Do you know what's even more fun than saying the word, Empanada (come on, you know it's one of those fun words)? Making and eating homemade empanadas. For real, you're going to love how much fun these are to make. They're also incredibly delicious and perfect for a party.
One of our favorite things to do is entertain. We love having friends over for an impromptu happy hour, or a Saturday night dinner party, or a big birthday bash, and of course, anything holiday related.
Now that Alex and her husband have an official dining room with a big dining table, the two of us are starting to call dibs on who gets to host what.
As much as I love that I raised a mini me when it comes to loving everything about decorating, cooking, and hosting a great party, I have to admit that I'm not going to pass the baton over to her completely. I mean, I still have MANY years left in my Martha Stewart like self.
Cooking delicious homemade vegan food for people, setting a pretty table, and watching friends and family laugh and enjoy all of the love and time that you put into making them happy and satisfied is my kind of soul food.
Our Sweet Potato & Bean Empanada recipe is currently at the top of our list for good vegan party food.
We used our Homemade Vegan Pasta dough to wrap the vegetables in, and we spiced those veggies to perfection.
Alex served them to her friends at her Super Bowl party and they were a HUGE hit! Not one person complained that all of the food was vegan, they just kept asking for more. 😉
WHAT ARE EMPANADAS?
Originating in Latin America, these pastry filled pockets of savory goodness are basically dough around any filling you can imagine, then fried.
ARE EMPANADAS HEALTHY?
While deep fried food can't be classified as healthy, at least in our minds, our oven fried empanadas are not unhealthy.
Of course, some people may balk at the idea of using all-purpose flour, and others may cringe that we brush the slightest bit of oil on the tops before baking so they crisp up and turn a light golden brown, but compared to deep fried, yes, these are a healthy alternative to the typical empanada.
These are also stuffed with sweet potatoes, black beans, and healthy spices. So good for you!
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN EMPANADAS
FIRST
Prepare and roast the sweet potatoes and simmer the black beans.
SECOND
While the potatoes and beans are cooking, make the pasta dough and get it ready for the filling.
THIRD
Process the sweet potato and bean filling and drop by the tablespoon on the center of the dough. Form the empanada and place on the baking sheet and bake for approximately 12 minutes, or until golden brown.
HOW TO SERVE VEGAN EMPANADAS WITH SWEET POTATOES AND BLACK BEANS
We love these with salsa. The Mexican spices in the filling calls for something with acid, like a roasted tomato or tomatillo salsa. You could also dip it in our queso recipe.
You can serve these as appetizers or as a meal with a side salad.
You can make these the night before and bake them the next day. Just store them covered in the refrigerator.
HOW TO FREEZE EMPANADAS
You can freeze them for up to three months in a freezer safe container. To reheat them, bake in a 350F (176C) oven for approximately 15 minutes, or until heated through and golden brown.
Make our empanada recipe and let us know what you think. We love to hear from you! And, don’t forget to take a picture of your gorgeous creation and tag us @veganosity on Instagram.
Let’s connect! Hop on over to our Facebook page and give it a like, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter, and follow us and share this and other Veganosity recipes on Pinterest. We'd be so grateful if you did. If you like this recipe and can't wait to see what we're going to share next, subscribe to Veganosity. Just fill in the subscription box above our picture in the top right corner of the page. And, Alex and I love hearing from you, please leave a comment and let us know what you think of our recipes.
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Vegan Sweet Potato & Black Bean Empanadas
Ingredients
- 2 cups roasted sweet potatoes We used white, you can use orange if you like.
- 2 limes juiced
- 15 ounce can of black beans (reserve the liquid from the beans
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Pasta Dough Recipe see the link in the ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking and for easy clean up.
- Peel and cube the sweet potatoes into 1-inch cubes.
- Place the sweet potatoes on a parchment lined baking sheet and squeeze one half of the lime juice over the potatoes and toss to coat.
- Roast for twelve minutes, then toss the potatoes and roast for another twelve, or until they’re fork tender and golden brown on the edges.
- While the potatoes are cooking, add the black beans to a small sauce pan with two cups of water and the cumin, oregano, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Stir to combine.
- Heat the beans on medium-high heat to a rolling boil, then drop the heat to a simmer.
- Simmer the black beans for thirty minutes.
- Make the pasta dough. Click the link to get the recipe.
- While the black beans and sweet potatoes cook, roll out 2 tablespoon of dough at a time into a circular shape. Look at the above pictures for an idea of what they should look like.
- When the potatoes are done, let them cool slightly and then add to food processor, add the salt, the rest of the lime juice, and the liquid from the black beans.
- Turn the food processor on and process the sweet potato mixture for one minute, or until the sweet potato is smooth.
- Add the black beans and pulse about six times so the black beans are evenly dispersed but most of them are still intact.
- Drop the oven temp to 350°F (176°C)
- Take about 1 tablespoon of the filling and place it on top of the dough.
- Roll the dough to form the empanada as shown above.
- Place the empanadas on a parchment lined baking sheet and lightly brush with olive oil (feel free to omit this part if you’re oil free)
- Bake for 12 min per side, or until golden brown.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Gaia says
This recipe is great! I made it for my meat eating family and they loved it!
Linda Meyer says
Hi Gaia! Yay!! Thank you for letting us know, we're so happy you and your family enjoyed them. 🙂
Christine @ Run Plant Based says
Oh my, this recipe looks so fun and delicious. Love blacks beans and sweet potato, such a great combo and can't wait to try this. Thanks!
Linda Meyer says
Thank you so much! We hope you let us know if you try it.