Fiesta Fridays: Empanada Edition
Updated: Jan 20, 2020
So for today’s edition of Fiesta Friday, I wanted to share with you one of my favorite latin party dishes. They are called Empanadas! Derivative of the Spanish word Empanar meaning to wrap, this dish is made of dough and stuffed with your favorite filling. Empanadas are great because they are handheld and so easy to eat. The best part is that you can easily convert this to a vegan or vegetarian dish, since traditionally it is made with meat. So today I’m giving you two veganized options of the Empanada! The first one is the Empanada de Pizza and the second is an Empanada with beans and corn!
The first time I ever had an Empanada I was in the Dominican Republic as teenager, on my first out of country trip. What was so great about the Empanada for me was that they had a vegetarian option, which was the Empanadas de Pizza. I loved the taste of the Empanada because it was like a pizza but with a different twist. The dough was just cooked to be airy but still very supportive of everything it was holding inside. The other wonderful thing was I loved how mobile I could be while I ate it. It seemed like after that everywhere I looked, I saw at least one person walking with their Empanada. Although since my trip to the Dominican Republic, I haven’t found any restaurants here in the states that sell great empanadas, much less a vegan empanada. So when I do have a good empanada it’s normally at a party, and when I’m not having them at a party, i’ll make them for my family. Check out below the recipe below to see how easy it is to make these delicious Empanadas!
Empanadas De Pizza
Serves 10 Prep Time: 5 Minutes Cook Time: 10 Minutes Total Time: 15 Minutes
Ingredients:
1 package Goya 10 Discos para Empanadas
½ package Follow your Heart Cheddar Cheese
½ package Follow your Heart Mozzarella cheese
½ cup Marinara Sauce
Italian Seasoning
Oil for Frying
Directions:
Defrost your Empanada Discs
Heat your oil on medium heat
On a plate place your dough (with the wrapper underneath) and put a spoonful of marinara sauce in the center of the dough, then add small amounts of the cheese and a sprinkle of seasoning. Repeat this for each disc.
Using the clear foil, fold the empanadas and press together with a fork.
Fry until golden brown, and let dry on a plate with napkins underneath
Let cool, and let the party begin!
Empanadas with Beans and Corn
Serves 10 Prep Time: 5 Minutes Cook Time: 15 Minutes Total Time: 20 Minutes
Ingredients:
1 package Goya 10 Discos para Empanadas
1 can Black beans
½ can Corn
1 packet Sazón
Oil for Frying
Directions
Defrost your Empanada Discs
In a pan on medium heat, heat your black beans and corn for 5 Minutes and stir in packet of Sazón
Heat your oil on medium heat
On a plate place your dough (with the wrapper underneath) and put a spoonful of black beans and corn. Repeat this for each disc.
Using the clear foil, fold the empanadas and press together with a fork.
Fry until golden brown, and let dry on a plate with napkins underneath
Let cool, and let the party begin!