Spanish Empanada Recipe

[Lenora Rademacher]

Empanadillasare small savory turnovers similar to Latin American empanadas but with a rich olive oil crust. This version of Spanish empanadillas features paprika-spiced beef, sweet red peppers, and hard boiled eggs. Perfect as an afternoon pick-me-up, these savory hand pies are baked as an easy and nutritious twist on the classic fried treat.

When I lived in Barcelona, I found that the merienda, or afternoon snack, was essential. It helped to carry me to a very late Spanish dinner (usually 9 or 10pm). I would visit a caf near my apartment in the old city, where I could enjoy a coffee and merienda while people-watching in the square.

While empanadas originate in Galicia on the Atlantic coast of Spain, many people in the U.S. are more familiar with Latin American empanadas. They were brought by the Spaniards to the Americas, where they incorporated local ingredients and tastes for countless new variations. One of the most notable differences between Spanish empanadillas and Latin American empanadas is the spices and flavorings used in the filling.

Spanish empanadillas get their sweet, smoky, and savory flavor from Spanish sweet paprika and sofrito, an aromatic base of sauted onions and tomatoes. Spanish empanadillas are typically fried, but they can be baked instead, especially when prepared at home.

Empanadillas involve a bit of hands-on time. Plan for about 2 hours, but your work will be rewarded. With 16 empanadillas, this recipe makes plenty to share or save for later. I also find that sealing and crimping them can be meditative.

Beef empanadillas can also be frozen for up to 3 months either before baking, or after. In either case, freeze in a single layer on a sheet pan. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer bag or freezer-safe container.

Eat empanadillas as a snack turn it into a larger affair. Enjoy two of these mini hand pies with a fresh salad or a bowl of Spanish Gazpacho. Eating your meal while sipping wine and people watching in a townsquare is entirely optional!

Mark learned to bake professionally at Two Fat Cats Bakery in Portland, Maine and was most recently the head baker at Hjem Kensington, a Danish caf in London. He lived in Barcelona and Madrid for six years, before moving to London and then back to the States. He is fascinated by the intersection of food, culture, and science. He has been developing recipes for home bakers for three years and began writing for The Mediterranean Dish in 2022.

I made these on the weekend and they were absolutely amazing! We hosted a Spanish themed dinner and served these as the appetizer.

I made them the night before and reheated as per the instructions in the recipe and they were amazing.

We served them with Pico De Galo and it paired wonderfully.

My dough was a little dry so I did add little bits of water to help moisten the dough and make it more workable. I also rolled out my circles a little bigger and allowed me enough excess to do the rope closure. They were pretty and delicious. Definitely making these again.

I made these empadadillas and we ate them as soon as they came out of the oven. They were delicious.

I would llike to know if I can make these the night before, cover them well & put them in the refrigerator and bake the following day?

This was very tasty. I am horrible with dough, mine did not turn out very flaky at all but more dense. Do you think I may have overworked it or added too much flour? It was quite dry. I mixed some labneh with ras el hanout, salt, garlic and lemon juice and dipped the empanadillas in that. So much YUM. Thank you for this easy recipe. I will definitely make again and try to improve my dough skills. Hmmm.. could I use puff pastry?

My school (Albanian International School in Tirana) is having its annual international Day May 30 and my homeroom chose Argentina. I plan to make empanadas. Would this recipe be similar enough to Argentinian empanadas or should I swap out the filling for the Argentinian empanada filling?

This week I return to the north of Spain to bring you another of its star recipes. This traditional dish, with countless versions, has been modified over time depending on each country's and region's typical products until it became what it is today.

Spain has two regions very famous for their empanadas: Galicia and El Bierzo. Two beautiful neighbouring areas with very similar cultures and empanadas. The big difference is that the pie from El Bierzo always has potatoes and chard in the filling.

Well, today, I bring you a couple of versions of the Empanada Berciana. First, I prepared the classic "Empanada de Carne" using a meat filling and trying to emulate the empanada flavours that my grandmother used to do it. The meat used traditionally to make this empanada was left over from making chorizo on the day of the pig slaughter.

Another theory about the first empanadas similar to the ones we know today in Spain dates back to the Arab invasions in the 8th century. They prepared a kind of empanada with lamb meat, bulgur and spices called "esfiha" or "fatay".

