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Colombian Cheese and Spinach Empanadas

Colombian Cheese and Spinach Empanadas

Colombian Cheese and Spinach Empanadas are a vegetarian and gluten-free deepfried treat that you can eat at any moment of the day.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course Snack
Cuisine Colombian
Servings 12 empanadas

Equipment

  • patacon press or rolling pin
  • non-stick paper

Ingredients
  

  • vegetable oil for frying

Dough

  • 2 cups precooked yellow cornmeal for example from the brand P.A.N.
  • 2 cups hot water
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • salt

Filling

  • 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 1/2 small onion, finely chopped
  • 300 grams spinach
  • 150 grams queso costeño, grated if not available, replace with feta cheese
  • 150 grams grated mozarella cheese
  • 4 tbsp hogao see link for recipe in blog post
  • 1 small handful of cilantro, finely chopped
  • salt and pepper

Instructions
 

  • Start by preparing the dough. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl using a fork. Leave the mixture for 20-30 minutes
  • In the meantime, prepare the filling. Sautée the garlic and onion until soft. Add spinach in batches and cook until wilted. Season with salt and pepper
  • Let the spinach cool off and squeeze out any excess liquid. Place spinach in a mixing bowl and add the grated queso costeño, grated mozarella cheese, hogao and cilantro. Mix and season well
  • Return to your dough and mix again, now with your hands. If the dough is too wet, add a little bit of cornmeal. If it's too dry and falls apart, add some water. Divide the dough in 12 balls, about the size of a golf ball
  • When using a patacon press: place one ball of dough between non-stick paper in the patacon press. Flatten it evenly into a disc
    When using a rolling pin: place one ball of dough between non-stick paper and use a rolling pin to flatten it evenly into a disc
  • Leave the dough on one sheet of the non-stick paper and place filling on half of the dough, leaving the edges clear
  • Fold the other half over the filling, using the non-stick paper. Use your hands to carefully close the edges. You could also use a fork. It is important that the empanada has no little holes in it, as to prevent oil getting in
  • Repeat this process with the other balls of dough until you have 12 empanadas
  • Heat up the vegetable oil in a frying pan. You will need a layer of about 2 cm of oil in the pan
  • Fry the empanadas in batches for about 2 minutes per side, until golden. Drain excess oil by putting them on paper towels
  • Serve with ají picante

Notes

Make sure to drain the spinach well. If not, the mixture will become too wet. 
Empanadas taste best the same day. 
Keyword cheese, empanadas, gluten-free, snack, vegetables, vegetarian
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