Two Simple Savory Empanada Recipes

Empanadas are a South American staple. They are eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner. The typical flavors in Paraguay are beef, chicken, ham and cheese, and corn. You may find a shop that has branched out and added some other flavors, but, that isn't as common. To say I grew accustomed to eating empanadas while living in Paraguay is an understatement. I love them! We used to joke that empanadas are the Paraguayan sandwich, and I'm not a huge sandwich person, but I do love me an empanada. The whole time I was down there I kept dreaming up recipes I could make for my family when I got home and had access to more ingredients. So now, I have two simple filler recipes for you. You can make home-made dough too if you would like, but, making empanadas is a whole day kind of process so I cut a lot of time out by cutting circles (as large or as small as you want) out of store bought pre-made pie crusts.

 

Cheesy Creamy Chicken Empanadas

2 cups of cooked/shredded chicken

1/2 cup of taco/mexican shredded cheese

1/2 cup of monterray jack shredded cheese

1/2 cup cream cheese: softened

1 medium red onion: chopped

1 red bell pepper: chopped

2-3 garlic cloves: finely chopped

2-3 tablespoons of taco seasoning

salt and pepper

hot sauce - to your taste

Saute the onion, red pepper and garlic. Once finished mix with remaining ingredients in large bowl. Take an empanada circle, using a brush wet the edges and now depending how large your circle is add about a spoon full of filling to the middle. Fold in half and us a fork to press the edges closed. Place all prepared empanadas on a baking sheet. Brush tops with olive oil. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with sour cream.

Sausage Pizza Empanadas

1 lb. ground sausage

1 medium onion

1 red bell pepper

1 green bell pepper

1/2 cup tomato sauce

2-3 garlic cloves: finely chopped

2-3 tablespoons oregano

salt and pepper

shredded mozzarella cheese 

Cook sausage, onion, peppers in a frying pan. Once cooked most of the way add the tomato sauce, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper. Once fully cooked, let filling cool down completely. Take an empanada circle, using a brush wet the edges and now add a pinch of mozzarella cheese and depending how large your circle is add about a spoon full of filling to the middle. Fold in half and us a fork to press the edges closed. Place all prepared empanadas on a baking sheet. Brush tops with olive oil. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with sour cream.

Empanadas are great for lunch or dinner. But they also make a great dish for this weekend for your Labor Day celebrations! 

Have you ever tried an empanada before? What did you think?