Zucchini is a vegetable with a high water content and very few calories, only 10 calories per unit. In addition, since it does not have a very strong flavor, it is ideal to incorporate into the diet of those who are not used to eating vegetables? Also, on this occasion, we want to show you how to use them as a filling for some delicious zucchini baskets. We will combine this beneficial vegetable with onion, white sauce and seasonings to achieve an appetizing filling. You can freeze them or use them over the next 3 days as a lunch for work, school or university.
Ingredients to make Zucchini Baskets:
- 2 zucchini
- 1 large onion
- 1 teaspoon of nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoons grated cheese
- ½ cup of milk (120 milliliters)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 6 pie shells
How to make Zucchini Baskets:
The first step to make the zucchini baskets recipe consists of peeling and chopping the onion. Next, take it to a pan with maximum heat and 1 teaspoon of oil. When it starts to become transparent, lower the heat to medium and add 1 tablespoon of hot water. When the water evaporates, remove the onions and, in the same cooking background, add the zucchini, previously washed and cut into medium-sized cubes. Don’t cut them too small or they will come apart a bit, though that’s to your liking. Keep the fire strong so that they brown and do not release too much liquid or they will moisten the dough of your empanadas. When they brown on one side, move them to turn them so they brown on all sides.
Transfer the sautéed vegetables to a mixing bowl with the seasonings and a healthy white sauce. To make it, you just have to dissolve the cornstarch in the cold milk and heat it in the microwave for 1 minute. Next, mix and heat for another 30 seconds until thickened, always mixing. Keep in mind that, as the vegetables are somewhat moist, we want the white sauce to be very thick to amalgamate the filling.
Tip: if you don’t have a microwave, you can cook the white sauce in a pot over medium heat, stirring constantly for about 4 minutes until it thickens.
When the filling is cold, you can assemble the baskets by lining the inside of a muffin tin with the empanada lids and adding a generous tablespoon of zucchini filling in the center. Cooking your zucchini empanadas in these types of molds will allow you to make the filling and the dough together, without the risk of them falling apart. If you do not have these molds, at the end of the recipe we provide you with some ideas to replace them. Cook the small basket empanadas for about 7 minutes in the oven at 200-220 ºC, it will be enough for the tops to brown and the filling to heat up.
How to make the stuffed baskets not fall apart?
If you don’t have these muffin pans or find them expensive to access, there are other pans made with aluminum foil that are much cheaper. These molds are obtained in the bins and are special for cupcakes. You can use them upside down, lining the base with the empanada tops and pinching the edges a little to make the small basket shape. You should cook the dough for about 5 minutes until it is lightly golden and, carefully, remove them to fill them and heat them for another 3 or 4 minutes so that the filling is heated.
If you do not want to use any type of mold, you can precook the lids with the shape of a basket and a ball of aluminum foil so that they do not fall apart when heated. You can also stuff them so that the same stuffing keeps its shape, although they can fall apart a little more.