Despite its many origins, this delicious and humble dish probably originated in the mountains, where shepherds and travellers carried bread with food. The bread dough was cooked with the stuffing to preserve the meat better, evolving to prepare special dough to wrap the filling.

For the vegetarian pie, we would follow the same steps for the vegetarian empanada. The only difference is that the potato is already integrated into the filling, so we can put the filling in at once.

Well, friends, I hope you dare to make this international Spanish speciality. If you follow the recipe step by step, it is much easier than it looks. And if you have any doubt, you can contact me via direct message on Facebook or Instagram. It will be a pleasure to help you.

Want to recreate this mouthwatering Galician baked tuna empanada (empanada de atn) at home? It's simple! This recipe shows you how to make your own complete with homemade empanada dough. It might be your new favorite savory pie!

After loving the traditional Argentinian beef empanadas, I was disappointed when my first empanada in Spain was cold and greasy. After this bad experience, I avoided them for the next year or so. But after tasting my mother-in-law's version, I had to change my mind about empanda de atn: it was delicious!

At first, I was intimidated to make my own homemade tuna empanada, but I finally took the plunge using a recipe from my favorite Spanish cookbook. The result was a delightful twist on the classic Galician empanada, earning high praise from my husband and securing its place in my Spanish recipe collection.

Wondering what ingredients you need to make your own mouthwatering baked tuna empanada? It might look like a lot, but it takes basic ingredients you might already have. Let's talk about the key ingredients.

It's traditional to serve this baked tuna empanada either hot or cold, depending upon your preference. I enjoy it best while it's still warm from the oven; its fragrance is hard to resist!

If you're looking for other Galician recipes to round out your meal, I suggest pairing this with pimientos de Padrn (fried Padrn peppers) and a slice of tarta de Santiago (Spanish almond cake). Try these 10 best Galician foods and 5 typical Galician desserts for even more ideas!

One great recipe that is a big hit with my hubby from Spain as well as my son!

Instead of roasted pepper, I added chopped fresh red pepper with onion and fried it really well before adding the tomatoes, awesome!

I made this whilst bored on covid19 lockdown. A great recipe, it was much better than any I have had in Spain. The pastry is easy to make and delicious and the filling very tasty.

Thanks for recipe!

My husband is from Galicia and we eat a lot of Spanish food. I made this last night and it was delicious. Everyone loved it. My husband said that I have to add this to our tapas night. I was a little skeptical of the dough, but it was amazing!! The only thing I added was raisins because I remember the empanadas in Galicia always had raisins in it. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes.

Excellent recipe! I made it for a family gathering and everyone loved it. I used a store bought pie pastry dough and made it in a pie dish. It worked very well and saved me a lot of time. I also replaced the egg with capers (also to save time) and that woked well. Thanks for the recipe!

I made this for a house warming party. (I have to admit I used premade pastry though ;-() I invited a friend who is originally from Galicia. She loved the empanada. She said it reminded her of home. Thanks for the recipe. It is great for making ahead of time and having ready for snacks.

I remember my first empanada nearly 60 years ago cooked by my Spanish mother who made wonderful pastry. Unlike most modern recipes they were deep fried and meltingly rich because that was the way she had always made them. Delicious but very unhealthy. Oven baking was not on offer when she learnt to cook as homes did not have the facilities. Your recipe is delicious bu I still hanker after mamacitas!

It does bring me joy that Big Brother was able to visit this past summer with my mama and papa. They took to the beaches of Chipiona, visited Madrid, and enjoyed spending some time in laughter with Tita Rora and Tita Carlota in Sevilla. As Big Brother and I were reminiscing about his trip this past summer, we (of course) ended up speaking about all the great foods he was able to enjoy. He most enjoyed the jamon serrano, muscles, and snails; however, he also enjoyed empanada de atn.

While the dough was resting for an hour, I took over and made the empanada filling. As many recipes in Spain go, this recipe starts with a sofrito, a combination of onions sauteed with peppers and tomato until each flavor lends of its own to fry to a flavor full of depth. Tuna and boiled eggs are then mixed into the sofrito to give of their own.

3a8082e126