Easy Cheesy Empanadas
Submitted by gumdropswap
Put whatever meat/veggies you have on hand in this dish for an exciting and unexpected dish your family will love!
- Ground turkey, beef or chicken (optional)
- "Archer Farms" brand corn and black bean seasoned blend frozen mix OR your choice of sautéed vegetables (onions, zucchini, green peppers, corn, black beans)
- Egg roll wrappers
- Canola, vegetable, OR corn oil
- 1 Packet taco seasoning
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Deep fryer or deep pot for frying
- Skillet for sauteeing meat and/or veggies
- Dish lined with paper towels for draining excess oil
If using meat, brown it and drain most of excess fat.
Add in frozen veggie mix or your choice of things from your fridge. Cover and sauté until thoroughly cooked.
Stir in seasoning and mix well.
Drain excess liquid.
Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Add canola or other frying oil to a frying pan (about 1 inch deep) and set to med-high heat.
Prepare a plate or cutting board with flour to prevent egg roll wrap dough from sticking and a small dish of water for sealing the dough.
Place one square of egg roll wrapper dough on floured surface.
Add a small handful of shredded cheese to the middle of the square.
Place a large spoonful of your meat/veggie mixture on top of cheese- Fold one corner in towards the center, dab with a dot of water from your dish and then fold in the opposite corner to overlap and stick (If you find that it was hard for your corners to meet and the filling is overflowing out of the sides, this is the time to remove some of your filling).
- Use your fingertip to make a line of water along the edge of one of the remaining open flaps and fold in towards the middle. Make sure to seal that wet edge on top of the 2 opposing corners that have already met in the middle.
- Seal the last flap in the same way. ***If the dough rips while you are folding, finish the folding and then wrap in an additional egg roll wrapper for reinforcement.
- Place completed empanadas on a plate to rest while you keep making more. You want to fry 2 at a time. These cook quickly and you don't want to be occupied prepping more while they are cooking because they will burn.
- Check oil for readiness. Try carefully dropping a drop of water in it, if it sizzles immediately, the oil is ready. If oil is not hot enough, keeping folding more.
- Place 2 empanadas (folded side down) into hot oil. Let cook about 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. (Don't walk away, these will burn quickly)
- Flip and brown the opposite side.
- Try to drain as much oil off of the empanadas into the pan before placing on a dish lined with paper towels for cooling.
- Top with your favorite condiments for Spanish food and ENJOY! I suggest serving with a tossed salad.
- The great thing about this recipe is versatility! When I see my fresh veggies about to spoil, I don't want to throw them out, so I sauté whatever I have on hand into the skillet along with my ground meat (beef, chicken, or turkey). Are you a vegetarian? No problem! Just skip the meat and add in more vegetables.
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