Vegan Beef and Vegetable (Shepherd’s Pie) Empanadas

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2015

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These are easy. Buy pre-made, raw pie crust dough like those above. (UPDATE- Oh, dear! I just saw there is LARD in that dough. So – if you are vegan or vegetarian – buy a dough that fits your diet – or make it. Yikes!) Make your favorite mashed potatoes – just make them drier than usual. Mix in some veggies & vegan ground beef. Assemble empanadas. Wash with olive oil or vegan butter and bake for 12 minutes or until they are the color you like.

I used grated Brussels sprouts & some cooked broccoli but corn or peas or anything you want could be used instead. I used Beyond Meat Beefy Crumbles but you could use real meat or no meat at all. Your call.

The ratio of ingredients is very flexible. I neglected to measure what I used but I will give you a rough guide. A lot depends on the size of the potatoes & how thin your dough is, etc. This is a very forgiving recipe & these guys are really yummy!

Beef and Vegetable (Shepherd’s Pie) Empanadas – Vegan, Vegetarian or Not

This made about 2 dozen empanadas (quantity depends on the size you make them)

INGREDIENTS

3 boxes pie crust

9 oz vegan beef

6-8 medium potatoes (you might end up with extra mashed potatoes but I will post a recipe to use them – so never fear)

Vegetables of your choice (I used about 10 grated Brussels sprouts & one large head of steamed broccoli chopped small)

Olive oil

Grated vegan cheese of your choice – (optional)

1-4 garlic cloves – minced (optional)

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

Milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)

Vegan butter

S&P

Vegan butter or olive oil

Parchment paper

DIRECTIONS

Got a favorite mashed potato recipe? Make that but keep it on the dry side. Or –

Peel the potatoes & cut them up. Boil until soft & drain.

Mash with just enough milk & butter that they come together like VERY thick mashed potatoes – small lumps are fine. If these are too wet – you will have soggy empanadas and nobody wants soggy fucking empanadas. Add the onion & garlic powders & some S&P. Blend well.

If you are using a hard vegetable – like raw carrots or Brussels sprouts – saute them in a bit of olive oil until tender & add them & the beef to the potatoes. If using frozen of canned veggies – just drain them & mix them into the potatoes and add the beef.

Heat the over to 350 degrees.

I made two sizes of empanadas (you can see the two sizes below). I used that black glass to cut these guys that were about 4″ across but the empanadas ended up very small, mostly pastry & I would have ended up with 4000 of them & arthritic hands – so – I used a bowl to cut bigger rounds & the empanadas had a better ratio of filling to pastry. This is something you need to play around with yourself – and is why I cannot possibly give you any accurate guess at how many empanadas you will end up with.

Roll the dough out on some flour. Cut the rounds with a bowl or glass, top with a dollop of filling & a small amount of grated cheese (if you are using cheese) & fold over. Wet the edge to help seal the edge and pinch the edges together. Place on a cooking sheet lined with parchment paper. When you are ready to bake them, brush the empanadas with olive oil or melted vegan butter.

Bake about 12 minutes or until they are a nice golden color.

Devour!