Empanadas are little hand-held pies that can be served as an appetizer, lunch or dessert depending on the size and filling. Traditional empanadas are shaped like half moons. We were inspired by the upcoming celebration of Valentine’s Day so we shaped ours into hearts that you can enjoy with your special someone. ❤
These empanadas smelled so good while they were baking, for a moment we thought we were walking down a street in Argentina! We could hardly wait to eat them. They are filled with a delicious combination of meat, vegetable & cheese.
Servings: 6-8 (depending on the size of your cookie cutter. We used a 5″ x 4″ heart-shaped)
Ingredients
- 1 Easy Empanada Flaky Dough Recipe
- 3 Tablespoons EVOO
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (or frozen cubes)
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 6 ounces fresh baby spinach
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3 Tablespoons salted butter
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup grated Monterey jack cheese (cheddar or any cheese of your choice)
- 2 Tablespoons grated parmesan Reggiano
- 2 lbs bulk hot country sausage, no casings (we use Neese’s)
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1½ tsp ground cumin
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the Easy Empanada Flaky Dough
- Preheat oven to 400° F.
- Sauté onion & garlic in EVOO on medium-low until soft & lightly golden, 5-10 minutes. Add oregano & cumin. Stir another minute.
- Turn heat up to medium and add spinach, cook, stirring until spinach is wilted & soft, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat & let cool. Season with salt & pepper.
- Put bulk sausage in skillet, Cook and brown while breaking up into smaller pieces until done.
- Remove from heat and spoon sausage meat onto paper towels removing as much fat/grease as possible. Do not clean skillet at this time, keep sausage fat in skillet.
- Add flour to the skillet and whisk the milk gradually until mixture is smooth.
- Add butter and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until mixture comes to a boil and is thickened.
- Remove from heat and whisk in the eggs. Return to heat and cook, stirring until mixture comes to another boil and thickens, the sauce will be a paste consistency.
- Remove from heat and stir in the cheeses. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
- Chop the cooled spinach, onion & garlic mixture. Add into the cheese sauce along with well-drained sausage.
- Roll out the empanada dough to 1/8″ thickness. Cut 2 hearts with a 5″ x 4″ heart-shaped cookie cutter. Brush the edges of 1 heart lightly with egg wash.
- Place 2 Tablespoons of filling in center of the heart, cover with another heart-shaped cutout. Press edges together firmly all around with thumb or forefinger forming a sort of scalloped edge. Brush with egg wash then bake about 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Best served warm.
Did you make this recipe? We would love to hear from you. Please leave us a comment below or Tag @twinsinthekitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #twiinsinthekitchen.
