Pumpkin Empanadas
This is the simplest recipe ever! And so delicious. I can’t wait to make them again. As a good Latina, you know I am going to Latinize a yummy pumpkin dish and the way I did so in this recipe was by placing the pumpkin filling into an empanada and frying it.
The way this very easy recipe came about was when I asked another blogger, who lives near me to join me on an upcoming episode on my YouTube channel. Her name is Renee and she is awesome. Her blog and YouTube channel are called Thai Caliente. Her food is delicious and I have had the pleasure or making many of them for my family.
When we were thinking up what to make for the episode, we decided to try similar recipes but cooked in different ways. We settled on sweet, dessert. Me on Pumpkin empanadas that were to be fried and she on apple empanadas that would be baked. We had a great time shooting our episode and I learned a thing or two about baking desserts because that is not my forte. Please be sure to watch the video and click to check out her Apple Empanada recipe. I loved it and I am sure you will love it too.
About my Pumpkin Empanadas
I wanted to create something simple, with limited ingredients and that would cook fast. So I chose to go with canned pumpkin puree and fontina cheese for the filling. When I went to pick up the cheese, I spotted a “pumpkin spiced” fontina and I knew I had to go with that one. I also chose to shave the cheese into the pumpkin puree instead of adding the cheese in chunks. This ensured that the cheese would melt quickly into the puree while I fried the empanadas. For added sweetness, I drizzled honey over the finished empanadas.
I also made sure to cut each disc in half to make sure they were more small sized.
Can I bake the empanadas instead?
Yes you can. Follow the filling and sealing process as directed. Heat oven to 375º degrees. Brush egg wash over the empanadas and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until golden.
Where can I find empanada discs?
If you live in an area where there is Latin population you may be able to find empanada discs at your local supermarket or there may be an actual Latin supermarket. In my case, I go to an Asian market that carries items from many other countries as well so that is my go to. Back east, I even found them at a Walmart once.
How do I defrost empanada discs?
From frozen, place in the refrigerator overnight. The discs sometimes are still a little frozen so cut open one side of the package. Place the package in the microwave and heat in 10 second intervals until you feel that the discs are now able to bend slightly.
If defrosting straight from frozen, follow the same directions as above, just be careful that you don’t overheat the discs because they may stick together and be ruined.
Pumpkin Empanadas
Ingredients
- 10 empanada discs yields 20 empanadas
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 8 oz fontina cheese or pumpkin spiced fontina, shaved
- corn oil for frying
- honey to drizzle over top
Instructions
- Empanada discs usually come frozen. Defrost by leaving in the refrigerator overnight and microwaving in 10 second intervals until soft enough to bend.
- Add 1/4 cup water or so in a small bowl. This water will be used to seal the empanadas.
- In a bowl, mix the pumpkin puree and the fontina cheese.
- On a flat surface, lay down one empanada disc and cut in half. You'll have two half moons.
- Place about 1 tsp of the pumpkin puree mixture in the middle of the empanada half.
- Fold over and with a fork, press down all around the edges until completely sealed.
- Once finished with all the empanadas, set aside.
- Heat about 1 1/2 inches of oil in a skillet over medium high heat.
- Once oil is hot, fry the empanadas on both sides until golden brown.
- When the empanadas are ready and plated, drizzle with desired amount of honey.
