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–+ servings
caprese empanadas on a blue plate served with a creamy dip.

Caprese Empanadas

Robyn
A soft homemade dough is filled with cheese, tomato and basil to create these delicious Caprese empanadas. This easy recipe makes a fun snack, is tasty for lunchboxes and picnics, and is very simple to prepare.
5 from 3 votes
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
dough resting time 1 hour
Course finger food, Lunch, lunchbox
Cuisine International
Servings 24 empanadas
Calories 97 kcal

Equipment

  • 2 baking trays / baking sheets

Ingredients
  

Empanada Dough

  • 375g plain flour ($0.45 / £0.23)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder ($0.10 / £0.03)
  • ½ teaspoon salt ($0.01 / £0.01)
  • 65g cold butter, cubed ($0.84 / £0.52)
  • 180ml (¾ c) cold water ($0 / £0)

Empanada filling

  • 150g mozzarella cheese ($2.37 / £0.84)
  • 2 medium tomatoes, or 1 large, deseeded ($0.60 / £0.20)
  • ¾ teaspoon dried basil, or ¾ tablespoon fresh basil ($0.06 / £0.02)
  • ⅛ teaspoon black pepper ($0.02 / £0.01)
  • 1 egg, beaten, optional to glaze and seal

Instructions
 

To make the empanada dough:

  • In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt together.
  • Add the cubes of cold butter and gently rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs.
  • Pour in the cold water and mix to form a soft dough.
  • Wrap the dough in cling film / cling wrap and place the dough in the fridge to rest for 1-2 hours.

Make the filling:

  • Cut the mozzarella cheese into small cubes - ½ cm / 0.2 inches.
  • Cut the tomatoes into quarters then take out the seeds, cut into ½ cm / 0.2 inch cubes. No need to peel the tomatoes.
  • In a small bowl, mix the cubes mozzarella with cubed tomato, dry or fresh basil and black pepper.

Make the empanadas:

  • Preheat the oven to 200˚C fan / 220˚C / 392˚F convection / 428˚F.
  • Line two baking sheets with baking paper / baking parchment.
  • Take the dough out of the fridge. Lightly flour a board / surface and a rolling pin with flour, then roll the dough out to a thickness of 2mm / 0.07 inch.
  • Using a 9cm / 3.5 inch round cookie cutter, cut out circles from the dough. Gather the dough scraps together and re-roll, repeating until all the dough is used.
  • Place ¾ tablespoon of the filling in the centre of a circle of dough. Either using beaten egg or water, brush around the edges of the dough, then fold over to create a semi-circle. Press down on the seams with a fork to seal.
  • Place the empanada on the lined baking sheet and repeat with the rest of the dough and filling.
  • Brush with egg glaze, if using, then bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden.
  • Leave to cool for at least 5 minutes before eating - the tomato can be hot!
  • Store leftovers in the fridge or freeze.

Video

Notes

Estimated costs: Australia $4.45. Per empanada = $0.19
UK £1.86. Per empanada = £0.08
America - I am yet to calculate the estimated ingredients costs to make this recipe in the US. If you would find it useful please contact me and I'll get calculating :) 
Plain flour – all purpose flour.
Baking powder – this leavener helps the dough to rise a little, keeping it light in texture.
Butter – Cold butter. I like to use unsalted butter in my dough and add a little salt. However you can use salted butter if you prefer, just don’t add any extra salt to the dough.
Mozzarella – I find the best mozzarella for these empanadas is the larger mozzarella balls. I don’t recommend using bocconcini as their moisture content is higher, which makes the empanadas soggy.
Tomatoes – fresh tomatoes. It doesn’t matter if they are slightly under ripe. You want firmer tomatoes rather than over ripe and squishy tomatoes.
Basil – you can use dried basil or fresh basil in the empanada filling. If you don’t have basil, you can use these basil substitutes.
Rest the dough – like pastry, this helps the dough create a better seal as it doesn’t shrink back as easily.
Take the seeds out of the tomatoes – if you leave them in the wet filling can make the pastry soggy. You don’t need to peel the tomatoes.
The dough stays soft in the fridge, so you can roll it straight away.
I find it more manageable to cut the dough in half and roll out one of the halves, cut out circles, and then roll out the other half. This is especially useful if you don’t have a large work surface.

Nutrition

Calories: 97kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 3gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 124mgPotassium: 47mgFiber: 1gSugar: 0.4gVitamin A: 196IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 46mgIron: 1mg
Keyword baked vegetarian empanadas, caprese empanadas, vegetarian empanadas

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