Test Kitchen: Spinach and Cheese Empanadas

Caroline Kohler SAR ’19 ’20

These empanadas are a fun, bite-sized pockets of veggies. Packed with nutrients and easily customizable, this recipe will soon become one of your favorites.

Healthy Swaps for Empanadas

  • Whole wheat flour: Using whole wheat flour increases fiber and B vitamins. Letting the dough sit for longer in the fridge allows the wheat to absorb water and become softer.
  • Yogurt: This recipe uses whole milk yogurt in place of butter in the dough, to reduce the overall fat in the recipe.
  • Veggie filling: Using wilted spinach is an easy way to pack in lots of leafy greens, and you can use any vegetable you like!

Tips and Tricks

  • We found that the filling recipe was a bit too complex—simply wilting the spinach with the onions and then adding the cheese would have been just as good!
  • Using a cup to cut out the circles of dough made mini empanadas! These were great bite size snacks—perfect to pack in a lunchbox or serve at a party.
  • Let the empanadas get nice and brown in the oven—taking them out too early will leave the dough chewy, but there is relatively low of overcooking.

Spinach and Cheese Empanadas
Recipe adapted from The Spruce Eats
Yield: 10 empanadas

Ingredients:

For the empanada dough:
3 cups white whole wheat flour
1 cup whole milk Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons melted butter
¼ cup water (or more as needed)

For the spinach and cheese filling:
3 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
6 ounces baby spinach
½ cup white whole wheat flour
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter
2 eggs
1 cup grated cheese of choice (cheddar, Monterey Jack, Mozzarella)
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions for the empanada dough:

  1. Place the flour in a large bowl. Whisk in 1 teaspoon salt.
  2. Add the yogurt and the melted butter to the flour and stir with a wooden spoon. Add the water 1 tablespoon at a time, and mix until the dough starts to come together. Knead dough gently with your hands, adding more water if the dough is too dry. Knead mixture very gently and briefly until you obtain a relatively smooth dough, but do not overwork the dough. It’s fine if the dough appears a bit shaggy and unevenly mixed (something like pie crust), but it should have enough moisture to come together in a cohesive ball. If dough is too dry, add a bit more water. If it is too sticky, add a bit more flour, and knead lightly.
  3. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and set aside to rest and cDirections for the spinach and cheese filling (make while dough is chilling):
  1. Sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil on low heat until onions are soft and golden, 5 to 10 minutes.
  2. Turn the heat up to medium and add the spinach. Cook, stirring, until spinach is wilted and soft, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  3. Add the flour to a saucepan. Whisk in the milk gradually until mixture is smooth.
  4. Add the butter and cook over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring constantly until mixture just comes to a boil and thickens.
  5. Remove from heat and whisk in the eggs. Return to heat and cook, stirring until mixture comes to a boil and thickens. The sauce will be very thick, like a paste.
  6. Remove from heat and stir in the cheeses. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  7. Chop the cooled spinach and onion mixture. Stir chopped spinach and onions into the cheese sauce.

To assemble empanadas:

  1. Preheat oven to 375⁰F.
  2. Divide dough into 10 pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each piece of dough into a 6-inch diameter circle.
  3. Add 1/4 cup of filling to the center of a circle of dough. W
  4. hill in the refrigerator for one hour.
  5. et edges of dough lightly with water, then fold dough in half to form a semi-circle, enclosing the filling. Pinch edges of dough together, and crimp dough edge to further seal. Place empanada on a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining circles of dough.
  6. Mix the egg yolk with 1 tablespoon water, and brush empanadas with the egg wash before placing them in the oven. Bake empanadas for ~ 25 minutes (check after 20 minutes), or until puffed and golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.