★ Tiny Chefs ★ Video Instruction & Recipe

Back to: Black Bean Empanadas

To learn how to make Black Bean Empanadas, follow along with Ms. Jacquie with the video below!

Black Bean Empanadas Recipe

Equipment

Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Cutting Board
Pairing Knife
Medium Bowl
Small Bowl
Rolling Pin
Whisk
Small Round Cutters, 3-in or Larger
Can Opener
Colander
Zester
Citrus Juicer / Reamer
Box Grater
Food Processor
Rubber spatula
Fork (for crimping edges)
Spoons for Filling
Metal Spatula
Baking Sheet
Oven mitts
Oven
Cooling racks
Potato Masher (optional)

Ingredients

FOR THE DOUGH

1/2 can Pillsbury Ready-to-Bake Pizza Dough
Flour for rolling out dough

FOR THE FILLING

1/2 can black beans rinsed and drained
1 tbsp lime juice about 1/4 lime (zest the lime before juicing it. The zest goes in the crema part
1/2 tsp olive oil
1/2 clove garlic roughly chopped
1/8 tsp salt
1 pinch black pepper
2 oz Monterrey Jack cheese coarsely grated

FOR THE LIME CREMA

3/4 cup sour cream
1 tbsp fresh lime juice about 1/4 lime
1 1/2 tsp lime zest
1 pinch salt
1 pinch pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F
In a food processor, combine the beans, lime juice, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Process until the garlic is fully incorporated. The mixture should be creamy but not completely smooth
Grate the cheese on the large holes of a box grater
Unroll the pizza dough onto a clean, lightly floured surface. Roll with a rolling pin until the dough is about 1/4 inch thick. Use as much flour as you need so that the dough doesn’t stick to the pin or the surface
Cut out small circles using about 3-inch round cutter. You can combine all the dough scraps and roll them together to create more circles
Place a teaspoon of the bean filling in the top half of the circle then top it with a small pinch of cheese
Dip a clean finger in water and run it along the edge of the circle
Fold one half over so it meets the other with edges lined up (you may have to push the filling into the dough to get the two sides to meet)
Use the tines of a fork to seal the edges. Try to make sure there aren’t any gaping holes anywhere in the dough, or the filling will ooze out in the oven
Place the empanadas on an ungreased baking sheet
Bake empanadas on the middle rack of the oven for 12 minutes, or until the edges and tops are golden brown
Remove to cooling racks and allow the empanadas to rest for a few minutes. The filling will be extremely hot, so be careful!
For the lime Crema, whisk all ingredients listed above briskly in a small bowl
Enjoy with empanadas!

Notes

Take It Down A Notch – If you have a Pre-K or young Tiny Chef and are worried about the difficulty level or how long it will take, save time by buying shredded cheese and double the amount of pizza dough, so that they don’t have to roll out the scraps. Kick It Up A Notch – If you have an older Tiny Chef and want to make it more challenging, make sure you purchase a block of cheese so the students can grate it on a box grater. Also, since the black bean filling doesn’t need to be completely smooth, have your child mince the garlic and mash the bean mixture with a potato masher or even use forks.

Nutrition