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Vegetarian Empanada

Vegetarian Empanadas

These are delicious and best eaten with the fingers – the quantities given here make 12, using pastry circles approximately 16cm in diameter
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • Short-crust pastry
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 1 red capsicum seeded and chopped
  • 3 hard-boiled eggs chopped
  • 1 small potato and 1 small kumara peeled and cut into roughly 1cm cubes, steamed until just tender
  • 1 400 g tin cannellini beans drained and thoroughly rinsed
  • 2 Tbsp basil pesto
  • 1 tsp nacho spice mix
  • 1 tsp salt
  • Ground black pepper
  • 1 cup grated tasty cheese
  • 1 Tbsp capers (optional)

Instructions

  1. Sauté the onion and red pepper until tender, then add the nacho spice and stir for a few seconds to develop the flavour.
  2. Remove from the heat and add all the other ingredients, mixing well Leave to cool while you cut out the pastry circles on a floured surface.
  3. Line two oven trays with baking paper.

  4. Cut out 12 16cm circles from the short-crust pastry. A small dessert bowl can be used for cutting around. Place each circle on the baking paper to fill.

  5. Place a couple of tablespoons of filling across the pastry, just to one side of the centre of each circle. Moisten the edge of the circle with milk, then fold the pastry over and seal right round to produce a semi-circle shape.
  6. Place a couple of small slits in the top of each empanada, then brush liberally with oil.
  7. Bake at 200°C on fan bake for about 30 minutes, basting once more with oil in the middle of the cooking process, until the empanadas are golden brown.

Recipe Notes

Serve as is or with a salad of your choice. Any left over empanadas can be frozen, then microwaved on thaw to warm them and finished in a hot oven (about 210°C) for 5 to 10 minutes to get them heated through and crisp.