Vegan Empanadas, Argentinian style baked pastry turnovers with a vegan filling of vegetables, green lentils and olives.
Empanadas are popular throughout Latin America, especially in Argentina. These Vegan Empanadas are perfect as a treat or to serve at a party. Serve them with your favourite dipping sauce. We particularly like the Empanadas with Chimichurri which we have a quick recipe for here.
Chimichurri
Argentinian sauce made with herbs, chillis and olive oil. Delicious as a dip for Empanadas or as a condiment on a Choripan.
Check out this recipe
Vegan Empanadas
Argentinian style baked pastry turnovers with a vegan filling of vegetables, green lentils and olives.
Ingredients
Filling
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 sweet onion finely diced
- 1 red bell pepper finely diced
- 1 carrot finely diced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon chilli flakes
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 400 g tin green lentils
- 10 green olives chopped
Pastry *
- 300 g all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 90 g room temperature vegetable shortening
- 100 ml water
Instructions
Pastry
- Mix the flour and salt well in a bowl. Add the vegetable shortening and mix together with your hands by rubbing the flour into the shortening. Once you have a crumb-like texture add the water and mix until you have a smooth dough. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and let the dough rest for at least 30 minutes.
Filling
- Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Once hot add the onions, peppers and carrots and slowly saute until the onions are translucent and the carrots are soft. Around 10 minutes.
- Add the herbs and spices. Oregano, smoked paprika, cumin, chilli flakes, salt and pepper. Continue to cook for 1 minute.
- Drain and rinse the green lentils then add them to the pan with the green olives. Cook for a further 1 minute then turn off the heat and set aside the filling mixture to cool.
Assembly
- The empanadas can be constructed once the pastry has rested for at least 30 minutes and the filling has cooled enough to touch.
- Preheat an oven to 200°C / 180°C fan
- The empanadas can be made any size you want. We choose to make them using a 14cm disk of pastry but they can be made larger or smaller depending on your preference.
- Roll the pastry to around 2mm thickness and cut out disks 14cm in size.
- Place filling in the centre of the disk leaving enough space at the edges so you can fold the pastry over. Using a pastry brush or your finger wet the edge of the disk. This will help the pastry stick together. Fold the pastry in half over the filling and crimp the edges using a fork.
- Place the empanadas on a baking tray and bake in the oven for 25 minutes until golden brown.
- Serve hot with your favourite dipping sauce. We particularly like empanadas with chimichurri.
Notes
If you want to save time making empanadas you can use store-bought puff pastry
Tried this recipe?Mention @mikeronm or tag #theveganplanetkitchen!
