Empanadas with Sweet Potato and Black Bean
These empanadas are not only delicious but also easy to make, perfect for lunch, dinner, on-the-go meals, picnics, or parties. We use puff pastry for convenience, but traditionally, shortcrust pastry is employed. Feel free to adjust the filling based on what you have on hand, as it is easy to customise to your liking!
Takes 35 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 red onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 large sweet potato (approximately 500g)
- 1 x 400g tin of black beans
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp chilli flakes
- Juice of 1 lime
- 15 g fresh coriander (or parsley, if preferred)
- 30 g vegan cream cheese (optional)
- 2 sheets of puff pastry (640g total)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan).
- Peel and chop the red onion into small dice. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Trim any rough pieces from the sweet potato and chop it into bite-sized pieces.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large non-stick pan over high heat. When hot, add the diced onions, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 2-3 minutes until softened. Add the garlic, chilli flakes, and salt, mixing well, and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.
- Add the chopped sweet potato to the pan along with 1-2 tablespoons of water. Cover with a tight lid and cook for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sweet potato is tender.
- While the sweet potato is cooking, drain and rinse the black beans, mashing them slightly. Chop the fresh coriander (including the stalks) and set aside.
- Line two baking trays with parchment paper. Unroll the sheets of pastry and cut each sheet in half. Trim the corners of each rectangle to create a rough circle. If making larger empanadas, leave the circles about 15 cm in diameter. If making smaller empanadas, use a bowl approximately 15 cm wide to mark and cut out 3 smaller circles from each sheet of pastry (6 in total). Transfer the cut pastry to the lined baking sheets.
- Once the sweet potato mixture is cooked, remove it from the heat. Stir in the chopped coriander and squeeze in the juice of 1 lime. If using, add the vegan cream cheese and mix well. Allow the mixture to cool in the fridge for 5 minutes.
- Divide the sweet potato and black bean mixture evenly among the pastry circles, heaping it in the centre while leaving enough pastry around the edges to seal the filling. Pull the pastry together in the centre over the filling and crimp to seal, creating a half-moon parcel. Brush the tops with your choice of plant milk.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve with your favourite salads or sides. Enjoy!