Empanadas are small filled pastries from Argentina. Take a mouthwatering delicious bite, either warm or cold. Empanadas, easy to make & the perfect snack to-go. Simple, yet satisfying, use this recipe for veggie empanadas as a starting recipe for your own creations. Good dough, & a pinch of creativity is all it needs.
Empanada: It's all about the filling
You can find so much variation in empanadas. From meaty to vegan, Latin American to Japanese - There is barely no taste that you cannot stuff into an empanada.
As long as you get the texture and consistency right, so that things don't crumble away or become runny like a sauce, you can put pretty much anything into empanadas.
I created this filling based on the things I could find on the local seasonal farmers market in Tenerife. Thats why I call these veggie empanadas "del huerto" - from the garden.
Making empanadas by hand
If you have barebones equipment and don't want to invest into shaping tools, I still got you covered. With just basic tools you can create great looking and even better tasting empanadas. You just need something to roll the dough, and something to cut circles into the empanadas.
For rolling the dough, classically use a rolling pin. If you don't have that, I recommend using a bottle of wine. To cut round and nice disks, you can use an empty tin can or the lid of a small pot. There is no "perfect" size for empanadas, but you can use the length of your hand as reference.
So once you got your tools, roll out a thin layer of dough. Cut rings with your tool of choice. Place the dough into your palm and add some filling on top.
Fold the empanada together, so that it looks like a half moon. You can use a butter knife to press the edges together and create some zig-zag patterns.
Rinse and repeat.
Making picture-perfect empanadas
If you want things to become more even, use some more advanced tools. To get the dough straight I like working with a pasta maker. Start by feeding the dough through the widest setting and bit by bit go for thinner settings. Don't make the dough too fine, as it may break in the folding process.
Now use one of those empanada or dumpling makers to make the perfectly shaped empanada. Lay out some dough on the machine, add the filling and carefully fold it to press the empanada. Remove outstanding dough and open.
Rinse and repeat.
Baking the veggie empanadas
Preheat the oven to 200° C / 390° F. Bake the empanadas for around 20 minutes, or until they start getting brown. Let them cool down a bit before giving them a first bite.
Buen apetito
veggie empanadas "del huerto"
Equipment
- pasta maker for perfect results
- Empanada maker for perfect results
Ingredients
The Dough
- 300 g All purpose flour
- 150 g Water
- 3 tbsp Olive oil extra virgin
- 1/2 tbsp Salt
The filling
- 120 g Brown lentils dry
- 200 g Cherry tomatoes
- 100 g Red bell pepper
- 200 g Spinach fresh
- 100 g Kale
- 50 g Soy protein granulate
- 80 g Mushrooms
Spices
- 1 tsp Cumin
- 0.5 tsp Thyme
- 0.5 tsp Sweet paprika powder
- 2 tbsp Soy sauce
- 0.5 Lemon juiced
If you like it a bit mushy
- 30 g Chickpea flour
- 50 g Water
Instructions
Preparing the dough
- Mix the flour and the salt. Then add water and oil and mix thouroughly for at least 5 minutes. The dough should become very elastic and non-sticky when touched.
- Wrap the dough in transparent foil and put it into the fridge for 20 minutes.
Making the filling
- Rinse the lentils and cook them. Meanwhile, chop the vegetables into small bits. You can put them all into the same bowl, no worries here.
- Soak the soy granulate in boiled water for around 3 minutes. Rinse properly, as well as the lentils. Let them drip dry for a bit.
- Warm up some oil in a big pan at medium heat. Add the vegetables to the pan and give them a good roast. When the vegetables start browning, deglaze them with a bit of soy sauce.
- Add the lentils and the soy granula to the pan and mix everything well. Round up the flavour with cumin, thyme and red paprika (sweet). Let the aromas develop for a couple of minutes while stirring here and there.
- If you want the filling to be a bit more mushy, mix 30g of chickpea flour with 50g of water and add it to the pan. This should make everything a bit more sticky and makes it easier to bite the empanada without losing the filling. Add more of this mix if desired.
Filling and baking the empanadas
- Get the dough out of the fridge and divide it in 10 equal pieces. Preheat the oven to 200° C / 390° F.
- If you dont happen to have any "professional" empanada equipment (they cost like 1-3 bucks in the internet though) you can still cut perfectly round empanadas using a lid from a small pot or you can use a big tin can.
- Put the dough on your palm and add a generous spoon full or two of the filling. Fold two opposites together to form the typical Half moon shape. Use a butter knife to press a nice looking zig zag around the closing surfaces.
- Bake the empanadas for roughly 20 minutes or until getting golden brown.
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Nutrients per serving
