Empanadas de Espinaca (Spinach Empanadas)

Empanadas (Empada in Portuguese) are hand pies originally from Portugal and northwestern Spain, Galicia. They can be traced back to the Middle East and India. There are now many variations of empanadas all over North and South America.

Empanadas de Espinaca were created by a bakery in Cali, Colombia. These empanadas are filled with garlic, spinach, ricotta (or cottage cheese), and Parmesan. They can be baked or fried. Today, I made the baked version.

To seal the edges, a “repulgue” technique is used to create the rope shaped edge. This is the first time I have made empanadas and still had a few burst in the oven. The ones that burst had a weak spot in the front, so I still need to work on the technique a bit. I also rolled the dough a little too thin. Be careful not to overfill the empanadas, as this can also cause bursting.

Here is a guide for folding empanadas and a video from Global Table Adventure.

I froze the extras before baking for quick lunches during the week. I put them straight into the oven from the freezer and added about 10 minutes to the baking time.

Empanadas de Espinaca (Spinach Empanadas)

Adapted from Use Real Butter

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Empanadas de Espinaca (Spinach Empanadas)

Course Main

Cuisine Colombian

Keyword cheese, Colombia, Colombian, empanada, spinach

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Resting Time: 2 hours hours

Total Time 2 hours hours 50 minutes minutes

Servings 12 large empanadas

Ingredients

Dough:

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• pinch paprika
• 1 cup warm water
• 3/4 cup lard or butter melted

Filling:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 teaspoon red chile powder
• 8 ounces fresh spinach stems removed and thinly sliced
• 1 cup ricotta
• 8 ounces whole milk mozzarella or queso quesadilla shredded
• 2 tablespoons Parmesan grated
• salt and pepper to taste

Topping:

• 1 egg yolk beaten with a splash of water

Instructions

• In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, and paprika. Slowly pour in the water and melted butter while stirring to make a smooth, cohesive dough. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
• In a medium saucepan, heat butter and olive oil over medium high heat. Once the butter is melted, cook the garlic and red chile powder just until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stir in the spinach and cook until wilted. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Stir in the ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, salt, and pepper.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and lightly grease 2 large baking sheets. Divide dough into 12 large or 24 small equal pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll a piece of dough into a circle about 3/8 inch thick. Place 2-3 tablespoons filling in the middle for large empanadas or 1-1 1/2 tablespoons filling for small. Fold the dough over the filling and press the edges together to seal. Starting at one end, pull the edge out slightly and fold over, repeating until you reach the other side to create a rope appearance. Repeat with remaining dough. Brush the tops of the empanadas with the egg wash. Bake on prepared baking sheets until golden, 20-25 minutes.