Empanadas are a type of baked or fried pastry stuffed with many different kinds of filling. The name empanada comes from the Spanish word empanar, which means ‘to bread.’ Some recipes call for chicken or beef while others use fillings like onions, boiled eggs, olives, or raisins! They are often served during parties and festivals as a starter or main course.
Thank you to Laylita for sharing this wonderful recipe.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces of grated or crumbled mozzarella cheese
- 2 medium sized tomatoes (any kind), chopped
- A large handful of basil, chopped
- 12-15 empanada discs, can use store-bought or make your own empanada dough for baking or for frying
- 1 egg, whisked – to be used as egg wash
To serve:
- Basil garlic sauce
Instructions
- Mix the grated mozzarella, chopped tomatoes, and basil in a bowl.
- To assemble the empanadas, place a spoonful or two of the cheese mixture on the middle of each empanada disc.
- Fold the empanada discs and seal the edges. You can either use a fork to help seal the empanadas, or use your fingers to twist and curl the edges creating a churito or curl type seal. You can also use an empanada mold to seal the empanadas.
- If you have time, for best results, especially since these empanadas contain cheese, chill the empanadas for at least 30 minutes before baking, this will help them seal better and prevent leaks.
- Before baking, brush the top of the empanadas with the egg yolk; this will give a nice golden glow when they bake.
- Bake in a pre-heated oven at 400F for 18-20 minutes or until golden.
- Serve the caprese empanadas with your choice of dipping sauce
Recipe Notes
These caprese empanadas can also be fried – they will be less likely to leak out the cheese filling if they are fried. To fry them you can use a deep fryer or a basic frying pan, make sure to have enough oil to cover at least half the empanada if using a pan. Heat the oil and fry each empanada until they are golden on each side. Place them on paper towels to remove any excess oil.
THE WORLD ON ONE CAMPUS 