I first fell in love with empanadas when I was a meat eater, and when I went vegetarian, I didn’t want to give it up. I knew I had to find a way to make them without meat, but still taste delicious.

These empanadas are perfect for any vegetarian and personally, I make them larger instead of smaller and eat them as a full meal rather than finger foods. The recipe itself is rather simple which makes it great for a quick week night dinner!

 

Ingredients

This recipe yields 8 large empanadas or 16 appetizer size.

Empanada

• 1 lb Whole Wheat Pizza Dough (or dough of your choice)
• 1 can (16oz) refried beans of your choosing (I use vegetarian or chipotle)
• 6-8 tbsp southwest style salsa
• 2-3 c shredded cheddar cheese
• Olive oil for pan and coating

Sauce (Optional)

• 1 c Sour Cream
• 1/4-1/2 c Sriracha

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Split dough into 8-16 equal sized portions.
3. On a floured surface, stretch or roll out each portion until you make a circle whose diameter is roughly 2.5 inches (for smaller) or 4.5 inches (for larger).
   • You don’t have to actually measure it, but it should be roughly the size of your entire hand for the larger sized ones and about half that for smaller ones.
4. In a medium sized bowl, combine the refried beans and salsa.
   • The amount of salsa you want to use is up to you. The mixture should not be soupy, but it should be easier to mix than when it was just the refried beans in the bowl.
5. Evenly divide the refried bean mixture among the dough portions. Place the mixture over towards one side of the dough and leave about 1/2-1 inch edge to form a crust.
6. Sprinkle the shredded cheddar amongst the empanadas.
7. Fold the tops of the dough over to cover the filling and roll the edge upwards toward the inside of the empanada.
8. Place the empanadas on a lightly oiled pan. Brush the tops of the empanadas with oil.
9. Bake for 20 minutes, rotating the pan and shelf half way through. Broil on low until the tops get golden and crisp, about 2-4 minutes.
10. Optional: Top the empanadas (large) with the Sriracha mixture or put it on the side for dipping (small).

Even though the sauce is optional, if you enjoy spice, it gives the empanadas the perfect amount of kick!

And that’s it! Like I said, there is not much that needs to go into the recipe itself which makes it perfect for a quick week night dinner or something you can through together for a party! Even though the recipe itself is simple, the taste is fantastic! I highly recommend having it with the Sriracha sauce; you won’t regret it! If you don’t really like spicy things, just decrease the amount of Sriracha so you only get a hint of it.

With this recipe, I like to use the southwest salsa because it gives nice texture and makes the empanadas more than just beans! The salsa I use has corn, peppers, tomatoes and jalapeños all mixed into it so I then I’m not just eating a bean empanada.

 

Let me know if you enjoy this recipe! What is your favorite type of food: Mexican, Italian, American, French?

 

Happy Baking!