Empanada, or empanadillas as they are called in my country, are a traditional Hispanic dish, usually filled with meat or fish and deep fried in oil. Served as tapas or as part of a casual meal, empanadillas are delicious, but can also be high in calories and saturated fat.
So I came up with my own version, which keeps all the flavor while improving the nutritional profile. I am using wheat dough, tomato, pepper and lentil filling, and baking instead of deep frying. The wheat and lentil combination results in “complete” plant-based protein, and the baking reduces the fat content while still keeping the crispiness. Flax seeds add ALA omega 3 fatty acids and heart healthy lignans.
For convenience, I am using store bought empanada disks. You can always make your our disks for even better nutrition.
Ingredients
Serves 4 (12 empanadillas)
1 serving = 3 empanadillas
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 yellow onion
- 1 can of low sodium tomato sauce (about 3/4 cup)
- 1.5 cup boiled green lentils ( substitute 1 low-sodium can lentils)
- 2 tbsp milled flax seeds
- 1 tsp pure maple syrup
- Salt
- 1 tsp dried herbs like Italian blend, oregano or basil.
- 1 package of empanada dough. I’m using Goya Empanada Dough Tapas (Baking)
- Optional: 2 tbsp of plain, unsweetened plant milk (I used almond)
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a pan. Cook the pepper and onion with a pinch of salt until soft.
- Add the tomato sauce and the lentils. Cook until the sauce has thickened a little. You want a little moisture, but not too much.
- Add the herbs, maple syrup and flax seeds. Adjust salt. Cook for 1 more minute.
- Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a large cookie sheet (or other oven safe dish) with parchment paper.
- Fill up the dough disks: add about one tablespoon of filling to one half of the disk, fold the other half over to close and press the edges with your finger to seal.
- If using, brush empanadillas with plant milk. This will make them glossier and nicer.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden and crispy.
- Enjoy warm. Be careful, as the filling will be hot and will take a while to cool down.
- For a complete meal, you may want to serve the empanadillas along with green salad.
Nutritional value per serving (3 empanadillas):
Calculated with https://recipecard.io/recipe-nutrition-analyzer/#app
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