Vegetarian Empanadas
These homemade Vegetarian Empanadas are made with a super easy dough and are filled with black beans, corn, potatoes, veggies, and flavorful spices. Perfect snack or side dish for serving a crowd. Baked, not fried!
How to make vegetarian empanada filling
- Olive oil
- 1 jalapeño (feel free to include as much or as little of the seeds as you prefer)
- Corn
- Black beans (rinse and drain first if using canned)
- Russet potato
- Seasonings: salt, paprika, red pepper flakes, ground black pepper, and ground cumin
- Celery
- Red bell pepper and green bell pepper
Optional: shredded cheese (Monterey jack, Mexican blend, or pepper jack cheese would all be delicious)
To make the veggie empanada filling, start by heating the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the jalapeño and sauté. Once fragrant, add corn, black beans, potato and seasonings and stir together in the pan. After the mixture has come together, add the diced celery and bell peppers. Cook until tender.
How to assemble vegetarian empanadas
Tear off golf-ball sized pieces of the chilled dough and roll into balls.
On a lightly floured work surface, use a rolling pin to roll out the balls into 1/4-inch thick, 5-inch diameter circles.
Place 2 heaping tablespoons of filling in the center of each dough circle. Sprinkle lightly with cheese, if using. Be sure not to overfill your empanadas as you assemble, which is easy to do. Use a little less than you think to prevent any holes or tears in the dough and to prevent them from bursting open as they bake.
Brush a small amount of egg wash lightly over one half edge’s border. Fold over the dough to create a half-moon shape and press edges firmly to seal. Crimp edges with the back of a fork.
Brush with an egg wash and bake.
How to freeze vegetarian empanadas
Freeze the sheet of unbaked empanadas until solid, then transfer into a freezer bag. Frozen empanadas will keep for up to three months and can be baked straight from the freezer. Add a few extra minutes to the cooking time.
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 1 cup water
- 1 1/2 sticks (170 grams) unsalted butter
- 2 3/4 cups (349 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- pinch paprika
For the Vegetable Filling
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
- 1 can (15.5 ounces) corn
- 1 can (15.5 ounces) black beans
- 1 small russet potato, peeled, finely diced, and boiled*
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 stalks of celery, diced
- ½ red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
- ½ green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
- 1/2 cup shredded monterey jack cheese (or “Mexican blend” cheese), optional
For the egg wash
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons water
Instructions
For the dough
1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the water and butter, heating until butter has fully melted. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and paprika and make a well in the center. Pour a little of the warm butter mixture in and mix with your fingertips to make a wet paste. Pour in remaining liquid, and work the dough with your hands until you get a wet, oily dough. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
2. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
For the filling
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté jalapeño. Once fragrant, add corn, black beans, potato and seasonings. After the mixture has come together, add the diced celery and bell peppers. Sauté for about 2 minutes, or until tender.
To assemble
1. Tear off golf-ball sized pieces of the chilled dough and roll into balls. On a lightly floured work surface, use a rolling pin to roll out the balls into 1/4-inch thick, 5-inch diameter circles. Once your dough has been rolled out, place 2 heaping tablespoons of filling in the center of each dough circle. Sprinkle lightly with cheese, if using. Fold over the dough to create a half-moon shape and press edges firmly to seal. Crimp edges with the back of a fork.
2. Place empanadas onto the prepared baking sheet. Lightly beat together the egg and water. Brush the empanadas gently with the egg wash.
3. Bake empanadas until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Serve warm.
4. Refrigerate leftovers either plastic wrapped or stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days. You can also freeze cooked empanadas plastic wrapped in a resealable freezer bag or airtight container for up to 3 months. To reheat, unwrap as many empanadas as you want and warm through in a 300°F oven or toaster oven for about 10 minutes.
Notes
May use cooked potato leftovers as well. If using fresh uncooked potato, in a small saucepan, fill ⅔ with water and bring to boil over high heat. Meanwhile, peel and finely dice the potato. When water is boiling, reduce heat to medium and add potato, cooking until the potato can easily be pierced with a fork, about 10 minutes. Drain in colander.
