When it comes to traditional Mexican dishes, empanadas are a top choice. These little pockets of joy will spice up any party and they can easily be an appetizer of a meal. Most empanadas are filled with meat mixtures, but these ones are filled with veggies. Even without the meat, these were so delicious. Just make sure you don’t overstuff them like I did!
To go along with these, I made a simple Spanish rice. I will include the recipe for that as well in case you wanted to try it out!
Ingredients
Empanadas
- 1/2 can of corn
- 1 jalapeno
- 1 can black beans
- 1/2 c salsa
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin
- 2 refrigerated pie crust (should get 2 in one package)*
- 1 bag Monterey jack
Rice
- 15oz can stewed tomatoes
- 1 1/2 c vegetable stock
- 1 1/2 c brown rice
- 1 tbsp butter
- Chili powder
- Oregano
- Garlic powder
- Cumin
Directions
Empanadas
- Preheat the oven to 450°.
- In a large bowl, combine, corn, jalapeno, beans, salsa and cumin.
- On a lightly floured counter, roll out the first pastry dough. You want it to be decently thin; you should get 10 circles out of each dough.
- Use a 4in round cookie cutter to cut the dough.
- I recommend cutting all the circles out first so then you are filling them all at the same time.
- Place about 1-2 tbsp worth of filling into the center of each circle.
- This is where you need to be careful because if you overstuff them, then they won’t close later.
- Sprinkle some cheese inside and then fold it over so you have a nice semi-circle. Use a fork to crimp the edges shut.
- Place the empanadas on a lined baking sheet and bake from 12-15 minutes, until they are nice and golden brown.
Rice
- Combine all the ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a boil
- If you do not want huge tomato chunks, then I suggest draining the stewed tomatoes, reserving the liquid, and chopping them before adding it to the pot.
- All of the seasonings should be added based on your own preference.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 30 minutes. May sure you are stirring frequently towards to end to ensure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
- The time varies based on the type of rice you use.
Tell me that doesn’t look delicious and I might just say that you’re insane! Like I said before, these can be a nice appetizer or served with rice as an entree. As always, feel free to play around with the filling for the empanadas based on your taste.
Happy Cooking!
Goods by Gabi 