups of shredded cabbage.
Break up about 4 ounces of Soy Curls into hamburger-like crumbles. I used a rolling pin.
Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a large skillet and then add the soy curls. Season with garlic powder and soy sauce. Allow to simmer until all of the liquid has evaporated. Carefully transfer the soy curls into another container to cool and set aside.
Rinse and dry your skillet, then saute the onions, cabbage, and garlic just until softened. Use a splash of veggie broth or water to prevent sticking.
Carefully squeeze out any remaining moisture from your now-cooled soy curls and add them to the skillet.
Add all of the remaining seasonings, adjusting as you go for your own individual tastes, and mix well. Then remove from heat and set aside.
Preheat your oven to 400° F.
Cut the pizza dough into 4 equal balls. Then roll out the ball of dough into a roughly 9" x 5" rectangle. (see photo above)
Lightly moisten the edges of the dough by dipping your finger in some water. This will help seal the runza. Then spoon roughly ¼ of the hamburger mixture down the center of the dough. Bring the edges of the dough together and pinch to seal. Then repeat for the remaining 3 dough balls.
Place the runzas seam-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 6 minutes. Rotate the cookie sheet 180° and bake for an additional 6 minutes. Rotate one more time and bake for about 3 minutes or until they are golden brown.

I can see a lot of possibilities with this sandwich. Pizza sauce, mushrooms & vegan cheese, potatoes & sauerkraut, spicy tofu, and kimchi. You tell me what sounds good and just maybe I'll make a version of it for the blog.

Until then, the weather is kind of crazy everywhere right now (a hurricane in California?!) so you all stay safe, cool, and hydrated, and I'll see you soon.

Chuck