The word empanada comes from the verb “empanar”, whose definition according to the RAE is to enclose something in dough or bread to cook it in the oven. In this case, together, we will teach you how to enclose tuna, vegetables and cheese to obtain a rich, nutritious and easy dish. It can be a good option to take to work or school. Also, you can freeze these empanadas once cooked, their conservation will be safe for 3 months. Remember to do it once they are cold, separating them with transparent paper, and do not forget to add the date to know the day they were frozen. Among other notable aspects of this recipe, the tuna provides this dish with nutritional qualities for the cardiovascular system and the cheese, a source of calcium, improves bone health, helping to prevent problems such as osteoporosis.
So we recommend you read this recipe to find out how to make easy tuna and cheese empanadas. Let’s cook!
Ingredients to make Tuna and Cheese Empanadas:
- 12 empanada discs
- 2 cans of natural tuna
- 1 large onion
- 100 grams of spinach
- 60 grams of fresh cheese
- 1 dessert spoon of cumin
- ½ tablespoon dessert pepper
- To paint:
- 1 egg
- Optional:
- 2 tablespoons of sugar
How to make Tuna and Cheese Empanadas:
- To start the recipe for tuna and cheese empanadas, you must first peel, chop and brown the onion in a skillet over high heat with 1 teaspoon of oil. Once it has been colored, lower the heat to medium and add 1 tablespoon of hot water. This will raise the cooking bottom and help you cook the onion by caramelizing it with its own sugars. When the water has evaporated, you can add 1 more tablespoon and repeat this procedure as many times as you want. The more you do it, the sweeter it will be. Booking.
- Wash leaf by leaf and chop the raw spinach.
- Trick: instead of blanching or sautéing it, you should use it raw in this preparation. This way it will be more nutritious by not losing nutrients in 2 cooking methods.
- Mix the chopped spinach with 2 cans of natural tuna, we point out that they must be drained, and also mix the previously caramelized onions. Season the filling of your tuna and cheese empanadas to taste. Once you’ve tried it and like it, move on to the next step.
- Start filling your empanadas. To do this, wet the edge of half a disc of empanada and add 1 tablespoon of filling in the center. Arrange the fresh cheese cut into small cubes. We point out that the tuna and cheese puff pastry empanada is also a good option, therefore, you can choose to buy puff pastry and make your own discs. We point out that the Philadelphia cheese and tuna empanada is also delicious!
- Proceed to close the empanada. Seal them with a fork to make sure they don’t split open during cooking. While you fill and close your empanadas, turn on the oven at 220 ºC so that it is very hot when cooking them. We point out that you can also cook fried tuna patties, but it will be less healthy.
- Arrange your tuna and cheese empanadas in a roasting pan with 1 teaspoon of oil spread with a napkin or cooking spray separated by about 1 finger width. In this way, the heat will be even for each one during cooking. Paint them with the beaten egg.
- This point is optional, however we assure you that if you like sweet and sour flavor, and you will love this step. Once the empanadas are painted with the beaten egg, you can sprinkle them with a little sugar. Cook your empanadas in the preheated oven at 220ºC for approximately 20 minutes or until they are golden to your liking.
- Enjoy some delicious tuna and cheese empanadas
Tuna and cheese empanadas and other ingredients
The essential thing about this recipe is that, thanks to the spinach, these tuna and cheese empanadas provide nutrients to your body, and also, few calories. In this way, depending on the empanada discs and the cooking method you use, you could talk about a very healthy dish. However, there are many versions to fill these empanadas, so we want to share with you other options:
- Tuna, fresh cheese, onion, red bell pepper and chopped hard-boiled egg.
- Tuna, spreadable cheese and green onion.
- Tuna, onion, goat cheese, olives, bell pepper and pine nuts.
- Tuna, ham and cheese.