Heart Shaped Spinach and Cheese Empanadas Recipe (2024)

• 20 to 24 empanada shells, store-bought or homemade

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 1/4 cup onion, coarsely chopped

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• 6 ounces baby spinach

• Kosher salt, to taste

• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  See Also

  Dan Lepard's edible Christmas gift recipes | Food

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 cup milk

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 2 large eggs

• 1 cup grated Cheddar, Monterey jack, or mozzarella

• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

1. Gather the ingredients.

2. If you're making the empanada dough, prepare it and let it chill for several hours or overnight.

3. Preheat oven to 400 F.

4. Sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil on low heat until onions are soft and golden, 5 to 10 minutes.

5. 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.

6. Add the flour to a saucepan. Whisk in the milk gradually until mixture is smooth.

7. Add the butter and place over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring constantly until mixture just comes to a boil and thickens.

8. 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.

9. Remove from heat and stir in the cheeses. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

10. Chop the cooled spinach and onion mixture. Stir chopped spinach and onions into the cheese sauce.

11. If using homemade dough, separate it into two balls, covering the one not used. Roll out 1/2 of the dough very to 1/4 inch thick. Cut the dough into 4 to 5-inch rounds, using a large cookie cutter, bowl, or coffee can. Knead the scraps into a ball and let the dough rest, covered, while you roll out the other half of dough. You should end up with about 20 to 24 rounds of dough, depending on the size.

12. Place 1 to 2 tablespoons of filling in the middle of a dough round. Brush edges of the circle with water. Fold the round in half over the filling, and press down hard along the edges to seal.

13. Starting at one end of the pressed-down edge, fold the edge towards the middle and press down. Move your fingers over 1/2 inch and fold the edge into the middle again. Continue around the sealed edge of the empanada, folding the edge over itself, to make a twisted rope effect.

14. Bake the empanadas for 10 minutes, then turn the temperature down to 350 F and bake for 10 to 15 minutes more. The empanadas should be golden brown when done.

15. Enjoy!

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Recipe Tags:

• spinach
• appetizer
• latin
• christmas

Rate This Recipe

I don't like this at all.It's not the worst.Sure, this will do.I'm a fan—would recommend.Amazing! I love it!Thanks for your rating!